Cherche — one of the 24 villages of the Kamin-Kashyrskyi community, where weaving on handlooms is still practiced; this tradition was included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukraine on December 26, 2023, as “Traditional weaving in the Kamin-Kashyrskyi community.” In Cherche itself, there are about a dozen weavers.
The local looms are wooden, made of ash; some are over a hundred years old. They weave towels, fabric for shirts, bedspreads, runners, and raduzhky, made from strips of old clothing. Previously, a girl had to weave her dowry before the wedding, and before major holidays, the house was decorated with homemade textiles.
Museum and meetings with weavers
At the village school, there is a local history museum that houses about thirty weaving items: parts of looms, spinning wheels, other tools, and products. Themed tours and meetings with local weavers, who demonstrate loom work, are held here.
Weaving of Volyn Polissia
Polissia weaving is characterized by geometric patterns in red and black tones and a pick-up technique called “peretyk” here; the raw materials have long been flax, hemp, and wool. A broader phenomenon — “Artistic weaving of Volyn Polissia” — was included in the regional list of intangible heritage of Volyn back in 2018.
Photo: Vysokyi Zamok / rayon.in.ua.
