Krakow Poland's new "Kilt Wearing Etiquette" (press release)

[Fearnest]

Strict Kilt Wearing Etiquette in Krakow, Scotsmen Beware

Scotsmen on Stag Weekends have been asked to follow strict Kilt Wearing Ettiquette!


2007-03-22 -- /prbuzz/ -- Low cost flights, one pound pints, three hundred bars (and counting) and the most beautiful women in the world... who wouldn't want to party in this medieval city of Krakow, Poland.

The savy party-goers are turning to a new era in weekend parties. There has been a massive increase towards short weekends away, Bachelor Parties, Hen and Stag weekends, and corporate celebrations are rocketing the number of all male and female parties abroad.

The trend has emerged for activity-orientated weekends away, including corporate events, bachelor parties, hen and stag events, and even VIP birthdays. A local based company in Krakow (Cracow) Poland, has seen a massive 200% increase in the number of online travel enquiries and bookings. Visitors from countries such as UK, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Denmark and Germany, all of whom are booking online for short weekend parties abroad.

Scotsmen beware, on entering the city of Krakow, you will be asked to follow strict Kilt Wearing Etiquette.

Lifting your kilts could land you in the clink for the night. Drinking on the streets is also banned in Krakow, mix this with your harmless Stag party and you may not return for the wedding !

A highly regarded and professionally run local company in Krakow, Lifestyle Tours, say ”its harmless fun and good spirit, that drives the lads to wear the kilts, the locals enjoy the boys showing the Scottish national dress, the girls love it and find it entertaining.”

”young lads and men are travelling in droves to spend there weekends in Krakow, most of the weekend is spent playing big boys games, (activities) such as paint ball, kart racing, skydiving. But local company Lifestyle Tours offers a more entertaining weekends adding special events such as the lads party, the big boys treasure hunt, and playboy pool parties, all simply adding fun and laughter to harmless weekends away”

Lifestyle Tours, spokeswoman says ”we arrange sometimes ten party groups per weekend, each group has up to thirty people, we work in association with the local authorities, security firms, bars, clubs and venues, we rarely have any problems, occasionally some of the party people go missing for a few days but eventually they show up or email us from home. (Scotland). When we are aware the groups are from Scotland we ask them to read, acknowledge and follow our Kilt Wearing Etiquette, we have similar Etiquette guidelines for weekend visitors from other countries”

”Some of the bars have threatened to ban people on stag nights or hen nights, but we have a close association with the major clubs and bars and we arrange express entry, VIP rooms, catering and drinks for the evening, we call these lads parties, this is our most popular night time activities.”

Kilt Etiquette – Krakow Poland

Those who plan to wear the kilt should recognize that a kilted man inevitably attracts attention, However, to avoid inadvertently offending spectators, men should observe the following rules of kilt etiquette:

1. Never lift your kilt (except for obvious reasons!) Never lift your kilt in public, and never allow anyone else to lift your kilt. If you believe that you may breach this clause please tie the kilt to your socks or shoes, preferable using fishing line or very strong cotton.

2.Walk, do not run, when departing train or buses, walking through Krakow's main market square, and responding to last call for drinks in the pubs and clubs. If you must walk quickly, then keep both hands on your sporran.

3. Do not go upstairs, or visit monument or castles. Wawel castle in Krakow is one monument that Scots on Stag weekends should not plan to visit. Likewise, you should avoid open balconies and glass fronted elevators. Neither should you go downstairs; considering that most of the bars and clubs are below ground level, in Krakow, Scots may find it difficult to enter these premises before dark.

4. Do not stoop, crouch, or squat to pick up anything from the ground, have a friend to pick up the object for you. If your friends will not oblige, kick the object to a secluded place before you retrieve it. If you have no friends, then stooping, crouching or squatting in a kilt may only worsen your condition.

5. Do not wear shiny new shoes. Dull them a little. (Shiny shoes can act as mirrors)

6. Do not stand at the edge of reflective pools, unrippled ponds, or mirror-like puddles. On those formal events where you must wear silver buckles on your shoes, do not stand still for longer than five seconds at a time. Dance instead.

7. Dance nothing more boisterous that a slow waltz. Limbo dancing in a kilt at any time definitely breaches kilt etiquette.

8. Respond only with an enigmatic smile to any questions about what is worn under your kilt. Avoid responding at all similarly, do not offer any demonstrations of what is worn under your kilt; an offer such as "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" can be misconstrued as the opening salvo in an ever escalating series of challenges and exhibitions which might be illegal, and find you in Krakow's clink for the night.

9. Shaving of one's legs is unnecessary. Also, it is considered in poor taste to suggest private viewings of your "kilt-line"

10. Do not sit with one leg crossed over the other. This position requires you to un-cross your legs later, a tricky maneuver mastered by only a select few after years of training. Avoid soft recliners, swings or rocking chairs where the sitter's knees may move above shoulder level.

11. Be sure of the context of the conversation before making comments about global warming, air conditioning, or the ozone layer; none of these topics necessarily pertains to the creature comforts of a kiltie. You should also note that, regardless of their ambiguous titles, films such as "The Naked Gun", "The Untouchables" and "The Full Monty" do not address any issues related to the wearing of the kilt
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Local Stag and Hen Party organisers, Lifestyle Tours, are based in Krakow and have the foothold one of the Worlds Best Cities to Party. Krakow (Cracow) Poland is one of Europe's most beautiful cities. Seven Million visitors per year and growing rapidly, some say 400 clubs, and the most beautiful women in the world - this is certainly the place for a good party.

Media Release : Krakow, Poland SANE Public Relations
About Lifestyle Tours - Stag Krakow – Hen Krakow

[David Dalglish]

Well, that says it all.

[Monkey@Arms]

I've seen some of those more humorous "etiquette" items like don't "stand still for longer than five seconds at a time. Dance instead" elsewhere. Obviously they "lifted" them to try to lighten the more serious message that visitors to other countries shouldn't make an *** of themselves (its bad for business).

Best regards,

Jake

[Nick]

This is a joke, right?

Please tell me this is a joke.

The "rules" are not only nonsensical, but ridiculous (tying the kilt to your shoes with fishing line??) And if this is (heaven forbid) real, the people who wrote it obviously know nothing about the relationship of kilt to stairs.

[TJP33928]

Truly Classic!

[Monkey@Arms]

This is a joke, right?

Please tell me this is a joke.

The "rules" are not only nonsensical, but ridiculous (tying the kilt to your shoes with fishing line??) And if this is (heaven forbid) real, the people who wrote it obviously know nothing about the relationship of kilt to stairs.

As I said above, they've taken a joke list of "kilt etiquite" from the internet, and modified it. Here's an earlier version

1. Walk, do not run. If you must walk quickly, keep both hands on your sporran. If your sporran is up around your neck, youre walking much too fast.

2. Do not walk up the globe stairs for an autographed cd signed by the lovely Miranda, fiddler to the Glengarry Bhoys.

3. Do not stoop, crouch or squat to pick up anything from the floor. Have a friend pick up the object for you. If your friend will not oblige, kick the object to a secluded place before you retrieve it.

4. Do not wear shiny new shoes. Dull them a little (perhaps with mud or mince) or wear spats and establish your credentials as the fashion trend setter that you are.

5. Do not stand at the edge of reflective fountains or any mirror-like puddles. On those formal events where you must wear silver buckles on your shoes, do not stand still for longer then five seconds at a time. Dance instead.

6. However, dance nothing more boisterous then a slow waltz. Reserve wild reels, jigs and flings for family gatherings where your identity requires no further elaboration, or for those occasions when your anonymity is assured. Limbo dancing in a kilt at any time definitely breaches kilt etiquette.

7. Respond only with an enigmatic smile to any questions about what is worn under your kilt. Avoid responding with the tired cliché Nothing is worn under my kilt; everything is in fine working order.

Similarly, do not offer any demonstrations of what is worn under your kilt. An offer such as Ill show you mine if you show me yours can be misconstrued as the opening salvo in an ever escalating series of challenges and exhibitions which might be illegal in public places, even between consenting adults.

8. Shaving of ones legs is unnecessary. However, hirsute highlanders who elect to wax the hair from their legs should wax the whole leg and not just the knee area displayed between kilt and hose. Such false economies only contribute to the myth of the cheap Scot. Also, it is considered in poor taste to suggest private viewings of your kilt-line.

9. Do not sit with one leg crossed over the other. This position requires you to un-cross your legs later, a tricky maneuver mastered by only a select few after years of training. Always sit with your knees no more than six inches apart, thus creating enough shadow for mystery and discretion. Avoid soft recliners, swings or rocking chairs wherethe sitters knees may move above shoulder level. Observance of these simple guidelines allows one to wear the kilt with panache and ensures your own confident decorum, all while providing your adoring audience with a stirring but not unsettling spectacle.

I am sure there are others out there.

Best regards,

Jake

[Fearnest]

This is a joke, right?

Please tell me this is a joke.

The "rules" are not only nonsensical, but ridiculous (tying the kilt to your shoes with fishing line??) And if this is (heaven forbid) real, the people who wrote it obviously know nothing about the relationship of kilt to stairs.

Probably true that these were lifted from elsewhere, but there have apparently been some huge problems with drunken kilted men in Poland.

This from The Daily Record:

KRAKDOWN
By Lachlan Mackinnon
SCOTS heading to Poland for stag trips are being warned not to lift their kilts - or our national dress could be banned.

The good burghers of Krakow and Warsaw are sick of the sight of boozed-up "men in skirts" flashing their bits in the street.

And the authorities in another popular stag night destination, the city of Wroclaw, have become so fed-up with the badly behaved minority of Scots they are seriously considering outlawing the kilt.

With beer at £1 a pint and £50 flights from Prestwick, Poland is fast becoming a favourite destination for Scots stag parties.

But a few morons seem determined to abuse the hospitality of the locals, and residents have made a string of complaints about kilt-lifting drunks.

Angry Agnieska Gaspar, 23, from Krakow, said: "You can't go round the corner without seeing a Scot showing off what he has under his kilt while one of his mates photographs him.


"I saw one lying in the gutter the other day with his kilt around his waist. He was drunk and it was freezing cold - I'm surprised he did not get frostbite."


The council in Wroclaw confirmed that they are looking into banning kilts, despite the police telling them they are perfectly legal.


A council spokesman asked: "Why would we want to see what Scotsmen wear under their kilts?


"We encourage people from all parts of the world to come here and enjoy themselves and obviously, if they want, to have a few drinks.


"The wearing of national dress is equally acceptable. But we do not want drunken hordes making people feel as if they do not want to go out on the streets at night for fear of who or what they might encounter.


"So far, the police have told us there can be no ban on kilts in our town as they are an accepted form of dress and there is nothing offensive about it.


"However, we are still looking into the matter. We have had a number of complaints from people who were confronted by drunks lifting their kilts and this is not the kind of behaviour our city wants to see."


A newspaper in Wroclaw has condemned the Scots' antics and carried photos of the flashers.


A spokesman for the paper, Dziennik, said: "It's easy to spot these so-called 'tourists' from a mile off. They wear kilts and leave behind them broken tables and chairs in bars.


"Then they stop people, smile at them and lift up their kilts to show what's underneath.


"But what is worse is that they go around doing it unpunished and our police do nothing. It is time to act."


Police in Wroclaw have now vowed to arrest kilt-lifters on sight.


Poland's representative in Scotland, consul general Aleksander Dietcow, branded the kilt-lifters "sad". He said: "I think part of the reason this is being highlighted is that because of their kilts, Scots are highly visible, especially when they misbehave."


Genuine kilt fans fear that the stag night yobs are tarnishing Scotland's reputation abroad.


Hamish Husband, of the west of Scotland arm of the Tartan Army, said: "This seems to go back to the warriors showing their bottoms in Braveheart. I think the danger is that this behaviour becomes associated with us.


"The kilt is a badge of honour and should be worn with pride. It shouldn't be lifted to shock people - that's immature and juvenile."


A spokeswoman for tourism body visitscotland said the kilt is an important symbol of Scotland as a "warm and friendly nation".


She added: "It would be a shame if a minority gave Scotland a bad name."

[bikercelt1]

I don't know if the list is intended to be tounge-in-cheek or not but it seems another case of living down to the lowest common denominator. Maybe it's a case of "lost in translation"? Don't they have any indecency laws in Poland? I get so weary of "punish the whole group cause it's easier than making the offenders responsible for their actions".

Jamie

[mcvarmit]

duh, lighten up!