Pająki: Poland’s Joyful Folk Chandeliers
- Katharine Ricks
- Jun 12
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 13
I have a few pająki hanging in the FuzzypegFolk shop and am often asked WHAT are they and WHY do they cost so much?!
Pająki (pronounced pah-YONK-ee), is a joyful expression of Polish folk tradition - a gorgeous, colourful decoration made mainly of straw and paper which is hung from the ceiling like a chandelier.
The word pająk literally translated means spider in Polish, which perhaps refers to the symmetrical weblike shape of the chandelier structure. It may also be symbolic because a spider is considered a sign of good luck in Polish homes and pajaki (plural) were used as seasonal tokens of harmony, abundance, and good fortune, as well as gifts and decorations for Christmas, Easter, weddings, christenings or harvest festivals.
Today they’ve become cherished works of folk art, celebrated for their intricate beauty and craftsmanship.
Originally in the 18th century pajaki were commonly found in wooden cottages throughout Poland especially in the Łowicz and Kurpie regions. Traditionally, they were made by women and girls during long winter evenings, often as a communal activity. Like so many crafts passed down through generations, the knowledge travelled by hand and by heart. Over time, from the 19th century onwards, they became a popular decoration - a central masterpiece spinning in the living space brightening up these homes during the long winter months alongside other colourful folk decorations - papercut wycinanki ("vee-chee-non-kee") pictures and hand-painted wall-hangings.
They are traditionally made from rye straw, tissue paper, wool and repurposed materials like feathers, and dried peas. The rye straw is the most important part of the pajak and is used because of it's length and strength. It was central to life in Poland and the Polish people believed it had magic powers. They were totally dependent on their crops and so made beautiful straw wreaths to celebrate the end of the harvest. After this the remaining rye straw stalks were tied together in sheaths and stored until Christmas. Some would then be laid on the floor under the table to protect the house from evil spirits and the rest used to make the Christmas pajak. This was then burned at the end of the Christmas season to symbolise new life and new pajaki were made for Easter, sometimes using decorated Easter eggs (pisanki) instead of flowers and pompoms.
What makes a pająk so special is its combination of geometry and colour. Each region (and even each maker) has its own variation, and many artists invent entirely new designs from traditional forms. The earliest pajaki were usually made from whatever materials were available at the time and so this determined their shape and structure.
Over time the pajaki evolved from quite simple shapes into larger, more complex and decorative structures. These were inspired by actual chandeliers in churches.
From the 20th century onwards , when new materials became available like coloured paper and ribbon, the pajaki became even more elaborate.
In Lowicz, famous for it's colourful wycinanki and gorgeous hand-embroidered costumes, elements of this decoration have been incorporated into the pajaki designs. More geometric structures are known in other countries too - Estonia, Belarus, Lithuania, Ukraine and Finland. But the Polish pajaki are the only ones decorated with flowers.
So how on earth are pajaki made?
The arms of the pajaki are created by threading together small pieces of straw, beans, peas or feathers and these were attached to a central structure, sometimes web-like, made from willow or twisted wire with wool. In Karolina Merska's brilliant book "Making Mobiles" (highly recommended for further reading and maybe even a project) she describes the basic structure as being divided into upper - a minimum of four outer arms with maybe additional inner dangling arms, and lower - different types of hanging arms, longer with pompoms and some shorter ones dangling between them. The two structures are held together by a middle platform which can be a metal hoop with crossed arms of straw and paper or a woollen, woven platform. The paper pompoms attached to the arms are what makes the pajaki so gorgeous and unique. These can be made in various shapes and sizes and are all VERY fiddly and time-consuming.
A simple pajak design can take about half a day to make, whereas the much more complicated designs with many pompoms can take over a week. I was lucky enough to attend one of Karolina Merska's pajaki workshops in London last year. We spent nearly two hours making the tiniest, simplest pajak and we didn't even attempt one of those tissue paper pompoms! See my little effort below.
If you're curious to see a pajak in real life pop into FuzzypegFolk shop in Bungay or look at the website in the "Decoration" section. These two beautiful, large pajaki I have hanging in the shop were made by a folk artist in Poland and put my little project to shame!
Can you imagine how long this must've taken to make?! Each pompom is 30 layers of tissue paper cut into 16 sections each of which is hand-rolled. Then each layer is sewn together to form the pompom. The arms themselves are many sections of rye straw joined together with needle and thread, tied with the teeniest of knots and embellished with tissue paper circles. Having threaded a few rye straws together I know how tricky this is - the straw splits and the thread pulls out. It is VERY fiddly. My pajak collapsed and broke on the train journey home!
The other, slightly smaller pajak hanging in my shop was made by Margaret Langmaid who is Polish but lives in Cornwall. This one has "hedgehog" spikey pompoms which are made from 12 layers of tissue paper each of which has 8 spikes which have been formed by hand-rolling the tissue around the top of a pencil.
And THAT is why pajaki are pretty pricey...They are works of folk art- very intricate designs or sculptures that have been painstakingly constructed and lovingly created over many days or even weeks.
While they were once purely seasonal, modern pająki are loved year-round as playful home accents, especially in nurseries, creative studios, and eclectic interiors.
Pajaki are now enjoying a revival, thanks to artisans, heritage keepers, and folk art lovers across Poland and beyond. Contemporary makers are experimenting with colour palettes, materials (some even use recycled plastic or textiles), and shapes — but the spirit remains the same : playful, symbolic, handmade.
So why not bring a pajak into your home. Here are a few ideas:
In a child’s room, a pająk makes a magical, mobile-like centrepiece.
Pastel pajak made by Margaret Langmaid would look wonderful in a child's bedroom Above a dining table, it can become a seasonal or celebratory focal point — try one with festive colours at Christmas or Easter.
Pajak hanging over a table Pair with other natural or handmade textures — wool wall hangings, painted wooden toys, or embroidered linens — to create a cosy, layered folk-inspired interior.
Or hang one in a hallway for a welcoming burst of folk colour.
Pajaki are a perfect example of the FuzzypegFolk mission - to showcase living examples of how folk art continues to inspire and evolve and to make us smile.
