The Bunjevačko kolo Croatian Culture Centre in Subotica staged a presentation at CHF headquarters that included workshops on traditional Bunjevo Croatian heritage.
The Bunjevačko kolo Croatian Culture Centre in Subotica staged a presentation at the Croatian Heritage Foundation headquarters on 8 November that included workshops on traditional Bunjevo Croatian heritage.
The Bunjevačko kolo Croatian Culture Society was founded back in 1970 and was for decades the only hub of Croatian activity in that part of the Bačka region. What drew the large turnout, however, was not the dry data concerning the organisation’s work, but rather its informative and inspiring Bunjevo folklore workshops.
The traditional Bunjevo folk costume have always attracted a great deal of attention. This lavish traditional garb requires skill not only in its creation: to don these garments, in particular the multiple layers of the women’s outfits, is no easy task, and one in which there are many possible wrong steps. The first workshop covered the many challenges associated with dressing up in the traditional Bunjevo fashion.
The second workshop covered the traditional Bunjevo headwear. Although simple at first glance, its creation and wearing also requires special skill. The tying of scarves among the Bunjevo women is a procedure that requires expertise: expertise concerning an until recently commonplace routine, such as donning a scarf, that is quickly being lost. Workshops like this are, then, of particular importance.
The third workshop covered the dances that Bunjevo folklore is best known for. The pride of the Bunjevo “players” and their exceptional dexterity in dance requires both knowledge and skill on the one hand, and a measure of relaxation on the other. This workshop aimed to demonstrate how this was achieved.
At these workshops the Bunjevačko kolo (“Bunjevo round dance”) instructors demonstrated just a fraction of their heritage, a tradition that has and will continue to find an audience in Zagreb.
By: Marin Knezović
Photography: Snježana Jurišić