The CHF’s 28th Winter School of Croatian Folklore saw a record turnout from fifteen countries and saw the first ever participation of the tamburitza group of the Klokotić culture and arts association from Romania.
This year’s Winter School of Croatian Folklore is the first in its 58 years to go fully online as a virtual forum for creativity and the preservation of Croatian heritage.
One hundred and eighty participants are a confirmation of the importance of traditional culture in the preservation of our identity, especially when it comes to our minority enclaves in nearby European countries, the Croatians of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and our diaspora communities in other parts of the world. Croatian Heritage Foundation director Mijo Marić opened the 28th Winter School of Croatian Folklore on 31 January with a brief welcome for all the participants. This year the CHF is celebrating seventy years of successful work with our people abroad.
The participants were also welcomed by programme head Andrija Ivančan, who thanked everyone for their engagement in the programme and in preserving our culture and heritage. Also taking part in the opening were tamboura section head Tibor Bun, traditional instruments section head Vjekoslav Martinić, and the lecturers for Dinaric zone folklore Goran Knežević, Kristina Benko Markovica, Katarina Medarić, Nenad Milin and Vedran Vidović.
Among the guests of the opening were Petar Hategan, a member of the governmental advisory body on Croats abroad representing our ethnic community in Romania. The whole of the tamburitza group of the Klokotić culture and arts association from Romania took part in this year’s activities. The record turnout saw participants from fifteen countries: Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, the United States of America, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Australia, Slovenia and from the Croatian homeland. The school ran for two long weekends and wrapped up on 7 February.
#ZSHF2021 #folklorusrcu #folklorudobakorone.
By: Snježana Jurišić