Niska Banja Handicraft Festival

This year I decided to visit the Ethno meetings event in Niška Banja. I heard earlier from friends and acquaintances that cultural and artistic societies gather there, that customs from different parts of Serbia are presented, that you can see old crafts, folk costumes and taste traditional food. That sounded interesting to me, so I headed to Niška Banja to spend the whole day at that event.Stalls were set up on the square itself, where the main part of the program was taking place. People from various regions brought their products to them: honey, brandy, wine, cheese, ajvar, dried fruit, cakes. There were also stalls with handicrafts – handmade embroidery, wooden spoons, small items made of wool and thread, but also straw decorations.The first thing that caught my attention were these dolls dressed in folk costumes. I remember very well that my grandparents wore those.

All of this you see is handmade. I have it all in a box left over from my mother, who used to do this kind of work until late at night.Given that I know how much time she spent working and how much effort she put into it, this work is very much appreciated.

At the Ethno Meetings, old crafts were also displayed. In one part of the event, I saw a craftsman making wooden objects – spoons, bowls and teapots. At another stand, a woman was weaving on a loom and showing passersby how patterns were created on the canvas. There were also those who were making wicker baskets, and an elderly woman was explaining how to knit wool socks.

A large part of the event was food. In addition to the stalls, tables were set up where housewives from different regions brought dishes they prepared at home. I was able to try proja, cheese pies, homemade rolls, cooked dishes like beans and goulash. There were also sweet things – gingerbread, nut cakes, donuts, vanilla ice cream.Everything was served in smaller portions so that as many people as possible could try it.

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Such decorated and hand-kneaded bread was brought by cultural and artistic societies that had their own performance. And there were many of them. A special part of the program was devoted to customs. A cultural and artistic society performed a wedding custom from their region. I met people from different regions, talked to the exhibitors about how they make their products and how long they have been doing it. Some said that it was a family tradition, that the craft was passed down from generation to generation. Others have only recently started making handicrafts and want to keep the traditions alive. Souvenirs could also be bought at the stands - small embroidery, handmade bracelets, bottles of brandy or wine in decorative packaging.

In the evening, the event came to a festive end. All the cultural and artistic societies gathered on stage and sang a joint song.The day spent at the Ethno Meetings in Niška Banja was filled with diverse content. That's why I plan to visit this event next year.