Whatever downsides globalisation might bring, the fact that the world is getting smaller at least gives us the chance to meet the cultures and customs of nations all over the world. Every country is unique. And in Croatia, you’ll find that there is a rich and vibrant folk tradition.

Every summer, don’t miss Zagreb’s International Folklore Festival featuring traditional folk groups from Croatia and all parts of the world. On summer days you can often catch little folk performances on Trg Bana Jelačića while you sip your coffee. In our special feature, you can discover what folklore is, and read about big festivals happening in Turopolje and Sisak, plus many smaller events in the beautiful countryside around Zagreb.

“Folklore” usually means art which has developed over the centuries in the countryside. It’s more or less synonymous with peasant culture, dating back to when people lived close to the land. It’s a lively tradition, full of colour. Today, even in the smallest villages you’ll rarely spot someone wandering around in folk dress. However, until around the 1950s, most people lived outside urban centres and survived by subsistence farming. So, many people in their 60s remember how things were done in the villages they were born in, and their children and grandchildren have grown up with their stories.

Once I was enjoying the sunshine at an outdoor spa with my family. There were a lot of older people easing their aches and pains in the thermal water. One spirited lady started singing a powerful and haunting song, and soon the whole pool joined in harmony. My aunt remembered how as a teenager she would walk through the village singing similar songs, calling people from their homes to help with the harvest. As more joined, the song became louder, and the time flew by as they worked.

Folklore is always connected with the fundamental things in life. Traditions, though linked in some ways throughout Central and Eastern Europe, have developed unique local peculiarities, and include the visual elements of costume, jewellery, instruments - even hairstyles!

Zagreb’s Ethnographic Museum has fantastic collections of folk costumes from Zagreb region, the whole of Croatia and other countries, plus domestic and agricultural implements, sacral objects, handcrafts and more. Zagreb’s Folk Costume Manufacturing and Rental Department also has extensive folk dress collections, runs workshops and has pieces you can buy. The Samobor Museum has local collections and runs workshops in manufacturing traditional jewellery (see the Zagreb County Tourist Board website, www.tzzz.hrCraftsman Stjepan Balja in Zaprešić creates unique traditional gold jewellery, while Josip Kruh Vuk in Ivanić Grad makes traditional leather footwear called “opanci”, including miniature souvenir versions and decorative belts.
 

The traditional attire of Zagreb County
Traditional attire or, as usually called, the folk costume, takes an important place in presenting the cultural heritage of Croatia, and therefore of these parts as well. The great variety and richness of forms of folk costumes resulted from the climatic, geographic and economic features of the area, as well as by contacts with various cultures and style periods.

At first glance, the costumes of the Zagreb County are vastly diverse because the space itself is heterogeneous, however by their common characteristics, they belong to the Pannonian cultural area according to the ethnographic typology. An exception is Žumberak, in which the costume of Eastern-Rite Catholic women, by their basic parts, material and cut, belongs to the Dinara clothing inventory.

Association with the Pannonian cultural area is best seen in the two-piece male basic costume (rubaca, shirt and gace, trousers), and the three-piece basic female costume (rubaca, shirt, oplece, blouse, pregaca, apron) made from the domestic weave of plant origin (hemp, flax, cotton). The attire is uncut and it is made such that the woven halves (pola) of the fabric are sewn along the edges, and then puckered into wider or narrower folds. The basic parts are regularly supplemented by leather, cloth or fur over garments (various waistcoats called lajbeci, kožuvi, surine, džohe) made by domestic craftsmen.

When it was used daily, the costume silently sent out the most diverse messages, understandable to the members of the local community. (The costumes started to be abandoned at the end of the 19th century, and completely disappeared after World War II). In female costumes, in particular, and especially in the festive costumes, the age and status in society were recognizable. All life phases and changes in life were manifested on the woman's garments - from childhood, maidenhood, marriage, maternity, maturity, old age and widowhood.

The colour and quantity of decorations indicated the age of the wearer - red was worn by youth, and darker shades accompanied old age, even in the variations of the white costume, which has modest decorations only on the neck trimming called ošvica and on wrist trimming called zapešce (Krašic, Jamnica). The completely white costume indicated mourning for the deceased.

The way of combing and covering the head most explicitly revealed status differences. Uncovered hair denoted the status of maidens, who used to braid their hair in one or two plaits lowered down the back or curled at the back of the head. When the wedding garland was removed, the hair of the young bride would be lifted, braided into the most diverse forms and covered with caps (kapice, poculice) and kerchiefs (pece). Such headdress revealed the status of a married woman and accompanied her throughout her life.

It is believed that in addition to the status and age, the costume contained the elements of magical and apothropic meaning. This primarily refers to the frequent use of the red colour which represents happiness, health and protection, before all, of young generations. The form of the unicorn or two-horned animal, which appears on the headdress (Bratina and Jamnica) points to the ancient symbol of fertility because, as tradition has it, the horns (rogi) protect the woman from spells and the evil eye.

Adornments, as an aesthetic supplement to the costume, indicated the financial standing of the individual. Most often, necklaces were made of strands of coral (Turopolje, Krašic), silver coins (Jamnica, Pokupsko), mother-of-pearl (Kutina, Posavski Bregi) or glass beads in various colours strung up at home (Samobor, Bratina, Bistra). The costumes also symbolized the local, regional, national and religious identity (Žumberak), which is evidently still present today.

What most differentiates the folk costumes of Zagreb County is certainly the quantity of decorations and the diversity of the weaving and embroidering techniques which was usually done by the women. In settlements where weaving was done by men, the costumes have more modest decorations (Sv. Jana, Krašic, Zelina). The women displayed their desire for more beauty by subsequently adding white embroidery along the tops of folds (Jaska area) or by sewing crocheted lace on the hems of the apron (Bistra).

But, even where the costume lacked many colours and ornaments, the decoration was compensated by thick two-way - horizontal and vertical - puckering of virtually the entire surface of the garment (Jamnica, Vrbovec) or by the abundance of the material (Pokupsko). A special decoration is also the interwoven element (utkanica) made with red and blue cotton (Bratina, Turopolje), however the colouristic quality, the harmony of colours and rich ornaments from strict geometric to stylized plant and animal shapes is the characteristic of the so-called Posavina variation of the costume (Turopolje, Dugo Selo, Križ, Posavski Bregi).

For women, making the costumes was both a necessary task and a means of self-expression of their visual interpretation of beauty. Therefore, each woven or embroidered piece of the costume can be considered a small work of art in and of itself.

Turopolje
Turopolje, a region south-east of Zagreb, has a rich and varied past. The history of its people is lovingly preserved in celebrations of folklore and local cuisine. Its capital, Velika Gorica, is the home of the Turopolje Folklore Ensemble, active for more than thirty years now, and numbering over 400 singers, dancers and musicians, including tambour players, an instrument much used in the music of the Zagreb region. They have a collection of wonderful local costumes, which are expertly made in their own workshop.

The ensemble has travelled around the world with its award-winning repertoire, has performed at an audience with the late Pope John Paul II, and been the subject of a half hour BBC documentary. It hosts the annual Turopolje International Festival of Folklore.

The aim of the festival is to present the folk tradition through music and dance to a local and international audience.

Velika Gorica is a town with a lovely centre, including the Turopolje Museum with its folk collection. It’s well worth visiting at any time. Contact the Tourist Association of Velika Gorica or Zagreb County for more information.

The Turopolje Folk Ensemble, Slavka Kolara bb, Velika Gorica. Tel  (01) 621 35 87 www.faturopolje.hr