At this year’s Festival of Cultures in the city of Waiblingen, the Serbian Educational and Cultural Society Prosvjeta from Germany presented one of the most valuable cultural heritages of the Serbian people – Zmijanje embroidery.

Zmijanje embroidery is a special technique practiced by women on Zmijanje, a plateau near Banja Luka in the Republic of Srpska. It is used to decorate women’s clothing and household items.

This embroidery has been on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2014.

The Festival was officially opened by the Mayor of Waiblingen, Sebastian Wolf, and attended by the Consul of the Republic of Serbia in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Stefan Knežević, as well as the President of the Integration Council, Kristina Frey, representatives of the Serbian association Bratstvo, the Serbian Center from Stuttgart and the SECS Prosvjeta from Germany.

As part of the program, the audience enjoyed a half-hour concert performed by students of the Serbian Supplementary School, which operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Serbia, and by Prosvjeta singing group.

The girls wore clothes decorated with Zmijanje embroidery motifs, while the program host introduced the audience to the history and symbolism of this traditional craft.

Biljana Pavlović, an active member of the Integration Council and President of the Serbian association Bratstvo, played a significant role in organizing the event. Her engagement and cooperation with the SECS Prosvjeta are an example of successful networking of Serbian organizations in the diaspora.

President of the SECS Prosvjeta Bogdana Brezovac said: ‘The Waiblingen Cultures Festival was a wonderful opportunity to present Zmijanje embroidery to a wider audience as a living cultural treasure. We are grateful to the Integration Council for inviting us every year to take part in cultural events in Waiblingen, and we owe special gratitude to Ms Biljana Pavlović.

Brezovac also expressed her gratitude to the children, teacher Miljana Milojević, all members and parents, and especially emphasized the eagerness and perseverance of the young men and women from the singing group.

Source: RTRS

Photo: Courtesy photo