This holiday season, the Ethnographic Museum opened an exhibition under the heading ‘Feathers, apples and a grain of salt.’ There is still plenty of time to visit this celebration of warmth, home and family, scheduled to close on January 28^th. The organizers want to acquaint visitors with the Christmas customs of northwest Croatia, gradually forgotten due to our neglect, using striking examples of traditional ornaments. A series of workshops accompanies the exhibition. It is hosted by Mr. Vlado Čehulić, the proud owner of an Ethno workshop. The museum workshops offer an entertaining way of partaking in the holiday spirit. By crafting traditional ornamental blossoms, participants reconnect with their grandmothers’ and great-grandmothers’ generation, and customs that are a part of their heritage.

We met up with Mr. Čehulić as he was preparing his crafting supplies for the workshop and asked him to translate his love for the meditative pursuit of decoration into words. He enthusiastically recalled his beginnings:

“My family comes from Donji Lipovac near Konjščina. I was taught by my grandmother what must have been over thirty years ago. I was a twelwe or thirteen year old kid. When I saw what she was doing I became interested and this interest in ornamental roses has persisted to this day. Later, I discovered that they made similar roses in the Samobor region, in Sveta Nedelja, in Kerestinec and Rakitje. The people from these places probably socialized with each other. I was unable to find out if the families there are related or where particular kinds of ornaments originated. All I know is that the round, ball-shaped little roses come from the Konjščina area. I think those are the most beautiful ones. I learned how to make different kinds, but the roses have grown the closest to my heart thanks to my grandmother.”

As he was wrapping up his story, his speech slowed and his voice became wistful. At that moment, we were interrupted by the workshop’s first visitors. In seconds he was kneeling surrounded by children, hands wrapped in colourful paper ribbons, and the practiced motion of his fingers continued the Christmas tale.

The children were transfixed. Their brows knitted in a thoughtful expression, they pressed their lips together in concentration. Their parents assumed similar poses, likely inherited by the kids. The grandmothers were animated by a competitive spirit – it seemed they were proving a point. Faced with the challenge of crafting an elegant paper rose, the youngest were let down by their patience. In order that the burden would not fall on adults’ shoulders alone, they were given a simpler flower to make, a change they welcomed with all the dignity of grade school students. Everyone shared a worthwhile experience and brought home a blossom they could be proud of.

My visit resumed with a tour of the museum exhibit under the friendly tutelage of Mrs. Mirjana Drobina, the Ethnographic Museum’s Public Relations Manager. We soon came across a pair of ladies who examined the traditional ornaments on display – figurines made of salt, paper rose blossoms, decorative apples and walnuts – and gleefully recognized the Christmas they had known in childhood.

Looking around, it was apparent that store-bought ornaments don’t have the same power of bringing people together as the roses. They don’t match the deep, lasting and sweet emotional impression of the tiny festive apples and sweets in silver wrapping. They are just a convenience, a tribute to busy lifestyles. Mrs. Mirjana confirms this:

“In the past ten years we have noticed an increased number of queries about tradition. People want to reclaim their traditions in every sense of the word, including decorating their houses. And these kinds of ornaments which are traditionally tied to rural customs can be made by everyone in the comfort of their own home.”

So before you reach for the jangling boxes or ornaments whose contents have not seen daylight in almost a year, take a pause. Visit the Zagreb Ethnographic Museum in search of inspiration and turn Christmas in an adventure that will never fade. You can learn the crafting skills you will need in Christmas workshops, and pass them on to your loved ones. The next opportunity is December 23^rd, following a quick registration at edukacija@emz.hr.