Parteners: Petőfi Sándor Általános Művelődési Központ

Cserkeszőlő-Szelevény-Tiszainoka-Tiszasas/ Általános Iskola Cserkeszőlő - HU;

Gülbağ Selim Sırrı Tarcan İlköğretim Okulu -TR; Istituto Comprensivo Statale“Benedetto Croce”- IT;VERGALES PAMATSKOLA - LV;Dimotiko Scholeio Katharis- Dimitri Liperti - CY;Coordinating school:Şcoala Gimnazială Nr. 11, Botoşani - RO

CULTURAL BRIDGES TO THE FUTURE2012-2014

This product was realized by the students and teachers, members of the Comenius project team, in

School No. 11 Botoșani – Romania

Romanian Traditional Folk Crafts

Traditional Folk Crafts WorkshopItaly, October 2013

Romania n artisans have always show n great talent and skill in wodcarving, potery, embroidery and weaving, basket-weaving , egg decorating, creating traditional masks or painting icons on glass. Botoșani County, through the talent and diligence of the people living here, has become a place where many traditional crafts are preserved.

Interior of traditional Romanian house Etnographic Museum in Botosani

Interior of traditional Romanian house - Ethnogrphic Museum in

Botosani

Carved wooden spoons

Woodcarving - Wood carving is still practiced in many villages all over the country. Using different techniques like cutting, peeling, sculpture, the craftsmen turn wood into puppets, spoons, plates, icons and mask decorated with beautiful and complicated embroidery. This craft of woodworking stand at the origin of house building, churches, traditional furniture and objects for daily use in a traditional house. There are young masters in wood carving, who have learned the techniques from their parents , and continue to keep this tradition alive.

Carved wooden spoons

Handmade traditional apron

Traditional needlepointing and embroidery - No more than a century ago, clothes, bed sheets, carpets and other home textiles where made by the women in the house. They used to have a huge machine called “război” in Romanian , which was used for making the cloth . Blouses, shirts and traditional skirts were made which were then adorned with beautiful hand stitching. Girls learned how to sew their first simple embroidery when they were 6 or 7 years old. Nowadays, there are very few women who can still do that, and the “război “ has been turned into a museum item.

Handmade Romanian blouse

Icons on glass - Painting icons on glass is a traditional Romanian craft. The icons on glass appeared for the first time in Transylvania where the craft was borrowed from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This knowledge is passed down from generation to generation, from parents to children, many artists remaining anonymous.. A typical icon on glass represents a character or more, the remaining space is filled with flowers borders, rope borders or stars borders . In Moldavia, icons are adorned with flowers larger than the human representations .

Romanian Orthodox icons painted on glass

Romanian Easter decorated eggs on a traditional towel

Decorating eggs - In some Romanian villages, the art of decorating eggs (încondeierea ouălelor) is passed on from one generation to another. Perhaps the most sophisticated and well-preserved egg-decorating techniques come from Bucovina, in northern Moldavia. Here, women still use the same egg-decorating motives from the Romanian folklore that were used centuries ago. The most common colors for Romanian eggs are red, yellow, and black. These colors also feature heavily in traditional Romanian clothing.

Traditional Romanian hand decorated Easter egg

Folk Masks Exhibition in Botoșani

Masks - Masks are linked to folk festivals held predominantly in Maramures and Moldavia. In Vorona, near Botosani , lives one of the most known Romanian mask craftsman. Typically made of animal skin (sheep, goats or cows) they are decorated with fabric, hats, pompoms, metallic bits, feathers, beans, straw and animal horns .They are worn, traditionally, in December and early January , to welcome the New Year.

Ritual mask - Vorona , Botoșani

Traditional Folk Crafts Workshop in School No. 11, Botoșani

The forth graders learn how to do needlepoint, decorate Easter eggs and wooden spoons during the Traditional Folk Crafts Workshop, under the guidance of their teacher, Mrs. Corina

Palade.