There are numerous and already researched examples of a certain kind of civilizational blend of the East and the West within the cultural and historical heritage of BiH. Blends in tradition, customs, folklore and ethnographic heritage are evident, and one of those immaterial legends was created in women’s handicrafts, among which is the so-called Banja Luka lace, which is extraordinary unique.
Decades back, during the time of the former Yugoslavia, among the representative ethnographic contents that could be purchased in the specialized shops of handmade work in big cities was the so-called “Banja Luka lace”, or crochet work, which is recognizable by the small biedermeier in the center of lace.
“Special kinds of patterns of crochet are linked to Bosnian Krajina, or its Podkozara part. Women from Bosanska Dubica, Jajce and Banja Luka, as well as all surrounding villages, worked with lace for hundreds of years, and thanks to the development of tourism, their pieces were sold in exclusive souvenir shops along the Adriatic coast as well as in all tourist destinations of the former Yugoslavia “, said the director of Eurocomm PR, the Office of the City of Vienna in Sarajevo.
“The crochet techniques are usually transferred from mother to daughter. The fact that crochet was created as the most beautiful artistic handwork of our area and it was adapted to both time and social developments is well known,” stated Berina Filipovic Kulenovic, who also added that no one knows how many thoughts, dreams and emotions were weaved into every piece.
Crochet or Bosnian lace used to decorate homes, it served as an accessory to women and men wardrobe as well as a decoration on weddings and celebrations.
Samples of these valuable handicrafts were preserved in families and considered as part of family tradition. There are only few women who are making crochet works now and therefore, the preserved pieces of Banja Luka lace that were made more than half a century ago have even bigger ethnographic value.
(Source: klix.ba)
