For the 15th time Regional Ethnographic Museum - Plovdiv gathers craftsmen, our "living human treasures", to participate in Traditional Crafts Week from 27 June to 2 July 2023. In the courtyard of the museum, a veritable bazaar of craft workshops takes shape. This event has become well-established over the years and guests of the museum look forward to it. We are going to have a very interesting, colourful and unique masters’ week. 
You will be able to observe rare home crafts such as weaving on a vertical loom, felting, kene making, embroidering, painting on silk, colouring Easter eggs and so on. In the spirit of good tradition, there will be demonstrations throughout the week by woodcarvers, basket makers, blacksmiths, knife makers, jewellers, tanners, candlestick makers, potters, etc. A special highlight of this year's week is the craft of jewellery making with different materials and techniques. 
The year 2023 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Stoina Krastanova, a deserved master of traditional arts and crafts, therefore one of the focuses of the Traditional Crafts Week is ancient textile techniques. Thanks to the collaboration with the Stoina Krastanova Foundation, our guests will be representatives of the group for ancient embroidery boutis from Pern-les-Fontaines, France. 
Masters are coming from China to demonstrate three local crafts. The first one will introduce us to artistic techniques related to paper cutting and engraving, the second one is a specific type of embroidery in the Shu style and the third one will show us the beauty of making paper kites.
Our partner and supporter of the annual Crafts Week is the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Southeast Europe - Sofia, under the auspices of UNESCO, which supports our efforts to create a sustainable traditional event promoting and maintaining intangible cultural heritage.
The museum aims to revitalize the memory of the crafts in Revival Plovdiv and give today's craftsmen the opportunity to show their skills. Such an event leads to joint projects and the exchange of ideas, the making of new contacts and new friendships.

The opening will be held on June 27, 2023, at 12 pm. in the courtyard of Regional Ethnographic Museum – Plovdiv.

PROGRAM

26.06.2023 (Monday)
Arrival and accommodation of the craftsmen in the courtyard of the museum 

27.06.2023 (Tuesday)
12.00 - Official opening of the XVth edition of the Week of traditional crafts of REM - Plovdiv. 
Festive program 
14.00 - Presentation of master craftsmen from China - embroidery in Shu style and paper cutting Fucheng.

18.00 - Event of the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-Eastern Europe under the auspices of UNESCO - Sofia: 
- 20th Anniversary of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage;
- Presentation of the project "The Living Heritage of Traditional Bulgarian Cuisine". 

28.06.2023 (Wednesday)
11.00 - Presentation of the ancient embroidery group "bouti" from Pern-les-Fontaines, France.
Festive programme
12.00  - Presentation of craftsmen of Chinese shadow dolls.

29.06.2023 (Thursday)
12.00 - Celebration of St. Peter's Day - a treat for the guests with St. Peter's chicken, cake with striped salt and the dish "white man". 
Music and dance greeting
18.00 - Opening of the exhibition "Authentic Bulgarian costumes" by the trio "Kalina".

30.06.2023 (Friday)
12.00 - Presentation of the jewellery masters: 
- Ani Anastasova (silver and filigree); 
- Mariana Valkova (beads); 
- Ognyan Pendichev (Melchior); 
- Milen Minkov (leather);
- Todor Milanov (bone and sedef).
Performances of the dance ensemble "Maritsa" at the school "St. St. Cyril and Methodius".

For more information: https://www.facebook.com/remplovdiv/