Biserna Grana (Тhe Pearled Branch) Festival
Biserna Grana festival of folk costume, jewellery, and headdresses, organised by Mladost Cultural Centre from Futog, will be held for the 15th time from Thursday, 29 September to Sunday, 2 October, in Futog.
The small jubilee – the fifteenth Biserna Grana is happening in the year in which Novi Sad holds the title of the European Capital of Culture, and it will be organised within the Applied Arts Week of the Kaleidoscope of Culture.
Biserna Grana festival focuses on folk costumes and aims to protect, preserve, and promote material cultural heritage. That is why the festival activities were held throughout the year, and the main part of the festival is held at the end of September and the beginning of October. It includes exhibitions, concerts, expert lectures, fashion shows and as a central event – the Folk Costume Fashion Show with an accompanying programme.
This year, the Biserna Grana Festival begins on Thursday, 29 September, with the opening of a photo exhibition of Macedonian bridal costumes by Ljupčo Milošeski from Struga, North Macedonia. The exhibition will be opened at the gallery of the ‘Mladost’ Cultural Centre in Futog, at 7 p.m.
The ethnographic monograph ‘Od Ljubanšča do Debor’ presents a part of the clothing culture of the population in North Macedonia, specifically in parts of the Debar and Brsjak ethnographic areas. The monograph shows wedding dresses that were worn on the wedding day, as well as dresses for young women that were worn shortly after the wedding. In addition, the rich jewellery that was worn in these regions is shown as well. The author of the monograph and photo exhibition, Ljupčo Milošeski, systematically and chronologically prepared the costumes in their full splendour and in this way, he brought us back to the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.
On the second day of the festival, on Friday, 30 September, a concert will be held at 7 p.m., in the Centre’s Theatre by the cultural and artistic society ‘Lipa’ from Semeljci, cultural and artistic society ‘Sedmica’ from Ugrinovci, and the local ensemble of folk songs and dances of the ‘Mladost’ CC in Futog. The programme will include choreographies from Slavonia and several regions of Serbia.
On the third, central day of the festival, Saturday, 1 October, there will be a parade of participants from ‘Mladost’ CC to the Agricultural School starting at 4 p.m.
Evening Folk Costume Fashion Show will be held at the Agricultural School, in the garden of the Chotek castle at 7 p.m. Local societies and collectors come to us from Leskovac, Prokuplje, Svrljig, Senta, Bogatić, Aleksinac and Bačka Topola. Among the foreign representatives, there will be societies and collectors from Romania, Croatia, Hungary, and North Macedonia. The festival’s special guests will be the members of the ‘Jovan Lazić’ Serbian cultural and artistic society from Beli Manastir. During the fashion show, soprano Senka Nedeljković and top-notch performer of the Serbian National Theatre Opera tenor Aleksandar Saša Petrović will perform, accompanied by pianist Luka Petrović and violinist Željko Kostić.
Admission to all of the programmes is free.
The partner of Applied Arts Week is ERSTE Bank.
Photo: Promo