The magic of beauty and art by Cultural and Community Centre “Izgrev – 1930” All models of socks are different and unique; they’ve been knitted by applying ancient techniques. They are reproduced as exactly the same copies of the ones made by their ancient creators hundreds of years ago. Four generations form the participants in the knitting workshop. The set goals are as follows: To stimulate sustainable development of Banichan through effective use of the rich cultural heritage, preserved nature and human resources. To search for, preserve and pass on to future generations a local crafts through traditional and innovative approaches, as well as to stimulate the interest of young people in authentic folklore. To encourage the development of local capacity for creation of eco and cultural products and promotion of the village as an attractive place for alternative and cultural tourism. To establish and maintain lasting and effective partnerships with similar local and international organizations in order to apply for European Union’s funding. Encouraging youth interest in art and sharing resources through exhibit exchange/mobile exhibition and socks puzzles for the youngest audience. It is an innovative approach to present the village as a rich mosaic of authenticity. Knowledge of traditions gives us a code to understand not just the past, but others, and even ourselves. Therefore, the ancient saying: “I hear and forget, see and remember, do (make) and understand” illustrates well the idea of preserving and spreading our cultural heritage. The reading of this code creates and recreates our symbols “The Banichan socks”. Nine pairs “resurrected” and wait for you to discover them. Behind each pair, there is a short story or a long parable, a song or a memory, a riddle or ancient wisdom. The socks’ processing is entirely manual – from the collection of the wall up to the end product: shearing, washing, picking, spinning during the long winter nights, dyeing it in different colors, and finally knitting using five needles. They are knitted from thin woolen yarn folded in two layers. The most preferred were “Cat’s steps” – a combination of small squares. The socks express a wide range of warm colors – from red to yellow, skillfully combined with cold iridescent blue. This gives them harmony and colorful richness, equal in merit to great art. The knitted socks contain some of the oldest Bulgarian motifs – with vibrant, exciting colors. A huge wealth of motifs, and every motif has its own name. Ancient Woman grabbed a handful of ideas from the meadows. The natural gift of beauty and harmony has made the hard-working hands of the Banichan women intertwined colors and beauty stitch by stitch. That’s how they expressed their creativity. The most preferred were “Cat’s steps” – a combination of small squares. Today, we do not live in another world – we should continue the life of the ancient crafts. Folk arts and crafts have their right to life. That’s how young generations will learn moral virtues.
