Interview with H. E. Mr. Anžej Frangeš, Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to the Republic of Bulgaria

Interview with H. E. Mr. Anžej Frangeš Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to the Republic of Bulgaria Days of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, June 14-27, 2021   Which is your favorite element from Slovenia, still not inscribed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage?  Slovenia, like Bulgaria, has a rich culture and traditions. Our task and main goal is to promote this culture not only in Europe but all over the world. There are several elements from Slovenia still not inscribed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The first that comes to my mind is related to bees and beekeeping, namely the painting of beehive panels. Slovenia makes efforts to raise the awareness on bee conservation and also to bring forth the supremely important role of bees and other pollinators  for species preservation, conservation and overall ecosystem stability. The United Nations Member States approved Slovenia’s proposal to proclaim 20 May as World Bee Day in December 2017. On this day in 1734 Anton Janša, the pioneer of beekeeping was born. On a rather gastronomical note I would have to choose two elements. The first one is “Baking Prleška gibanica” under the “Economic Knowledge and Skills” domain. Prleška gibanica is a festive pastry characteristic of the Prlekija region. It is made from layers of filo pastry filled with cottage cheese and sour cream. Traditionally, it was made when major farm tasks were carried out or for festive occasions. The second element is “Traditional production of the Carniolan sausages”. Their documented geographical definition dates from the second half of the 19th century. The making of Carniolan sausages has been declared a living masterpiece of national significance. And which Bulgarian ICH element do you think is the most impressive? Due to the fact that Bulgaria has a couple of unique Intangible Cultural Heritage elements it is very difficult to point out just one. That is why I will choose two. The first is “The Nestinarstvo” – the fire-walking as a climax of the annual Panagyr ritual on the feast days of Saints Constantine and Helena. It is staged in the village of Bulgari, Mount Strandzha, South-East Bulgaria. The second element is the “Surova folk feast” in Pernik region which takes place in the beggining of every year. The reason behind my second pick is that in Slovenia we have if not identical a similar ritual called Kurentovanje. It is the most popular and ethnologically significant carnival event. The presence of kurenti or kukeri in Bulgarian announces the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The Door-to-door rounds element of Kurenti was inscribed in 2017 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is a Shrovetide custom practised from Candlemas (2 February) to Ash Wednesday. Kurenti practise their rounds through villages and nowadays also through the town of Ptuj. Bulgaria and Slovenia have a lot of similarities and differences in their cultural heritage.  According to you, what has to be done in order to strengthen the cultural dialogue between our countries? Slovenia and Bulgaria have excellent bilateral relations and many things in common. A good example is our Slavic heritage and cultural ties. We still have many opportunities to improve our cooperation and we are constantly making progress in this direction. The most important thing is to make small steps towards bringing our two cultures together to a better common cultural relations and brighter future. Almost a month after the inaugurational opening ceremony of the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia to the Republic of Bulgaria in cooperation with the Sofia District Administration and the Sofia Regional Center, UNESCO with the support of the Sofia Municipality we opened an exhibition under the name “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Slovenia” staged in Sofia City Garden. Prior to its arrival in the Bulgarian capital the exposition was very successful in Germany, Poland among other countries as far as Brazil. Part of the visiting exhibition in Sofia was the “Škofja Loka Passion Play” collection – a world-renowned element inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This exhibition features a variety of photographic and video materials, selected objects, modern technology and design techniques, thus presenting the non-tangible heritage related to the Škofja Loka Passion Play, which is considered to be the oldest preserved dramatic text in the Slovenian language. The Passion Play’s focus was on depicting Jesus Christ’s suffering and death. On 1 December 2016, the Škofja Loka Passion Play was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which is Slovenia’s first inscription on this prestigious list. I believe that initiatives like this are the way for our traditions to become known and exciting for more people not only in Bulgaria but also across the world. Is culture important for the international relations of Slovenia? I believe that culture is in the basis not only for the international relations of the Republic of Slovenia but for all countries. In the future more attention should be paid to the dialogue between different cultures. More and more countries are nowadays rediscovering cultural diplomacy as a means to build mutual trust and understanding. Diplomacy on its own is a means of communication between countries. However cultural diplomacy represents a positive agenda for cooperation that takes place at a more human level. What policies in the South-East European region are needed in order to popularize the living heritage and its values among the young people? The necessary policies in South-East Europe in order to popularize the living heritage and its values not only among youngsters but for people of all ages are no different than those in any other part of the world. I will give you just one of many examples. In 1991 Slovenia, along with a number of other European countries and the Council of Europe, was one of the founders and initiators of the “Days of European Cultural Heritage” or “Dnevi evropske kulturne dediščine“

Making gingerbread in Slovenia

Making gingerbread Element inscribed on the National ICH Registry of Slovenia Domain: Traditional craftmanship   In 2021, when Slovenia bears the title of European Region of Gastronomy 2021, the Slovene Ethnographic Museum, as the Coordinator for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, will publish a publication about culinary elements in the Register of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Slovenia. Among the presented elements of intangible cultural heritage will also be Making gingerbread, which is a handicraft activity related to the production and sale of honey bread in different forms, most often made using tin models for cutting or made freehand. The basis for making gingerbread is honey dough, usually made of wheat or rye flour and honey, to which deer salt, cinnamon and cloves are added, well kneaded and left to rest for some time before shaping. The cut-out figures are usually in the shape of a heart, a horse, a cradle or a doll. After baking they are painted on the top, most often with red paint, decorated with coloured sugar foam or different printed thumbnails or captions, and mirrors can also be added. Today, gingerbread is mainly used as tourist souvenirs, decorations on Christmas trees, and occasionally even as protocol gifts. Gingerbread makers sell their products in home workshops, at fairs and various events, as well as in souvenir shops, and they also make gingerbread to order for weddings, anniversaries and other occasions. In Slovenia, gingerbread making is preserved by workshops with a long tradition in several places (Slovenj Gradec, Maribor, Murska Sobota, Ratkovci, Ptuj, Radovljica) and in some newly created ones. In workshops with a longer tradition, knowledge is most often transferred and preserved within families. Interested adults and children also learn the basics of making gingerbread at various workshops.

Making small breads and wooden models in Slovenia

Making small breads and wooden models Element inscribed on the National ICH Registry of Slovenia Domain: Traditional craftmanship   Slovenia has been named the European Region of Gastronomy 2021. In this special year, the energy of various stakeholders is directed at learning about the special local culinary features and the promotion of the national cuisine and gastronomy. So this time we present gastronomic specialty of Slovenia. Making small breads and the wooden models for them is a traditional handicraft characteristic of the Škofja Loka area. A small bread is a honey pastry made from rye or wheat flour, honey, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and potash or deer salt or baking soda. The honey pastries are decorated by pressing on the dough with hand-carved wooden models or are shaped and decorated by hand. Small breads are made by women who follow traditional forms and motifs of decoration, and at the same time add their own creativity, so each maker has her own, somewhat unique way of making small bread. They most often form a small bread in the shape of a heart and a piece by hand, but there are also present different shapes such as rhombus, pipe, cigar, star, flowers, fish, vase, St. Nicholas, angel, chicken, scissors, horse, various New Year’s decorations and others. The basic shape of the bread is additionally decorated by hand with different flower motifs. The breads are baked and coated with honey water. They also follow the traditional forms and motifs of decoration in the production of wooden models for small breads, in which they press the dough. The most common forms of models in the Škofja Loka area are heart, rhombus and circle, but some others also appear. A variety of motifs appear in the basic form: floral (different flowers, ears, vines, carnations …), church (IHS, Mary), figural (rooster, fish, baby, angels, various saints …) and other motifs.

Making trniči cheeses and wooden markers in Slovenia

Making trniči cheeses and wooden markers Element inscribed on the National ICH Registry of Slovenia Domain: Traditional craftsmanship   By the end of May 2021, 91 elements were inscribed in the Register of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, of which fifteen food-connected elements. One of them are trniči cheeses – small dried, pear-shaped cheeses which are characteristic of the mountain pastures known as Velika planina, Mala planina and Gojška planina in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps in Slovenia. They are prepared from skimmed sour milk, which is heated to the form of cottage cheese. This is drained, salted and cream is added so that the cheese mixture is adequately shaped. With their hands, bearers form loaves of pear-shaped, towards the top pointed shapes that can end in a small roundness. The cheese ball is then decorated with ornaments imprinted with wooden markers called “pisave”. These are 20 cm long and up to 2.5 cm wide markers made of linden, maple, beech, larch or hazel wood, in which various ornaments are carved. In the past, markers were carved by shepherds during grazing. Trniči cheeses are used in the daily diet, often as a supplement to meals. As a special feature of the cultural heritage of alpine culture in Slovenia, they can be purchased as tourist souvenirs from Velika planina. In the past, they had a ritual and symbolic significance in addition to their nutritional value. Shepherds made them in the summer on the mountain and in the autumn they gave them to women and girls as a proof of love and fidelity, possibly also promises of marriage. A pair of decorated trniči chesses is supposed to represent the image of a woman’s breast as a symbol of fertility. If the gift recipient accepted the cheese, she agreed to the shepherd’s court.