International Fair of traditional crafts "Etar", Gabrovo

information: etar-fair.org

The 9th edition of the International Fair of traditional crafts will be held from 03 – 06 September 2011 at the Architectural Ethnographic Complex "Etar" near the Bulgarian town of Gabrovo.

Over 75 craft masters will demonstrate their mastership. There will be participants not only from Bulgaria, but also from Romania, Morocco, Italy, Scotland, Great Britain, Japan.

You will be able to see numerous different crafts:
- pottery-making, cowbell-making, cutlery, carpet industry, coppersmith’s trade, basket-making, etc.
As well as:
* Twisting of ropes out of goat's hair and tow
* Plaiting of hampers, baskets, bee hives
* Plaiting of articles out of maize leaves
* Dyeing of woolen yarn with natural dye
* Smoking of plums, etc.

The main purposes of the Folk Fair are to present the Bulgarian folk crafts at the general public, as thereby contribute to keeping the interest in them alive, and to encourage the cognitive interest in different craft skills, connected with the all-Bulgarian and regional traditions. Apart from that organizers hope their initiative will help preservation and development of the cultural traditions under the conditions of globalization through pointing out the diversity and wealth of the regional and all-Bulgarian contributions to the all-European area.

The organizers of the Crafts Fair are Ministry of Culture, National Centre for museums, galleries and fine arts, Gabrovo Municipality, Architectural-ethnographic museum "Etar". The Crafts Fair is conducted under the aegis of the Minister of Culture and the Mayor of Gabrovo.

The program of the Fair read here: The program of the Etar-Fair.