Valjiko mešo is considered to be the parish fair where new romances were born and gingerbread hearts were given to sweethearts. It is a feast where you meet relatives and get together with your family. Special attention was always paid to guests and people who were born in Bednja but had to leave it many years ago for economic reasons. They would always come back on August 15.

 

If you take a look at the old photographs of the parish fair you will see a big crowd on the main square but, more important is that they were all dressed in traditional clothes- sturinjsko äprovo. Last year the Bednja Municipality and the Cultural club Franjo Sert decided to get traditional clothes on the streets again.

 

Because of centuries of isolation and poverty previous generation had left behind a very valuable treasure which we call a heritage- it’s the Bednja dialect, the music, traditional architecture, clean and well preserved environment, customs and traditional clothes. It is our duty to preserve the heritage which was given to us despite decades of suffering and poverty.

 

So far we have put a lot of effort in preserving the traditional music. The local people recognized the worth of such traditional music and they have been cherishing it for years. The Bednja dialect managed to survive due to the same fact and, it has also been protected by the law as a Cultural Heritage of Croatia. Every year less children use the dialect so we started an elective course of the Bednja dialect in our school.   

 

The next thing we have to do is to preserve but also present our traditional clothes. We have to and we want to take our traditional clothes out of the chests and wardrobes and wear them at least for some traditional events.

 

This is an invitation to all of you who have traditional clothes somewhere in their wardrobes or in chests- take them out and come to Bednja on Veljiko mešo. Do it for the ones who preserved it and for those who are going to inherit it.

 

And what if you don´t have any traditional clothes? The answer is www.komorica.hr ! Cooperative Komorica makes traditional clothes at a reasonable price. You can get more information at 091 5484 058.

                                        

Now, put the clothes on and hurry up! - Eblječeta sa i düöđeta!