It's time to show you some of the photographs I took at a photo exhibition at the beginning of the month and share a little about the tradition if understanding what the photo means requires.
This was a shared photo exhibition by two photographers, Emese Gál and Erika Simon, called "Hat, Scarf, Look". You can read my post about the first part here.
Erika Simon - Hands that weave stories
Those hands have wove million of stories. I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with Transylvanian culture, so let me tell you why the title mention stories. Back in the past, before industrialization took over so many jobs that were made by hand, women used to gather in the afternoons and do handwork, like yarn spinning, weaving, sewing, crocheting, knitting, embroidering and share stories. I'm trying to be elegant in choosing the words, but what they did was gossiping basically.
Anyway, the photo is amazing and historical as well I'd say, because it captures an old lady practicing an activity that is on its way of disappearing.
What the two lady photographers have captured on camera is a lifestyle that is going to disappear with these people.
Emese Gál - The attic's treasures
This is another fantastic photo for several reasons. First, if you've ever been to any attic, you know how light is filtering through the lose roof tiles and creates those light channels. If there's dust, it's even better as you can see the channel better. Here you see the smoke or the steam (I can't decide which one it is), as a white channel.
The other beauty of this photo is that it captures all those (heavily unhealthy) delicious products they make after killing the pigs. Back in the day, when people were self-sufficient, pigs were grown to have meat and other products during winter. Then the sausages, ham and smoked meat was stored in the attic. Now that you can buy everything in the grocery stores, this tradition is only kept by those who opt to still be self-sufficient to some extent.
Erika Simon - After killing the pigs
This could very well be my paternal grandmother a good few decades ago, it's just that their attic was (still is) way bigger. They had a dedicated building to smoke the meat products and kept them there during the winter, but yeah, the lifestyle is the same.
After the exhibition I sent these two photos to my dad and his first question was: "Where is this?" Yes, he is funny sometimes. He loved them as he grew up having these yummy but unhealthy meat products every year.
Emese Gál - The fruit of labor
Yes, there was a time when men and women did everything, or most of the work themselves, from growing sheep for wool, then spinning yarn, then weaving whatever was needed. This lady seems to be doing it all as she has the wool ready for spinning. It makes you think how different life is today and how much (of should I say how little?) we know or can do. These activities are continued by some as hobbies and very few are doing them with the intention of selling.
Erika Simon - Threads of time
This is how it's done.
Emese Gál - Good Friday
A wonderful photo capturing two generations keeping this lovely Easter tradition going. Egg painting in some regions mean much more than just dying them in chemicals. This is a technique I have tried out once and failed miserably as it's not as easy as it looks at first glance.
Grandmothers, mothers teaching daughters doing this is the best thing a parent, grandparent can do. It's a skill to be appreciated.
Erika Simon - Grandma's treasures
I don't think there's a need to say anything here, their face expression says it all.
While I don't miss an attic full of ham, sausages and other fat products, I'd gladly try out weaving, egg painting and other activities you see here, not to mention taking portrait photos, which is a really delicate category.
Let me know what you think of these photos.
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This was such a lovely post that took me back to my youth on my grandparent's homestead. The women certainly carried many burdens that had to be accomplished every day to make life manageable. Times have certainly become simpler, but many traditions have gone by the wayside unfortunately. I tried doing the egg painting many years ago, and failed miserably, but it was fun trying. Merry Christmas to you.
I think many could say that as this was life a few decades ago.
You're right, women had so many duties as they basically were working from dawn to dusk and we can be thankful we don't have to do those things anymore and have more time to ourselves.
Oh yes, that type of egg painting, it was an epic fail for me too 😂
Merry Christmas dear @sunscape.
That is what I thought when you used all those fancy words 😆😆😆
And the funny thing is, the time you talk about is kinda like gazllion times long period - more an era - to our modern times where we let others create anything we want, for us, in modern ways, with machines and all that. Soon and even the things we do as humans today, will be outsourced to yet other machines again, Ai and Robots. In such a short time, humankind transformed the manual world into a 100% digital world, or better said, perhaps a more artificial world.
The only thing fro all you mentioned, I did myself when I was young. Every Easter I painted together with my mother, the eggs, left them overnight before my parents used to hide them. My brother and I went egg hunting the next day so we could fill our bellies on Eastern day.
Yeah, I tried to choose my words eloquently 😂
Yes, we kinda did and this means so many people can't do anything on their own, not even if they are guided or taught, unfortunately.
That Easter tradition must be nice and a lot of fun for kids. Hungarians also have it, but we, Hungarians in Transylvania don't have it. Obviously you can adopt any tradition you want, but as an adult, it's not fun anymore.
Merry Christmas @edje 🎄🎅🎁
I've seen some really powerful images in there, they really capture the soul of these traditions.
Yes, I agree. It wasn't just the amazing photos but the tradition too.
Merry Christmas Gabriela 🤶 🎄 🎁
Merry Christmas 🎁
It reminded me of my paternal grandparents, they had a farm and although they didn't have an attic they did the same activity but in a basement and I got to see it and know it, country people who have lived until they were 90 years old... incredible!
On the other hand, seeing the hand weaving reminds me of my other grandmother, my maternal grandmother and her sister, they were geniuses at weaving, they taught me something. But I think my favourite picture is seeing two generations with the tradition of painting the eggs. It is beautiful!
I think many people could recognize their ancestors figuratively, even if the storing system was different.
I wish people would capture tradition more often as these photos are preserving history on their own way.
Merry Christmas 🤶 🎄 🎁
We come from a history and it is important to remember it. Thank you very much!
Merry Christmas!🎄💗