National Carpet Fair held in Moldova
19:53 | 16.12.2018 Category: Culture
Chisinau, 16 December /MOLDPRES/ – The 5th issue of the Carpet Fair: Covorul Dorului has taken place today in three national museums in Chisinau and 51 localities in Moldova, at the Christmas Fair.
The official inauguration of the event took place at the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History (MNEIN). In her speech, Minister of Education, Culture and Research, Monica Babuc, mentioned that the National Carpet Fair is a celebration that proudly fills our souls, warms our hearts, but also looks with the traditional ornaments of Basarabian bark.
"It is a beautiful event that honors the mastery of our mothers and grandparents to weave not only patterns but also old customs and traditions. The festival is organised in the context of Moldova registration on 01 December 2016 of the candidate file: Traditional Barking Techniques in the UNESCO Representative List of the Immaterial Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Carpet represents us in the world and that means we are part of the universal cultural heritage," said Monica Babuc.
In this context, the head of the Swiss Cooperation Office in Moldova, Caroline Tissot, said that the institution she represents supports this event for the third time, supports and will further support the culture of Moldova in the future.
The surprise of the event was the gift from the Prime Minister of Moldova, Pavel Filip, who gave to the institution from his sisters and brothers two old carpets woven by their grandmother from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century.
At his part, Premier Pavel Filip mentioned that he is proud that the second year of the carpet, this piece of cultural heritage, is included in the UNESCO representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
"And I understand why. I spent my childhood in the ambiance of our national carpets. Besides, I have to tell you that, in fact, the national carpet was perhaps the only luxury piece in the farmhouse where there grew up seven children of us. Except that this luxury was different than the luxury of fudge and pride. It was a luxury that brought in so much warmth and kindness to my grandmother, and we were very fond of this luxury, this luxurious piece. Now we have to admit – the national carpet is at its second youth and this is due to Monica Babuc, who has managed to revive our national carpet and in this way I want to thank her and congratulate her. Because after that, many started to remove their carpets from the old boxes, and the workshops began to weave national rugs," also said Pavel Filip.
Finally, the director of the Centre for Preservation and Promotion of Immaterial Cultural Heritage, Diana Dicusari, handed in diplomas to the most active participants to the event to promote the traditions and customs of winter holidays.
The first issue of the Carpet Fair was held in 2014.