Craftsman from Transylvania

Romanian crafts and traditions are kept alive in some parts of the country and more and more people in Romania are trying to bring back the traditions and everything that connects us to our ancestors to life due to the lack of industrialization.

Weaving Craft

A. What weaving is?

Weaving was the way that people made their clothes and especially covers or traditional portos. These are made at the loom, based on the interlacing of threads to create fabrics and the desired pattern. The way to use the loom is a complicated one because it has two pedals that women used to change the row of threads that were at the base of the fabric so that later one of the two or more looms was inserted between the two main rows of thread the thread in the desired color to the point of making the desired model. This technique used since ancient times was mainly used to make traditional clothing and quilts with traditional patterns that people used on the day of celebration to decorate the house and beds in particular.

B. How long has weaving been practiced?

Weaving is the oldest form of making materials. The loom is one of man's oldest inventions dating back to the 6th millennium BC. In Romania, weaving has been developed since ancient times, even today weaving is no longer practiced as in the past because nowadays clothes and blankets are made by machinists. There are few places left where one can still find a weaving loom and where one can also visit to see the weaving process.

C. What is the difference between Modern Clothes and Traditional Clothes?

The difference between modern and traditional clothes is first of all the quality, today's clothes are made in such a way that you don't use them endlessly, in instead, the traditional clothes that were made in the past were made of thick hemp or wool threads that were processed and then transferred to the loom to start making clothes or blankets. Today, hemp is illegal to grow because it is considered a drug, but "peasants" have found a solution to stop using hemp by using dora wool in production.

Today, products made by Romanians are delivered all over the world. In any country you go, you will find a clothing item or not only with traditional Romanian motifs. For example, in Spain, Romanians settled there from all areas of Romania gather for holidays and share Romanian traditions and customs with you.

The Craft of Pottery

The Pottery craft is one of the oldest Romanian traditions, being the way in which "peasants" made their pots.

A. What is pottery?

Pottery is the way our ancestors made pots. The materials used in making the vessels is the yellow clay that is shaped on the potter's wheel and then put in the oven.

B. When does pottery date back?

Pottery dates back to 8,000 BCE and appeared for the first time in the Near East. In Romania it dates back to the 12th century. A potter's wheel can occasionally be called a "potter's wheel". However, this term is better used for another type of machine that is used for another shaping process, turning, similar to that used for shaping metal and wood items.

In the following lines I will answer the most frequently encountered questions from the traditional craft

1. Are there still people who would be willing to learn the craft traditions of the past?

The craft traditions of the past such as pottery or weaving are mostly sought after by tourists who are fascinated to try to produce something with their hands.

In some regions of Transylvania, Romanian traditions and customs are forgotten because in these regions a large part of young people chose to leave the country for a better life and with them they also took the traditions. Traditions today still exist in very few places in Romania, they still exist thanks to older people who still support the traditions and try to teach the local traditions to the young people. By visiting the workshops that still produce traditional items or by purchasing traditional products you can help to maintain Romanian traditions.

2. Is the work done to create a traditional object/custom equally valued?

The work done to make a traditional object is sometimes underappreciated because many buyers do not realize how much work is behind an object such as a mug or a woven decorative object. The work behind traditional products differs from product to product, from object to object, one more thing is certain: patience and skill are at the forefront of their creation. A traditional costume these days is not made with the greatest effort, but there are areas where the tradition of making such a popular port has remained unchanged over the years.

The craft symbolizes for the peasants the primordial way through who earns his living: making shoes, clothes.

The millennial Romanian traditions concentrate in themselves a series of events representative of the traditional man placed in the classical space of Romanian authenticity.

On our website you can find traditional products from the area of ​​Transylvania as well as things to do such as Visiting a Traditional farm or visiting a barn but also crafts that you can learn.