Družina Ethno Gallery
The Ethno-Gallery of the Družina Culture and Arts Association Pag
The Ethno-Gallery of the Družina Culture and Arts Association contains many valuable exhibits: typical Pag blouses adorned with Pag lace, older women’s and men’s folk attire, various items of apparel, antique parts of furniture and photographs that testify to life as it once was in Pag. The Družina Association was established in 1949 with the objective of preserving, preparing and publicly presenting authentic folklore in the areas of dancing, vocal and instrumental music and other, similar folkloric and ethnographic expression, as well as continuous study of folkloric creativity with the aim of preserving its authenticity. The members of Družina are genuine guardians of the rich cultural heritage which they proudly and lovingly nurture, preserve and hand down from generation to generation.
They have represented Pag and its rich traditions at many events throughout Croatia and Europe. The traditional attire of the town of Pag is among the most attractive traditional treasures of the Croatian coastal belt. The most distinctive detail on the women’s attire is the white headpiece called the pokrivaca: a triangular starched white piece of linen adorned with applied Pag lace, which also forms the frill on the hem, and fastened to the head with three pins. Next to the blouse’s opening at the chest, there is a decoration that runs from the neck to the waist in the pattern of the initial lace which is called the “Pag teg.” The traditional jewellery consists of a gold necklace which is called a peružin, and large earrings called ročini, which hang in bell or pear shapes. The teg, together with the far better known lace, is registered in the list of protected cultural goods of the Republic of Croatia which have their origin in the town of Pag, and they carry the label “Croatian Creation.” Another part of the rich folkloric heritage is the Pag dance, or tanac, performed by the Družina Association and members of the primary school’s folklore section.
The folk play Robinja, or “Slave Girl,” is performed by three groups of members of the Družina Association. It is traditionally performed during the carnival season and as part of the Pag Summer and Ethno Evenings. The association’s members have performed it outside of Pag on many occasions; the youngest have appeared at the Šibenik Children’s Festival, while the older ones did so at the Dubrovnik Summer Games and at many other events.
Izvor: pag.hr