"Above the town of Obrenovac, there is the village of Mislođin, and in it, there is one estate and in the estate, there is a sculpture, a chant, and an installation of a Kolubara house from the 19th century. At the gate, a twenty-eight-year-old man in Serbian folk costume, a lover of tradition, Lazar Milošević, whose handiwork is the museum of antiquities "Lazarev konak", welcomes him. Although it bears little resemblance to a fairy tale, the smell of food from the host's house will make every Lazars visitor aware, "I wrote at the beginning of an interview I did two years ago with Lazar Milosevic.
This year, we met again on his property, which is now richer for a guest house built in the old Serbian style, with many new items. What has also changed in two years is that he has a girlfriend Nevena from Velika Plana by his side, who shares his passion for tradition with him. They have their products. Goat cheese, homemade juices, and various types of meat.
An empty table will never greet Lazar and Nevena. First, coffee is brought out in a brass cup with jam and sugar, homemade brandy, then, appetizers, proja, and pie. Food is perhaps one of the most important and most beautiful Serbian landmarks, which many foreigners who came to Serbia and "Lazarev konak" were convinced of.
The host told me that the reactions of foreigners to Serbia are very positive. They expect us to be conservative and closed, but they soon realize that we are a hospitable and pleasant people with a rich tradition, as well as that we are great admirers of other people's traditions. When foreigners visit this ethno house, they sing Serbian, but also their folk songs.
The costumes that Lazar collected look gorgeous. Guests from other countries think that some costumes represent the costumes of our rulers, but it often turns out to be the costumes of our slaves. At that time, it was not clear to them what kind of people we had never heard of before, or at least not in this context.
After the car accident, Lazar Milošević decided to live a peaceful life and contribute to tradition. He was engaged in folklore and acting and was always interested in Serbian tradition. He dedicated himself to life in the countryside, collecting objects from the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries.
Fireplace, barn through which the boys courted the girls, food, coffee, brandy, song, game, costume, carpet, fiddle, tongue. These are all symbols of Serbia that unite different nations and people.
That is what I found in "Lazar's konak".
• Folklore
Folklore is a very important element of our tradition. The Serbian people play both when they are sad and when they are happy. It is important to pass on the love of tradition to the youngest because only they can continue it.
• Young and old
Greenmarkets are a place for meeting and socializing young and old. A place where Serbian people meet. Fresh vegetables, fruits, and the most beautiful flowers can be bought only at the market from the tired rough hands of our oldest ones who always bring with them a wide smile and warm eyes, despite everything they have seen and experienced in the same life. (Photographed at the Obrenovac market)
Sometimes, it doesn't have to be a market. Some meet with their friends and sell products on the street, wanting to earn every dinar honestly and beautifully to give their grandchildren "pocket money" more often. In one of my photos, you will come across such a gathering where my white-haired neighbor, who was in her ninth decade at the time and walked around the city for the rest of her life, carrying eggs, flowers, and a chair where she sits with "colleagues" on the street. . She often gave flowers to the neighbors in the building. (Photographed in Rojkovac in Obrenovac)