"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)
Chess is also one of the activities that unite young and old. It's just that this is not an exchange of goods, but an exchange of wisdom and youthful enthusiasm. Old people give advice to young people and teach them good moves, point out bad ones and insert "You still have to learn" or "I'm your age ..." On the other hand, young people teach older people how to be young in the old body. They may know how to play chess better, but they are not recognized in the company of older gentlemen. (Photographed on Kalemegdan)
Photo & Text by Minja Lazic
“Iznad grada Obrenovca, nalazi se selo Mislođin, a u njemu čuči jedno imanje i u imanju jedan vajat, pojata i postavka kolubarske kuće iz 19. veka. Na kapiji dočekuje dvadesetosmogodišnjak u srpskoj narodnoj nošnji, zaljubljenik u tradiciju, Lazar Milošević, čijih je ruku delo muzej starina „Lazarev konak“. Iako malo podseća na bajku, mirisi hrane iz domaćinske kuće osvestiće svakog Lazarevog posetioca,” napisala sam na početku intervjua koji sam uradila pre dve godine sa Lazarem Miloševićem.
Ove godine smo se opet susreli na njegovom imanju koje je sada bogatije za jednu gostinjsku kuću izgrađenu u starom srpskom stilu, mnoge nove predmete. Ono što se takođe promenilo za dve godine je to da pored sebe ima devojku Nevenu iz Velike Plane koja sa njim deli strast prema tradiciji. Imaju svoje proizvode. Kozji sir, domaće sokove, razne vrste mesa.
Kod Lazara i Nevene nikad nikoga neće dočekati prazna trpeza. Prvo se iznosi kafa u mesinganom fildžanu uz slatko i šećer, domaća rakija, zatim, meze, proja, pita. Hrana je možda jedan od najvažnijih i najlepših srpskih obeležja u šta su se uverili mnogi stranci koji su dolazili u Srbiju i “Lazarev konak”.
Domaćin mi je ispričao da su reakcije stranaca na Srbiju veoma pozitivne. Oni očekuju da smo konzervativni i zatvoreni, ali ubrzo shvate da smo gostoprimljiv i prijatan narod sa bogatom tradicijom, kao i da smo veliki poštovaoci tuđih tradicija. Kada stranci posete ovu etno kuću pevaju srpske, ali i svoje narodne pesme.
Nošnje koje je Lazar prikupio deluju raskošno. Gosti iz drugih država pomisle da neka nošnja predstavlja nošnju naših vladara, ali često se ispostavi da je to nošnja našeg roblja. Tada im tek nije jasno kakav smo to narod za koji nikad nisu čuli ranije ili bar ne u ovakvom kontekstu.
Lazar Milošević se nakon saobraćajne nesreće odlučio na miran život i doprinos tradiciji. Bavio se folklorom i glumom i uvek ga je zanimala srpska tradicija. Posvetio se životu na selu, prikupljanju predmeta iz sedamnaestog, osamnaestog i devetnaestog veka.
Ognjište, taraba preko koje su se momčići udvarali devojkama, hrana, kafa, rakija, pesma, igra, nošnja, ćilim, gusle, jezik. Sve su to simboli Srbije koji spajaju različite narode i ljude. To je ono što sam pronašla u „Lazarevom konaku“.
· Folklor
Folklor je veoma važan element naše tradicije. Srpski narod igra i kad je tužan i kad je veseo. Važno je preneti najmlađima ljubav prema tradiciji, jer samo je oni mogu nastaviti.
· Mladi i stari
Zelene pijace su mesto sastajanja, druženja mladih i starih. Mesto gde se upoznaje srpski živalj. Sveže povrće, voće i najlepše cveće može se kupiti samo na pijaci iz izmorenih hrapavih ruku naših najstarijih koji uvek sa sobom nose široki osmeh i tople oči, uprkos svemu što su videli i doživeli u istom životu. (Fotografisano je na obrenovačkoj pijaci)
Nekada, to ne mora biti pijaca. Ima onih koji se sa svojim prijateljima sastaju i na ulici prodaju proizvode želeći da steknu svaki dinar na pošten i lep način kako bi svojim unucima davali „džeparac“ češće. Na jednoj od mojih fotografija naićićete na takvo druženje na kojem je moja komšinica bele kose koja je tad već ušla u devetu deceniju i do kraja svog života je pešačila celim gradom noseći jaja, cveće i stoličicu na kojoj sedi i sa „kolegama“ na ulici prodaje. Često je i poklanjala cveće komšijama u zgradi. (Fotografisano je u naselju Rojkovac u Obrenovcu)
Šah je takođe jedna od aktivnosti koja spaja mlade i stare. Samo što ovde nije u pitanju razmena dobara, već razmena mudrosti i omladinske poletnosti. Starci daju savete mladima i uče ih dobrim potezima, ukazuju na loše i ubace ono „Imaš ti još da učiš“ ili „Ja sam u tvojim godinama...“ Sa druge strane, mladi uče starije kako da budu mladi u starom telu. Možda znaju i bolje da igraju šah, ali ne priznaje im se u društvu starije gospode. (Fotografisano je na Kalemegdanu)
Photo & Text by Minja Lazic
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