Belgrade, 22 April 2004 – HRH Crown Princess Katherine, accompanied by her husband HRH Crown Prince Alexander II officially opened the Easter Bazaar of women’s handcrafts. This traditional humanitarian manifestation took place this year at the Progress Gallery in the Knez Mihajlova Street, in organization of the Foundation of HRH Princess Katherine. The opening ceremony was attended by ambassadors, wives of ambassadors accredited in our country, as well as the wives of the ministers in the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

At the very beginning of the ceremony, HRH Princess Katherine wished a warm welcome to all the present and said:

“Today, we will enjoy in the beautiful handcrafts, which were made by the hardworking women, wives and mothers who became refugees and had to leave from their homes. In their handcrafts they poured off the great wealth of our people. Despite all the difficulties in the previous period they preserved from forgetting these old techniques of manufacture and they pass them to the younger generations. That way they preserve the memory of the birth place which they had to leave, in all its beauty and glamour. What makes me particularly happy is the participation of the new exhibitors, among which I can also proudly present the children from Belgrade and Veternik”.

At the end of her addressing HRH Princess Katherine invited all the present and all the people of good will to buy something from these hardworking women and children and help them in their way, as well as her family is doing on each Christmas and Easter.

What is interesting is that this year the pupils of elementary school “Dusan Dugajic”, who are making flowers, paintings and candles in their little workshops, applied for participation at the Easter Bazaar of women’s handcrafts.

Traditionally, year after year, this year’s Bazaar gathered a great number of women workshops networks and individuals, among which were: “ARTEFAKT”, Belgrade, “OTVORENA VRATA”, “VIDICI”, “HLEB ZIVOTA”, “LASTAVICA” from Surcin, members of the former “JEN”, “SVITAC”, “BOLJI NACIN”, “MERINO” from Vrnjacka Banja, women from Kosovska Mitrovica who are helping with incomes of the sale of their works to other refugee families, “OSMEH I SOFIJA”, the association which gathers the women who lost their jobs at the territory of whole Serbia, “ZLATNE RUKE” from Uzice, women network form Uzice “VOX FAMINAE” who are educating the women from the villages through manufacturing the carpets and covers, “ZDRAVO DA STE” which will present their pottery from Zlatibor, “DUGA” from Banja Luka, the association whicg gathers the women with jeopardized social status, and from their resources helps the sick, old, children without parents and children with problems caused by the war, “ZDRAVO ZIVO” from Belgrade, the association that gathers all those who preserve all the forgotten crafts of making pottery, gingerbread hearts, baskets, fine needle works, etc., the association of rug makers from artistic workshop “KILIM” from Pirot, the applied artist from Belgrade Mrs. Marina Djakovic Djapic who will represent the hand made shoes with ethno motives, Mrs. Valentina Lipovac – Vanja who will present herself with the decorative pumpkins, Mrs. Ljubica Tosic who manufactures the pumpkins with motives of naïve art as well as paintings at the glass and items made of terracotta, Mrs. Jesic Dusanka will present the waistcoats made of homespun cloth with leather ethno motives, as well as paintings on the homespun cloth, Mr. Dragan Milosevic will present the exhibit made of ceramics, icons and painted Easter eggs, Mrs. Ivanka Ostojic will present her painted icons, as well as Mrs. Mirjana Basarova who is disabled person and is a painter of icons, Mrs. Ida Maglov who is the refugee from Knin, instructor in “Jen” workshops and exhibitor of the handcrafts at the Easter bazaar for the first time this year.

This traditionally Easter Bazaar will be opened for public from 09:00 to 21:00 until 24 April.