The Transylvanian Museum of Ethnography, public cultural institution under the authority of the Cluj County Councel hosted on Thursday, May 12, 2016, the exhibition opening: “Banat dowry. Traditional costumes, adornments and old photos from Banat”. About 100 persons participated to the event that took place in the Main Hall of the museum. The visitors could admire the pieces of Romanian traditional costume in Banat Giroc, Lugoj area and Timisoara surroundings. The personal collection presented in Cluj contains a selection of over 200 objects grouped in the following categories: clothing items of the female and male traditional folk costume, adornments item of the 19th and 20th centuries, old photos. As the collector-museologist Marius Matei said, the beginnings of his collection come from the pieces of costume inherited from his grandparents, to which there were added new and new traditional costume items found in the villagers’ home around Timisoara. The completed collection contains around 1,000 pieces (components of the folk costume, adornments, pottery items, small pieces of furniture, old photos) that were included in many exhibitions in the country and aboard.
In her opening speech, Mrs. Tötszegi Tekla , deputy director of the Transylvanian Museum of Ethnography, specialist in the traditional folk costume, emphasized the importance of knowing the folk costumes stating the followings: how could we better celebrate the folk costumes than by activities that highlight the true richness and zonal, ornamental and colourful depth. By this exhibition we have the chance to know deeply the Banat traditional folk costume in the first half of the 20th century coming from a less favoured area economically speaking, located to the interference of many cultures. This situation, somehow special is illustrated by the use of certain material, some techniques of cut and ornamentation and cultivation of a characteristic scenery”.
The exhibition will be open in the museum galleries (on Memorandum Street no. 21) until May, 26, from Wednesday to Sunday between 10 and 18.