On November 24th, the South Moravian Regional Assembly added new cultural items to the region’s traditional folk cultural heritage. Intangible assets include sand-sprinkled ornaments and a grape goat. Credit: JMK.
Brno, Nov 29 (BD) – On Wednesday 24th November 2021, the regional administration of South Moravia approved the introduction of two new elements to the repertoire of intangible cultural heritage of the region, which are closely linked to popular traditions.
The grape goat is closely linked to the winemaking tradition of the Znojmo region, a few kilometers from Brno. The grape goat is a sort of decorative sculpture that is revered during the harvest.
This tradition was particularly widespread in the region of South Moravia and Lower Austria before the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of the First World War. Seventeen years ago, an association was established in Znojmo to recover and protect this ancient tradition.
The other element that the council has decided to include among intangible cultural assets is a particular type of custom that was very widespread at the beginning of the last century. The custom of sandblasting the ornaments on pavements and streets has survived in the Kyjov area (in the municipalities of Šardice and Hovorany).
The tradition occurs mainly at traditional festivals, weddings, and folklore festivals, when the unusual “street artists” create a mixture of flour and sand that is poured onto the wet road, creating a type of ornament whose purpose is only decorative – which remains intact for a few weeks.
“They are important symbols of our South Moravian identity. Our living and authentic customs and traditions make us who we are. And both the grape goat and sand painting clearly belong on the list,” said Jan Grolich, Governor of South Moravia.
