(source: TASR)
THE PROCESSING of goose feathers was one of the traditional seasonal (meaning autumn and some places also winter) works of Slovak women. Every good farmer wife collected feathers from her geese and then put them together.
In autumn (until St Martin’s day, but in some places all winter long), women – be it relatives or neighbours – gathered to process goose feathers and divide the fluffy part from the quill. While doing it, they chatted, sang songs or narrated spooky stories.
In the village of Nedožery-Brezany in the Prievidza district in western Slovakia, people were able to return to the atmosphere of St Andrew’s (November 29) night when local women used to process the goose feathers. The common village feather processing took place on this day and included also a cultural programme and some refreshments.
“Visitors could enjoy the mysterious atmosphere of St Andrew’s night and female frolic,” head of the District Centre of Matica Slovenská in Prievidza, Vlastimil Uhlár, told the TASR newswire. “We processed the feathers together; cracked the nutshells and seperated the corn from the cob. There was also a raffle, a folk dance ball with the Lubená folklore ensemble, as well as a traditional soup of Nedožery-Brezany and home-made doughnuts.”
