Association “Northwestern Association of Masters of Old Crafts”

The association was established in July 2020 as part of the initiatives for the revival of authentic Bulgarian crafts and customs. Among the crafts that developed in the Vratsa region were sericulture, silk-making, goldsmithing, weaving, fur-making, and copper-making. Pottery plays a special role in establishing Vratsa as a market center. Vratsa pots, pitchers, bowls, pipe jars, brandy cauldrons, jugs and ocarinas were offered at markets and fairs throughout the country. Patron of crafts and artisans is St. Spiridon, one of the great miracle workers of the IV century. As a bishop in the city of Trimitunt on the island of Cyprus, he participated in the first Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. According to his life, he fed the poor and needy and received many strangers in his home. It is said that when he tried to make a clay vessel, despite his best efforts, he failed because the clay stuck to his hands, but in one of the attempts he cried, his tears fell on the dry clay and it softened. So the miracle worker realized that he had to mix it with water. He made a dish with ease and burned it. Since then, potters have revered him as their saint, and next to the potter's wheel they always keep a bowl with the "potter's tears".