site.btaRegion of Montana Nominates Peasant Shoes Craft for Living Human Treasures List

The craft of making opinki, traditional basic leather peasant shoes, is the nomination of the northwestern Montana Region for the Living Human Treasures - Bulgaria programme in 2024, Montana Regional Governor Kalin Haitov told BTA.

Teresa Petkova works as the secretary of the Razvitie Community Centre in the village of Zamfirovo in Berkovitsa Municipality and has long been practicing this craft. Opinki are also called vravchanki in Northwestern Bulgaria and are made of skin from the back of a pig, which is cleaned of fat, placed in a wooden frame, cured in a mixture of salt and cornmeal, and dried for one year in a ventilated place. Afterwards, the leather is placed overnight in a bowl of lukewarm water to soften and is then dried between two sheets of paper, when it is finally ready for use. 

To make opinki, a master maker uses familiar hand tools like scissors, cutters and a hammer. First the leather is cut, then holes are punched and finally it is stitched using twisted threads, Petkova said. She pointed out that opinki are relatively easy to make and anyone can learn if they have a good teacher. "It is more difficult to find material for them, since there is nowhere to buy pigskin, and the craftspeople must provide it themselves", she noted. 

She indicated that she knows other opinki masters in the region and the country and is in contact with some of them. Petkova also said that once upon a time, when there were no shoes, opinki were the only way for people not to walk barefoot. Back then, each family produced them, with men mainly taking care of it. In addition to pig skins, they also used skins from wild animals.

In 2023, Petkova made about 15 pairs of shoes for the children from the local dance troupe at the community centre in Zamfirovo, drying some of the skins herself, while others were given by the children's parents. It is the children and young people from the dance troupe who are her hope that someone will pick up the craft and continue to make opinki after her.