“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” ~Mary Lou Cook

There are some crafts that accompany mankind for more than several thousand years. Ceramics and pottery are among that number. Since men had learnt the secret of a piece of clay and began to handle the clay, they opened the new age of civilization. A quite ordinary, unattractive-looking piece of clay became the best gift for people. In meant all – warm cooking, primitive decorations, toys for children, and – last but not least – a possibility to remind their descendants about ancestors through statues and rite things. The oldest known pottery dates to 20,000 BC, at the height of the ice age, long before the beginnings of agriculture. Pottery became part of a culture and maintains his position yet.

Pottery has been an important part of Ukrainian culture for thousands of years. Secrets of a higher-quality pottery were considered to be the family ones and were passed from father to son, from generation to generation. The composition, colors, motives, patterns and designs as they have been produced for hundreds of years in Ukraine were special secrets of family business. Every member of potter’s family was involved in the process of creating. Original ornamental motives appeared. Every region of Ukraine has its own colors and patterns, for example, yellow, brown and green colors are used in Zakarpatsky region. In Polissya region ceramics were quite monochromatic (mostly of dark brown or red color). The basic types of products manufactured by potters in those times were various kinds of houseware (pots, bowls, flasks, dzhbankas – this means jugs, kumanets’ – a vessel for water and wine that was common in the country), decorative children toys (little sheep, cocks, horses and others) etc.

Pottery today is quite common in Ukraine. ZDVIG, annual National Ukrainian Pottery and Blacksmith Festival, takes place every year near Opishnya, Poltavsky region. During the fest, you can participate in workshops, pottery quizzes, see performances of Ukrainian folk groups and creative potters competitions. While visiting this fest with your gorgeous Ukrainian bride, you can take part in romantic night excursion to the National Pottery Gallery or take an excursion to the National Museum-Reserve of Ukrainian pottery in Opishnya. This village is considered the modern pottery’ Mecca, the worldwide well-known pottery center. Come and do a museum tour at Opishnya and you can see how this wonderful pottery is made. The unique pottery process remains almost the same as it had been there for over 100 years, manually. And of course you can buy beautiful teapots, vases and bowls for your kitchen.