Christmas tales made of glass, or how a forgotten tradition is revived

published on 12/21/24 8:10 AM

Photo: Костадин Калоянов

Each piece evokes warmth and nostalgia because each is handmade and unique. The silvery reflections on the glass baubles take us back to childhood, when winters were harsh and snow-white and Christmas decorations were made of wafer-thin glass. Nowadays, their much cheaper and more accessible Chinese plastic 'sisters' have long since taken over the market. But that doesn't mean that brittle, hand-made glass ornaments are a thing of the past!

Kostadin Kaloyanov from the town of Beloslav, who worked for many years in the local glass factory, has taken on the task of reviving the tradition of blowing glass ornaments. Today, together with his family, he creates real glass treasures in his home workshop.

Kostadin tells us that the art of making blown glass ornaments dates back 250 years to the German town of Lauscha.

In Bulgaria, glass Christmas baubles became very popular after several specialised factories were built during the socialist regime. However, the so-called democratic changes towards the end of the 20th century led to the decline of this craft.

Today, the number of glass Christmas ornament workshops in the country can be counted on one hand, and Kostadin Kaloyanov is one of the last keepers of this fragile tradition.

"We use the same old technology that was used many years ago when they first started making glass Christmas ornaments," says Kostadin Kaloyanov. You cut out a small piece of a glass tube, then heat it, clip the end and start mouth blowing in air with free hand movements.

Once the shape of the ornament is formed - and it can be a ball, a mushroom, a bunny, a teddy bear, a puppy, etc. - it is time to silver plate it. A little silver nitrate and ammonia are poured inside the figurine - this is the so-called silver mirror reaction, which is taught in chemistry class. And in this process the decoration becomes shiny. Special varnishes are applied to the outside to give the toys different colours, and they are decorated entirely by hand by artists, because painting on glass is no easy job."

Finally, the ornament is sprinkled with "magic icing" - the glitter that comes from crushing broken glass toys into powder. "It's the same silver glitter that was sprinkled on Christmas cards a long time ago," Kaloyanov explains. He adds that creating these fragile figurines makes him very happy. And not only him:

"The magic is that they are made entirely by hand. It's an art and cannot be mechanised or automated. Glass Christmas baubles are very thin. The fact that they are handmade gives them a noble gleam, they look so elegant when they adorn the tree because they are so light and don't bend the branches. We custom paint the ornaments with different messages, images of winter landscapes, etc. Each of our baubles is a miniature work of art. The most eye-catching are the ones with the Nativity scene, they look like little glass icons! It is interesting to see the reaction of people when they stop by our stand, to see their eyes open and start to sparkle at the sight of the Christmas tree figurines".

Sadly, glassblowing is an almost extinct craft in Bulgaria. Its future lies in the hands of small producers like Kaloyanov. But he says his family business is unprofitable. "You produce and invest for a whole year - the materials aren't cheap at all and you only sell during the Christmas period, which is only 20-30 days. But with good organisation and dedication to the craft, we manage," Kostadin Kaloyanov concludes.

Photos: Kostadin Kaloyanov

Posted in English by E. Radkova

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