Candles &
mystic tales
of Dubrovnik
Allow me to introduce the creative conceptual solution named "Candles & mystic tales of Dubrovnik"! It will be presented for the first time by our DUmystic team at the 4th Millennial competition in the creative industry at the Faculty of Economics in Osijek from November 29 to December 2, 2022.
Click the button to learn more about the 4th Millennial competition:
What is our creative solution named "Candles & mystic tales of Dubrovnik"?
The idea came upon imagining of what we can offer as a souvenir to our guests that take part in Haunted Dubrovnik tours. People wish to take a piece of Dubrovnik’s mythology and legendry back home with them. This way, they get a keepsake while we spread knowledge of Dubrovnik myths and folk narrations.
The photographs show our prototype: a treasure box that was almost entirely handmade by our guide Marija Milovac. (The future versions could be made using modern technologies.) In the case of our prototype version, the wooden box was painted and decorated manually. Inside it contains a candle and five (it can be more) short stories that are part of Dubrovnik folk and urban mythology. The stories were printed on paper and then processed to resemble the old scripts. Our treasure box conserves the stories of myth and legend of old Dubrovnik, because we believe they are the treasures of Dubrovnik heritage that we have to pass on to others and the younger generations.
This creative product was imagined as a family/friendly activity. A family or a group of friends gathers around the romantic light of the candle and shares the mystic tales of Dubrovnik. First, each reads a story from the box in silence and memorizes it. The stories are short and readable quickly. The next step is to tell the story that was read, one person at a time. It is a fun way to learn some old myths and legends of Dubrovnik for adults and kids. The stories are diverse; some can be the stories from the tours.
With “Candles & mystic tales of Dubrovnik”, we wish to take you back to some different times, with a bit of imagination, the times before electricity, when the people were closer to each other.
Back in the old days, people would usually gather in the evening hours around the cosy fireplace. Occasionally, they would share the tales of wonder and supernatural that entertained them after long working hours of the day. While listening to such stories, the atmosphere grew more intense. The children listened with curiosity and excitement, occasionally peaking over the shoulders to make sure that there were no dangers in the shadows that fluttered on the back walls and in the corners of the room. We truly believe that this feeling of connectedness goes back to the dawn of humans when they faced life and death situations and had to keep together to survive. Perhaps that is why we love ghost stories and tales of mystery in the modern times so much. And that is why the candle was included in our treasure box, to symbolize that holy eternal fire that was always very important to the people.
The purposes of the activity are several, just to name the few:
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It spreads the knowledge of Dubrovnik oral narrations, legends, folktales, mythology.
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It is a fun way to spend time together as a family.
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It can serve as an educational tool: the children practice memorizing and storytelling, and develop the imagination.
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The activity can entice the participants to share more stories from their own culture or some that they experienced themselves.
The stories that are included in this prototype treasure box are:
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The monster of Ragusa
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The abandoned manor of Sorgo-Natali
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The damn lad from Mljet
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The picture portrait
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The silent monks of Rosario church
We hope our DUmystic team will do well in the competition in Osijek,
and we wish them good luck!
