This documentary left me with a mixed feeling as it shed light on the drastic measures people are forced to take in order to “free the space” for the housing solutions. Even in such situations, they stick to their culture and traditions. It seems that the density of population can indeed have a unifying effect on people and their cultural traditions. When people are forced to live in close to each other or in shared spaces, there may be an even greater emphasis on preserving the collective cultural identity.
It also reminded me of the phrase in my native language – “washing the bones”. This phrase originates from the old Slavic-Balkan tradition of exhuming bodies to wash their bones in water and wine. During this ritual, people reflect on the life and deeds of the deceased to free their spirit from all sins. This tradition has been abandoned, and no cultural habit has been maintained. Only the phrase remained and in a modern context it has evolved to the meaning of “gossiping about a person”, but not many people even know about its original meaning.
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