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Now only a handful of men in the village are still practicing
the art of fitting miniature horseshoes to eggshells, including
69-year-old Stjepan Biletic who trained to do so when he retired
from schoolteaching after the 1992-95 Bosnian war.
"The egg is a symbol of creation of new life and new beginning
and the horseshoe a symbol of happiness," he said in his tiny
workshop, where he takes at least an hour to shoe an egg,
selling each at up to 5 euros ($5).
He supplements his pension with the eggs - seen in almost every
yard and window in Kresevo during Easter - and boosts sales by
decorating them with other designs: crosses, hearts and soccer
club badges, which he casts himself in lead.
He also sells to tourists, he says.
"There is an old saying that it is more important to keep
customs alive than villages," Biletic said, who hopes that he
will be able to pass the skill on to his grandson.
(Reporting by Maja Zuvela; Editing by Louise Ireland)
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