Flower Pickers

On the island of Hvar (Croatia), in the villages of Bogomolje, Brusje, Velo and Malo Grablje, in the first half of the 20th century, it was also sung when the Dalmatian pyrethrum was being picked. Traditionally cultivated and gathered by hands, the women who harvested the flower under the Adriatic sun sang charming short love songs like "Djevojka je ruže brala" (The Girl Was Picking Roses) and "Ber'mo cviće" (Let’s pick the flowers). These melodies helped make the laborious task easier. The song’s rhythmic cadence synchronises the movements of the workers, turning a repetitive task into a communal experience. These songs, passed down through generations, create a deep connection between the people and the land, turning the act of harvesting into a celebration of both nature and heritage.

Ber'mo, ber'mo cviće armeline,
ljubimo se, sad je naše vrime.*

(Let's pick, let's pick the flowers armelin, let's kiss, it's our time.)

* from: Bezić, Jerko. "Folklorna glazba otoka Hvara" [The Folk Music of Hvar Island]. In Otok Hvar, edited by Miro A. Mihovilović, 353. Zagreb: Matica hrvatska, 1995.

The album Jedna ura 'lada by Klapa Dišpet focuses thematically on fragments of women’s everyday lives from the past, with a special emphasis on fieldwork and community bonding. Designed as a collection of traditional tunes in modern a cappella arrangements, the songs convey women’s labor and daily routines with warmth and humor. The melodies were carefully researched and arranged in collaboration with storytellers and archival materials from the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research, achieving both authenticity and a diversity of musical styles.