A lovely pumpkin-based fairytale on display at Pavlova vas, depicting harvesting and wine-selling, locally called furnga. Foto: Goran Rovan
A lovely pumpkin-based fairytale on display at Pavlova vas, depicting harvesting and wine-selling, locally called furnga. Foto: Goran Rovan

It's a true pumpkin-inspired fairy tale, because every year Mr and Ms Bračun focus on another topic. It proves that human imagination is limitless, which has been noticed by many visitors, some come every year. Due to photos and posts on social networks about the exhibition, their creations have more and more admirers every year.

Even before their retirement, the Bračun couple put up pumpkins and made different figures from them for their grandchildren to enjoy. They set up the display in the yard of their holiday home, standing in the idyllic environment of the Pišece hills, which now became their permanent home. Of course, the exhibition of pumpkin products has been increasing year by year, and every year they pick a different theme. Last year's was titled Swan Dance, this year’s is devoted to harvesting and the furniga, as wine-selling used to be called in Bizeljsko.

Bračuns grow pumpkins themselves on their fields, where they have as many as 50 different varieties of pumpkins. They either buy some seeds or get them from others, while they have also produced some themselves by crossing several varieties. Thus preparations for the exhibition take place almost year-round. And there’s plenty of work to be done.

It starts early in the spring with digging, fertilizing, sowing, binding and similar tasks. At the end of August, the hard work continues with the harvesting and bringing these pumpkins – more every year –from the fields.