News
Spare a thought for the crib maker
View(s):While cheap plastic replicas of cribs are available during the Christmas season island-wide, the demand for the wooden crib is in greater demand. Justin Perera a carpenter and father of four from Wennapuwa, has been involved in the crib-making trade since his youth, and depends on this trade to make a living.
For him it is not a one man job. Making cribs for him is a collective handicraft which involves his entire family. According to Justin he starts preparing the cribs as early as in August. During the rest of the year he works as a mason.
Coming from a predominantly Catholic area, his first priority is the local market and from thereon to other parts of the country.
A unique feature of the cribs he prepares is the simplicity of the materials he uses -strips of wood, coir rope and straw.
“If I could find a sponsor and receive some assistance of some authority I can turn out better quality products”, he said
Justin's wife and elder members of his extended family too get involved in the crib-making trade
Straw and coir rope are important materials used in crib-making
A mason by occupation, the crib-maker starts making his cribs by August.
Crib-making is a time consuming task as the maker uses only basic tools to create his product and says he needs help to improve his product
Crib-making is not a one man show but a joint family effort