- Title: Bosnian lady lives in all shades of red
- Date: 19th October 2019
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Bosnian) RETIRED TEACHER, ZORICA REBERNIK, SAYING: "I worked as a teacher for forty years and during those years I also bought red garments and shoes for the kids in the school. They liked me and always looked at me, admiring my red clothes, and saying "this is so nice and that is so nice." They were delighted." RED FIGURINES ON SHELF, RED FRIDGE (SOUNDBITE) (Bosnian) RETIRED TEACHER, ZORICA REBERNIK, SAYING: "And when I go out all dressed in red people say "ah, here she is again all dressed in red." And even when someone dies and I show up wearing red, people say "here she is wearing red again." It is a custom here to wear black when someone dies, but I don't care. I have never paid much attention to what people think about me." CURTAINS WITH RED EMBROIDERY, CACTUS PLANTS IN RED FLOWER POTS (SOUNDBITE) (Bosnian) RETIRED TEACHER, ZORICA REBERNIK, SAYING: "And so almost all my life, and I am 67 now, I have been surrounded by this colour. It gives me some strength, some power." IMAGES OF REBERNIK'S GRANDDAUGHTER WEARING RED, ON A PILLOW AND PORTRAIT ON WALL PORTRAIT OF REBERNIK'S GRANDDAUGHTER FOOD IN REBERNIK'S RED-PAINTED PANTRY REBERNIK WALKING ON RED CARPETS REBERNIK PUTTING ON RED HAT REBERNIK WALKING THROUGH GRAVEYARD, REBERNIK FAMILY GRAVE MADE OF RED GRANITE IN FRONT REBERNIK AND HER HUSBAND'S FUTURE GRAVE PHOTOS AND NAMES INSCRIBED ON GRAVE HEADSTONE (SOUNDBITE) (Bosnian) RETIRED TEACHER, ZORICA REBERNIK, STANDING NEXT TO GRAVESTONE, SAYING: "My husband and I had this gravestone built for us now while we are still alive. We bought the granite from India, it is Imperial granite." EXTERIOR OF REBERNIK'S HOUSE REBERNIK WALKING THROUGH CEMETERY
- Embargoed: 2nd November 2019 08:20
- Keywords: Bosnia-Herzegovina Breze red color color hobby odd story lady in red
- Location: BREZE, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
- City: BREZE, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
- Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Topics: Human Interest / Brights / Odd News,Society/Social Issues,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA003B1RH4K9
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Zorica Rebernik has spent her life in red and plans to stay that way - even after she dies.
After four decades dressing in the colour from head to toe, the 67-year-old Bosnian has had tombstones made for herself and husband Zoran - whom she married wearing a red gown - from a special red granite imported from India.
The retired schoolteacher lives in a red house, where she and Zoran eat from red plates, drink from red glasses and sleep in red bedding. Even her hair is dyed red.
"When I turned 18 or 19 there came a sudden, strong urge to wear red," Rebernik told Reuters. "There must not be a single dot of any other colour on my home decorations or clothes."
Wearing shades like scarlet and vermillion gives her "the feeling of strength and power".
Rebernik's obsession with the colour has made her a local celebrity in her hometown of Breze, close to Tuzla in northern Bosnia.
"Everybody knows me. As soon as people see me, they offer me different red things," she said, adding that she would reject any gift that was not red, no matter how precious.
She even goes to funerals dressed in red, eschewing traditional black.
The only problem is that her husband does not notice when Zorica wears something new.
(Production: Dado Ruvic, Suzana Sabljic) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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