Category: Inside Romania

At present, though the name remains the same, the Philately Museum is a section of the National History Museum of Romania. Alexandru Cristian Voicu, curator of the national museum told us about the need to create this museum:

“The need appeared after Romania became a member of the Universal Postal Union, in 1874. Along the years, the Romanian post office gathered more and more philately objects, not only from here, but also ones obtained from philately exchanges. They gathered growing numbers of stamps from foreign countries, members of the UPU, so that, after 1990, there was a need for an institution that was specialized on this science that is auxiliary to history, philately. Romanias philately collection is one of the richest in the world, estimated at 17 million items, or thereabouts. It contains mainly Romanian postal stamps, starting from the famous Aurochs Head, or Moldavian Bulls Head, up to the present, stamps from all continents, including the Pacific islands. It contains a major collection of postal stamp tools, such as printing matrices, especially from the interwar period, illustrated postcards, or semi-illustrated, also color model prints of postal stamps, meant to verify the look of a stamp before printing. The earliest Romanian postal stamps, such as the Aurochs Head, or the United Principalities, Cuza, or the bearded King Carol stamp, were made using matrices of metal or of stone, and we also have these very important objects for the history of Romanian philately or postal history.”

We asked Alexandru Voicu what value a postal stamp may have today, when mail is mostly electronic.

“Old stamps, classic stamps, as they are called, can have quite a high monetary value, they tell the story of a past, they tell the story of a country, its history. Let us not forget that, first of all, postal stamps, along with currency, prove the independence of a stamp, and, second of all, these two objects also have a very important propaganda element. If you look at stamp issues from various countries that have changed political regimes of contrasting orientations, including Romania, we can see these stamps reflecting the political changes. There is a way in which the themes of stamps change to reflect these changes very clearly. For instance, the shift from royalty to communism, which occurred very suddenly, can be seen on stamps, because the stamps started being printed with images of proletarians, of peasants, which did not occur until then.”

Studying postal stamps can be illuminating for many areas of knowledge, some that may surprise us. We can find collections such as Golden Athletes of Romania, Uniforms of Romanian Royalty, Queens of Romania, Cars as a Royal Passion, or images of peasant garb from around the country, to give just a few examples of domestic issues. Alexandru Voicu said that he doesnt have a favorite collection yet, but he is impressed by the matrices in the museum collection:

“When I get to handle matrices for printing postal stamps, I am honored to be able to see them, especially since the ones in the interwar period were made by famous artists, made with a mastery that is hard to equal. This reflects upon the future value of a given stamp, because a stamp issued today can never compare in value with an old one, a classic one, no matter how much time passes. I like all the matrices that I watch over, and each stamp is interesting and important. It can show you something about a given country, a given society, about the moment in time and mentalities. I believe that these objects are very important from a historical point of view.”

Romfilatelia is the institution that prints stamps and postal items in Romania. It is an institution that reflects the historical heritage, and promotes Romanian stamps as ambassadors of the country abroad.

The names of some of the sausages
made in Romania also contain their place of origin. Such examples
include the Banat sausages from south-western Romania, the Szekler
sausages from eastern Transylvania and which are made after different
recipes but have one ingredient in common, namely paprika, which
gives them their dark-red colour, something that is also brought
about by the smoking process to which they are subjected so that they
keep longer, as well as the Oltenian sausages, the spicier version of
thin, semi-smoked sausages known as cabanos.

The eastern region of Buzăului is known for two types of sausages
containing this denomination of origin: the Pleşcoi sausages and
the Buzău babic. The Pleşcoi sausages were added to the list of
products with protected geographical indication in the European Union
in 2019. They are made in Buzău county at several locations,
including that which gives the product its name. There are two types
of Pleşcoi sausages, dried and smoked, and in both versions the main
ingredient is mutton, two thirds, as well as beef, one third. The
traditional recipe allows for mutton to be replaced with goat meat,
but no more than 10%. The condiments used are chilli peppers, thyme,
paprika and chilli powder, garlic and salt. They are traditionally
cooked on the grill or in the pan and served as a cold starter or
together with other grilled products, with or without a side dish and
with pickled green tomatoes or cucumbers.

The
Bulgarian and Serbian refugees who settled in the Buzău
area at the end of the 18th
century as a result of the Russian-Turkish wars adopted the local
recipe for Pleşcoi sausages but made some changes, using pork
instead of mutton, probably to spite the Ottomans. They also added
dried and finely cut chilli pepper and this led to the creation of
what is today known as the Buzău babic or the Buzău Serbian babic.

George
Buzoi tells us more about how the babic was born:

Out
of need. Everyone kept a pig or two in their farms, and they also had
cows. The babic is very good for people to take with them when
working the land in the summer, because it keeps well. It’s a dried
raw product. It’s full of fat, but its taste is not spoiled. You
can imagine how much protein there is in a product that is not
treated to heat. Farmers didn’t have a lot of money, and the babic
was all they needed as protein.

George
Buzoi also enlarged on the content of the babic:

Meat,
namely pork and not necessarily beef and the pepper paste, which is
the biggest secret of all. The pepper paste is extremely expensive to
buy. A lot of pepper must be set aside from the summer harvest to
make this paste. We make it at home. It adds both colour and taste.
The recipe also contains some chilli and salt. The drying and smoking
process is also very important.

The
recipe for babic is passed down from generation to generation, as in
the case of Marcel and Valentin Popa, father and son, who are babic
makers from the area.

We
have to respect the quantities of meat and spices to make the product
and we only use naturally grown pepper and thyme, no other
condiments.

Costel
Matei also makes babic sausages and described for us the process:

Beef
40%, pork 60%, paprika and pepper paste. The pepper is dried and then
ground, and boiled twice, so that from a sack of peppers you end up
with two jars of pepper paste of 200 grams. It’s an essential
product, it keeps well and it’s very tasty. The recipe also
contains salt and that’s about it. The secret is in how you knead
the mix, only using the fists. We knead it twice a day for three or
four days until the mixture starts giving off a pleasant smell of
stale meat. The casings are then filled with this mix, the sausage
is pierced, especially at the ends, and it is then hung up to dry
until the skin sticks to the meat, for 5-6 days, depending on the
level of humidity, and then it’s smoked.

In
the Buzău region people even make babic soup, with lots of
vegetables and very thinly sliced pieces of this sausage. Until this
product is, however, included in the register of products with
protected geographical indication, local producers must work together
to make sure that even industrial producers make the babic after the
same recipe.

The disaster caused by the earthquakes in Turkey has been a call to solidarity. Romania sent over two rescue teams, which paired up man with dog, considered the most effective in finding survivors under rubble.

Oana Ciora, president of the Transilvania Rescue Dog Association, went to Turkey with one of the teams, and told us the story of the rescue dogs:

“The story of the dogs starts with the people who partner up with them. Our organization, a volunteer organization, brings together willing people who wish to train dogs for search and rescue. Each of our volunteers bring their own dog. Some of the dogs had started training six or eight weeks previously, others started later, the moment the owner contacted our association. For instance, for Dino, the dog I took to Turkey, everything started the moment he got to our home, and after about seven weeks we knew what we wanted for him. He is also a gift from a teammate, and it was obvious this was going to be his career, since he was very much fit for search and rescue.”

We asked Oana Ciora what a dog needs in order to be fit for search and rescue:

“Its not about a certain breed, it is about a type of dog. For instance, if we make an analogy with emergency workers, such as firefighters, who have to meet some physical criteria, concentration criteria, and motivation, in order to be able to take part in such activities. In terms of olfactory abilities, any dog could meet this criterion, but there are more criteria to meet, in terms of mobility and agility. If we look at seeking people under rubble, the dog has to be nimble, sure on its feet, on surfaces that are not friendly, and are not level. We have to have a dog with a friendly temperament, a trustworthy dog, which can be easily motivated, one that is interested in what we have to offer it, such as food or toys. The dog has to have a purpose for which it is looking for survivors. And then, each of the dogs looks for the missing people in order to get a reward, which they know they get after such activities. With that in mind, the dog searches for the people who are the key to their reward.”

Long shifts, unpredictable conditions, as well as flying on a military plane, all these were just some of the challenges for the rescue teams. Here with details is Oana Ciorea:

“From the moment we left home to the return, everything was a challenge for everyone, be they man or dog. We are talking about the emotional side, about adapting to obstacles, all the situations we faced, and, of course, the work itself. The latter was probably the easiest to manage. The moment you knew what you had to do, you felt at ease. The rest had a bigger impact, the things we could not really prepare for. That included flying with the military, which is nothing like flying a commercial plane. Also, the way in which the search areas looked, the fact that you had to always pay attention to where you parked your car, where you got off from the vehicle, where to take out the dogs, because any car around could hide a dog guarding it. Then you realized that there are people living in that car, and a dog might guard the family. We faced many things that we could do nothing about, and which we didnt plan for in our training.”

Oana Ciorea told us how a dog is trained, and for how long:

“A rescue dog becomes operational, meaning at a level that allows it to take part in an S&R mission, even easier than the one in Turkey, which was an extreme example, trains for three to four years. It very much depends on the human, how serious they are, how consistent. The dog doesnt attend training by itself, so the human has to maintain discipline and consistency in its training. For instance, we, as an organization, have training sessions three times a week, which means three to four hours of teamwork. In addition, of course, each of our volunteers has to work individually with their dogs, be it for motivation, or for discipline, as well as physical fitness, which is another very important aspect for a search dog. A dog which is physically fit can carry out a more difficult mission. If their physical fitness is not too good, there can by psychological aspects that can affect the dog, resulting in poor performance.”

Oana Ciora told us that, even though this was a very taxing and harrowing experience, she finds reasons for optimism:

“The most emotional in Turkey was to witness the solidarity that this moment produced, and the way in which rescuers from around the world, and I really mean from around the world, got mobilized and went there to help. No country, no matter how well prepared they are, can cope domestically with such an event. The mobilization was truly impressive, and also the fact that we know that if, God forbid, such a thing would happen to us, we would surely benefit from exactly such support from such professional teams as showed up in Turkey. I am sure of this, and, in spite of this whole disaster, it is comforting to know this for sure.”

Anyone who has raised children is familiar with the image of a house turned upside down. We are talking about rooms where nothing seems to be in its place. They got filled with scattered toys, overturned furniture, or, as visitors politely described them, places full of life.

It may be that this is what gave the idea for a park in Romania built around a house which is literally built upside down. This is Brambura Park, in the city of Avrig, in Sibiu County. We were told about this by Adrian Ontica, the manager of the park:

“The developers saw a similar house in Germany, and said, why not? It is a project that is seen in several stages. Brambura Park wants to offer its visitors of all ages a good laugh and good entertainment in an upside down house, but one which conforms to reality. We have serious play spaces for children, such as inflatable slides and a huge trampoline. We have a mini zoo and places for food and drinks, and plenty of surprises. Creating the project, creating the house, was a real challenge, both for the builders and the teams that dealt with all the details of the house. They dealt with 200 sqm, in a place where you climb to the ground floor and descend to the top floor. It has everything that a normal house has, just upside down. It is strange to say the least, the house gives you vertigo a bit, for two reasons: first, the place is slightly off kilter by a few degrees, while the brain has a hard time dealing with everything being topsy-turvy.

Adrian Ontica told us what is impressive about this house:

“There are so many details that, six months after we created the house, I can still see surprise details that I hadn’t noticed before. When you get in the house, as the hallway is upside down completely, we find a full size mirror, some pairs of shoes, a coat hanger, and many more details. Most objects are in the kitchen area, with a table, a fridge, the diswashing machine, the oven, everything is upside down, including the products inside them. If you want to pick up a condiment, nothing is fake, you can get a condiment, but it is upside down. Of course, they are glued in place with different adhesives, and everything that is heavier is fixed in place.

There is a bowl of bananas, there are cups on the upside down table, a stool is by the fireplace for feeding it with coal. All these details are at the top of the room. The organizers promise that this is a place that brings people joy, because they get out of their routine way of seeing things, seeing the world in a different way. We asked Adrian Ontica what people are saying when they visit the house:

“A lot of people are surprised, since this is unique to Romania, it is quite a large place to visit. They are pretty happy, because, in addition to visiting the house, they get to enjoy the specialty foods in our restaurant. The feedback from customers is positive. The park is pretty big, it’s 6 ha. We have a limit on the number of visitors in the house, 25 to 30, because it would be a pity to not be able to enjoy all the details. As for the total number of visitors, in a peak day, we have, let’s say, 1,700 to 2,000 tourists, but the average is around 200 to 300 tourists a day.

In addition to the gravity defying house, which makes you feel weightless, visitors can go to the miniature zoo, which is home to a few alpacas, a deer fawn, a few goats, and rabbits.

Adrian Ontica launched an invitation to go play, for all ages:

“We want everyone, big and small, to have fun, to take your family out for a good time, to eat, get away from things, laugh, to make noise and carry on. At Brambura Park, the whole family will enjoy themselves.

Eight places of worship placed over a surface of eight square km, in the old area of the city of Constanta, on the shore of the Black Sea, speak volumes about the multi-millenial history of many ethnic and religious communities living together in this area. Our guest today, telling us this fascinating story, is Valentin Coman, tourist guide:

“Basically, this octagon tells the story of the city of Constanta from the moment when the Ottoman sultan decided to build a railroad in 1860, and a village of fishermen and shepherds became an exuberant community, with an eye for the future. Later on, after the War of Independence, it goes under Romanian administration, and the Romanian community started growing naturally, obviously alongside each of the other communities, where each had their own place of worship. One of the oldest is the Metamorphosis Greek Church, built in mid-19th century by a very open minded sultan. It is said that the land the church was built on, a Christian place of worship, was donated by Sultan Abdul-Aziz, the 32nd Ottoman sultan. Also, within that same period, the Hunkiar mosque was built, the oldest Muslim place of worship in Constanta, which has a story behind the story, because it was built on the location of an older mosque, which itself has an older story.”

Going down the historical thread, Valentin Coman continues:

“Most places of worship we find right now in the old city, in a Constanta that is beautiful, colorful, diverse, cosmopolitan, was created between 1860 and WWII, and belongs to the communities that took root here during this period. The Bulgarian community, unfortunately, was lost to us, because the Romanian and Bulgarian states signed the Treaty of Craiova, having to do with the old issue of the Cadrilater, and as a result the Bulgarian community left Dobrogea almost to a person. We also have the Grand Synagogue, still standing, but unfortunately badly damaged. It probably ended up this way because the great community of Jewish traders in Constanta slowly waned, and the dark days of WWII whittled it down almost completely. The mere 40 to 50 people that make up the Jewish community now did not have the strength to take care of their place of worship, the second in the city, but the Grand Synagogue, damaged as it is, tells the story of an older synagogue. This was the Ashkenazi Synagogue, which itself was built on a space that is now vacant, as a memento, next to the Grand Synagogue. We then have the Armenian church, which also tells a story, because basically the church we see today is the former Armenian school. It is the church of this great community of traders, which also left us a few exceptional buildings, among which I would like to mention the Lion House, perhaps the third most beautiful and special heritage building in Constanta. This community had a small wooden church, which perished in a devastating fire. Then the community decided that half the school building be made into a church. They attached a small and beautiful stone belfry to the school, turning it into a spiritual venue.”

Our interlocutor, Valentin Coman, told us that there are plenty more stories to be told, because under these buildings we find the old basilicas of Tomis:

“Of course, here we have maybe the most imposing places of worship in Constanta. We have the SS Peter and Paul Cathedral, the first Romanian language Orthodox church, built in late 19th century, which has a fabulous story, which also weathered terrible wars, being gravely damaged by a bombing raid. We also have the Carol I mosque, the only known mosque to bear the name of a Christian, King Carol I. In fact, it is referred to as the Kings Mosque, in recognition of the gesture that the king made towards the population of Dobrogea, a statement that we are all citizens, brothers, tolerant and understanding towards each other, eager to live alongside each other rather than apart. The mosque is the first reinforced concrete building in Romania, upon the wish of the king. It is a gift to the Muslim community of Dobrogea, and is also a place that has always been open to visitors. Let us then not forget the superb Roman Catholic church, St. Anthony of Padua, itself built on the location of an older church. As I was telling you, around 1860 the British arrived here to start building a railroad between Constanta and Medgidia, which then was extended to Cernavoda. This Catholic cathedral had a very hard time being built, it was done with great effort, with many donations. But that makes its story the more beautiful. During WWII it was seen as so beautiful and solid, a protector of the city, that Soviet troops that took over the city used it as a munitions depot. Today it is just a beautiful cathedral pursuing its spiritual mission.”

The three women we are talking about today thought they would be tackling the phenomenon of burnout in their own original way, seeking alternative solutions, though not necessarily solving the problem completely. They live at the same pace as the rest of us, and experience life with the same challenges, but they added in some additional sensibilities.

The result were some art residencies, some performances, and many continuing experiences. Choreographer Andreea Novac was the originator of the art project called Burnout, and told us the details:

“The Burnout project was born out of necessity, or a different reality that I was facing last year. This came after a few years when had burned quite enough. Last year I was at a point where, even though I had to go on one way or another doing what I was doing, I felt that I had depleted myself, and I had hit a dead end. So I wrote this Burnout project. One more major thing was that I was hearing the same thing from people in more or less close circles, especially in my profession. Every time I asked them how they were, they told me they were exhausted, that they had no energy left. So I conceived this project, which I submitted to the National Cultural Fund Administration, it won some financing, and I really wanted to look at burnout from several perspectives, not just as an artist. I wanted to understand burnout in a larger social context, why it emerges, or why we cant get rest, for instance, or cant afford to do so. I wanted to understand the effects of burnout on me, I am talking about the psychological effects. I wanted to know what it does to me physically as well, because burnout affects both the mind and the body. The body undergoes transformations too. This is how it all started. This idea ended up going in three directions, because we ended up with three artists getting involved.”

We then spoke to Alina Usurelu, visual artist and performer, who told us about her experience as part of this project:

“The Burnout project was initiated by choreographer Andreea Novac, who called me and Irina Marinescu over to collaborate with one researcher or expert each in terms of tackling the burnout phenomenon from different perspectives. Each one of us had a residency in a given city in Romania. For me it was Cluj. I did research into burnout at the Transit House in Cluj, together with Roxana, a physician, and we tried to look at this phenomenon from the perspective of 3 years of pandemic and war. This very strong flow of information affected us emotionally, and got us to a point of information overload, in spite of ourselves. For me it was an experience that made me realize, as a culture operator and as an artist, that I get involved into too many things at once, without realizing, burning myself out. So it was a very important experience for me, in order to auto-regulate in this context. Our society imposes on us a lot of roles, and we are not able to select the ones we want. We also lack the capacity to discern whether a role comes from the outside, or if we can live up to them. For me, the project is one I would love carrying forward. I had already had the experience of spaces outside of the city of Cluj. I presented this at a choreography center in Bucharest, and at the Superinfinity in a Window Gallery, which was a very interesting experience. My intention is to take this project to many other places, to challenge myself and the public.”

We then talked to Irina Marinescu, choreographer and performer.

“For me it was a deeply revealing project, which allowed me several further directions to work. This work is also personal, because I dont want to be in burnout anymore, because the three of us started this project from an honest desire to look at something that affects us all the time, and doesnt always affect us. This is very relevant for many people in many areas of activity. For me it was a personal remedy on top of everything. It is something I am still working on. Last year, after the residency, I was left with 2 research directions. I do dance workshops to recover from exhaustion. I also took information I have to improve the dance therapy I do. I want to take the performance and the work in progress I did last year and dedicate some time to carry them to more places. There were two parts. One part focuses on burnout and its effects, and the other one deals with recovery. I did residency in a mountain resort, my colleagues and I looked at what rest means, what recovery is, and so we set up our performance in nature, or in open spaces. We focused on the idea of soothing, or relaxation, of lullabies. I think this kind of performance has much more potential than that on a stage. It creates a bond, especially since I love working with performance installations that involve people. In this case, I did lullabies and was knitting while the participants held the string. I thought it would be a symbolic gesture, going against the multitasking culture in which we are stuck today.”

One of the conclusions of the researchers is that we each should set aside at least 10 minutes early each day, or even during the day, in order to do nothing except get in touch with our own bodies, finding out what we need that day, and what we can give up, even though it seems impossible.

The European Economic and Social Committee granted in December last year awards to six civil society organizations for remarkable projects, which are examples of the commitment that civil society has for a better future for youth in Europe, and for easing the suffering faced by Ukrainians after the brutal invasion of their country by Russia. Exceptionally, in 2022 there were two types of winners, in two thematic categories: youth ability and European civil society standing with Ukraine. The Sus, Inima! Association of Romania (Up, the Heart in English) got the grand prize of the 2022 European Civil Society in the category European Civil Society Standing with Ukraine, for its project The Fast Integration of Ukrainian refugees in Romanian Society — Focus in Sibiu.

We talked to development director Lu Knobloch about how they got here:

“The Sus, Inima! Association started in 2015 from the need of oncology patients and their relatives to have access to information, access to therapies that are complementary to traditional, therapeutic ones, and we developed little by little. Each year we opened an additional Sus, Inima!, where oncology patients can live during treatment, because not all large cities have therapy centers. For instance, people from several counties come to Bucharest, or Sibiu, and then they need a place to live, so that they do not have to give up treatment because they cannot afford a hotel or a rental. Then came the pandemic, and we started working with the Sibiu Community Foundation, with the Red Cross, and with all other institutions involved in serving civil society. Then came this war in Ukraine, and within our network we started to develop initiatives for support, integration, and inclusion of Ukrainian refugees in Romanian society.”

We asked Lu Knobloch what this prize means for the association:

“This is an extraordinary honor, precisely because it was fantastic recognition for our work. It is beautiful work, but very hard work. We are a very large team, 48 people, who work on this every day, of which 28 are Ukrainian refugees themselves, because you cant work for them without them. This is recognition for a gigantic effort, and it is a great impulse for moving forward and developing initiatives further.”

So far, this NGO has helped tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees. Sus, Inima! Has developed a series of initiatives to help them, from school activities to finding work to psychological treatment and assistance. This allowed Ukrainian families to integrate easier into Romanian society, since it gave them a feeling of belonging and safety, physical and mental. Here with details is Lu Knobloch:

“We started right at the beginning of the war, we got involved on the transfer side, the accommodation side, the access to medical, social, therapy integration services side, absolutely everything. Then we developed an education center, in the spring of last year, so that parents could have access to the labor market. As a result, we realized that what was sorely needed was for these kids to have an education system, access to school in their mother tongue. So we developed a primary school, a gymnasium, a high school, 3 kindergartens, and two nurseries. These allow us to cover this need, without which you cannot have economic and social integration. Because we are talking about refugees, a group of refugees made up of mothers and children. If a mother doesnt have a place to leave her child, she cannot work. So we are trying to tackle the needs we are aware of with common sense, and develop common sense solutions. We didnt try to invent the wheel, or put the stem on a leaf, we just took situations as they came, step by step, and developed solutions.”

The European Civil Society prize is worth 60,000 Euro, and was shared between the six winning projects. The Sus, Inima! Association of Romania got first prize, worth 14,000 Euro. This was precisely one of the reasons they got involved, as Lu Knobloch admitted, as they needed the funds for further projects. He told us about the next one:

“Our next project, which has to do directly with long and medium term inclusion, is one in which Ukrainian and Romanian kids will be able to play together. We will have for them creative workshops, performance art, music, dance, theater, provided by national and international professionals. Our purpose is to prove that culture is a glue, and can unite us in spite of our differences, our backgrounds, and even the language we speak.”

Second place in the category in which Sus, Inima! got first prize went to the Spanish foundation Villavecchia. With its You Are in a Safe Place emergency fund offers care to children with cancer and their parents. Gravely ill Ukrainian children were spared the horrors of war with help from international organizations, and brought to safe places to resume treatment. Third place was taken by the Association of Scouts and Guides of Poland, the biggest non-formal education organization for youth in that country, which mobilized to help Ukrainians as soon as the war started. ASGP volunteers were always standing at the border crossing pints, guiding people to safe places, providing information, collecting and transporting donations, and setting up border patrols with experience in granting first aid.

Happy New Year! The taste of holidays with carolers, traditional products, and the scent of the hearth is still attractive. Starting on December 24, Romanian homes are open to carolers and guests with a decorated Christmas tree, with either the latest fashion in decorations, or traditionally.

Let us look at some traditions in Romanian villages in the Christmas and New Year period, in areas that still hold on tight to old traditions.

We spoke first to Pavel Berenghea, leader of the Cununita music group in Ilva Mare, in Bistrita-Nasaud County, after they presented a traditional theater moment at the Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum in Bucharest:

“Today we presented a tradition from our area, the Goat Dance, but it is called Belciugarii since the days of our forefathers, it is a rendition of this tradition held in winter and summer, because the summer was the time when our traditional shepherds took the sheep up the mountain for pasture, in Rodnei Mountains. In autumn they resume this custom, at the time for sheep to come back. It shows a shepherd, the protagonist, who takes care of goats, then a bear comes to attack the goats, which get defended by the shepherd. We also have another shepherd who plays the traditional flute, which is now replaced by a clarinet or a saxophone, which are modern instruments. We present this custom all over the country, but also abroad, sometimes Paris. It is beautiful, and very much appreciated. It is appreciated for its nice rhythm, which is different from other goat dances in other parts of the country. We have a very special rhythm where we are from, in Ilva Mare. We have 20 members of the team, dancers and carolers, dressed beautifully in old time clothes. We love presenting and perpetuating these costumes, these traditions and customs.

Next we went to Tulcea, to listen to the crowd of Mosoaie carolers, sung accompanied by the rhythm of jingle bells and the dance, who are masked with hollowed out pumpkins that scare away the evil spirits. Here with details is teacher and dance master Ion Trandafir, the elderly guide of the carolers:

“Mosoaiele, in Luncavita de Tulcea, have great importance, starting on St. Nicholas day and up until the Baptism of the Lord. Mosoaiele are unique to our area. The Mosoaie have a specific costume, which on Christmas Eve reminds householders to clean their yards, and also chases away evil spirits. Christmas has to be evil spirit free. When the villagers hear the bells, they open their gates. If a host turns away carolers, they will not enjoy Christmas. There are many groups of carolers, and each villager can get two or three. This Mosoaie celebration is attended by almost 50 carolers.

And since the area is also inhabited by Turks and Tatars, on the Mosoaie they receive the carolers in their homes, and Romanians bake baklava.

In Transylvania, Christmas preparations begin on November 15, when fasting begins. That is when people stop work in the field, stop eating meat, and women meet in groups to make the holiday clothing. Maria Ana Miris, dressed very smartly in traditional clothes from the Cluj area, told us about traditions there:

“People go caroling on the birthday of the Saviour, and we also have pre-Christian carols, such as the Caroling of Youth, with songs specific to our areas. We don’t wear masks, we don’t wear special clothes, just traditional ones. The carolers are eagerly awaited.

For New Year’s Eve, in traditional villages, but also in cities, they keep the tradition of going from door to door, gate to gate, caroling and performing ancient rituals. The Sorcova, the Little Plough, the Goat, or the Bear Dance are just some of the beautiful and very old customs.

In Bukovina villages, masked carolers go around the homes in a group that consists of masked characters, such as the bear, goat, deer, the beautiful, the ugly, the devils, the doctors, or the bear handlers.

The Bear Traveling Dance is specific to Moldavia on New Year’s Eve. The bear is played by a young man wearing on his head and shoulders the fur of a bear, adorned with red tassels around the ears. He is driven by a bear handler, accompanied by musicians, followed by a procession of characters, among them a child playing the bear cub. Banging on drums and blowing into flutes, helped by the pacing of a staff, the masked bear grunts and imitates the gait of a bear, stomping the ground. It is meant to purify and fertilize the soil for the new year. It is believed that this custom goes back to the ancient Dacians.

The first day of the new year is a time for the Little Plough and the Sorcova, which are also rituals to bring prosperity and wealth for the household that receives the carolers. It is said that refusing them would bring sorrow and poverty in the new year.