Vlach
11-30-2013, 08:36 AM
Few people in today's world maintain and cherish their age-old customs, as do the villagers of Romania. Hardly a week goes by without a religious or secular festival somewhere in Romania. Some of the best, however, take place between Christmas and New Year's.
The most colorful New Year’s Eve traditions are however the mask-dances, magical ceremonials of death and rebirth, with a variety of representations from the animal world like goats, horses or bears, fictional characters like the devil and symbolic personages like the ugly, the beautiful, the elder, the military, the gypsy, the bride, the emperor and many more. Each role and performance has a special meaning attached to the past cultural reality of Romanian villages.
Goat dance: Capra is the name of a traditional Romanian dance, practiced around New Years. It's executed by a young man with a goat mask and a sheep skin on his back. The 'goat' and his companions go from house to house, dancing at each door in New Year's Eve.
The goat dance has different names from a region to another: stag in Hunedoara, goat or "turca" in Moldavia and Ardeal, "borita" in South Transylvania. This custom is also called "brezaia" in Wallachia and Oltenia, because of the multicoloured appearance of the mask.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnza2iL2yQQ
Bear dance:The bear dance can be seen on New Year's Eve only in Moldavia. Its origin are older than 2000 yers and it's very similar to the Goat dance. It is said that it drives away the evil spirits and this way the new year what comes will be cleaned up.
Bear in Bukovina:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT7XwDUgh7Y
Bear in Trotus Valley (Moldavia region) :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcmXZ-MdJns
Horse dance: With amazingly fast foot movements, punctuated by high kicks and boot-slaps, they maneuvered themselves and white cloth horse heads, attached to their waists and adorned with embroidery, tassels and a multitude of colored pom poms, around the small space. In olden days, white horses were believed to be messengers bringing life and luck and this dance symbolizes the bond between farmers and the animals that pull their wagons and aid in working the land.
Horse dance in Bukovina:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb9LAb4r8Og
Old man dances:
Old man dances in Maramures:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6qqsfCzqmQ
Little plough: On New Year's Eve people prepare themselves for a new beginning. It's time for the "Little plough" and the "Big plough", two agrarian traditions. It's time to find out your future. What could the new year bring out for you?
It is said that the mood you are in the first day of the year the same you'll be the whole year. So, with this thought in mind people clean up the house and themselves. They put order in every little thing in their houses and every little thought in their minds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFmsk1TqEBY
Sorcova: Sorcova is a Romanian popular custom, practiced on January 1. This custom is very old and is spread throughout the country, being practiced mainly by children. Sorcova is also used to describe the object that characterizes this custom. It consists of a stick or twig decorated with artificial flowers of different colors, wherewith children slightly hit on back their parents or acquaintances in the morning of New Year, wishing them, in special verses, health and luck.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ0qoJvq4Z0
The most colorful New Year’s Eve traditions are however the mask-dances, magical ceremonials of death and rebirth, with a variety of representations from the animal world like goats, horses or bears, fictional characters like the devil and symbolic personages like the ugly, the beautiful, the elder, the military, the gypsy, the bride, the emperor and many more. Each role and performance has a special meaning attached to the past cultural reality of Romanian villages.
Goat dance: Capra is the name of a traditional Romanian dance, practiced around New Years. It's executed by a young man with a goat mask and a sheep skin on his back. The 'goat' and his companions go from house to house, dancing at each door in New Year's Eve.
The goat dance has different names from a region to another: stag in Hunedoara, goat or "turca" in Moldavia and Ardeal, "borita" in South Transylvania. This custom is also called "brezaia" in Wallachia and Oltenia, because of the multicoloured appearance of the mask.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnza2iL2yQQ
Bear dance:The bear dance can be seen on New Year's Eve only in Moldavia. Its origin are older than 2000 yers and it's very similar to the Goat dance. It is said that it drives away the evil spirits and this way the new year what comes will be cleaned up.
Bear in Bukovina:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT7XwDUgh7Y
Bear in Trotus Valley (Moldavia region) :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcmXZ-MdJns
Horse dance: With amazingly fast foot movements, punctuated by high kicks and boot-slaps, they maneuvered themselves and white cloth horse heads, attached to their waists and adorned with embroidery, tassels and a multitude of colored pom poms, around the small space. In olden days, white horses were believed to be messengers bringing life and luck and this dance symbolizes the bond between farmers and the animals that pull their wagons and aid in working the land.
Horse dance in Bukovina:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb9LAb4r8Og
Old man dances:
Old man dances in Maramures:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6qqsfCzqmQ
Little plough: On New Year's Eve people prepare themselves for a new beginning. It's time for the "Little plough" and the "Big plough", two agrarian traditions. It's time to find out your future. What could the new year bring out for you?
It is said that the mood you are in the first day of the year the same you'll be the whole year. So, with this thought in mind people clean up the house and themselves. They put order in every little thing in their houses and every little thought in their minds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFmsk1TqEBY
Sorcova: Sorcova is a Romanian popular custom, practiced on January 1. This custom is very old and is spread throughout the country, being practiced mainly by children. Sorcova is also used to describe the object that characterizes this custom. It consists of a stick or twig decorated with artificial flowers of different colors, wherewith children slightly hit on back their parents or acquaintances in the morning of New Year, wishing them, in special verses, health and luck.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ0qoJvq4Z0