Monday, December 27, 2010

Romania Winter Traditions / Traditii Romanesti











During winter solstice, when the sun is weak and frost and dryness take over, Romanian peasants conceived ceremonies to help the Sun and Nature to overcome this "temporary crisis." For 12 days between Christmas and St. John on January 7th, all Romanian villages have specific celebrations, starting with children's caroling on Christmas eve.

Obiceiurile legate de sarbatori fac parte din cultura traditionala .  Obiceiurile tin de constiinta poporului roman .Se spune ca in seara de Ajun se deschid cerurile si se pot auzi glasurile ingerilor.  Primele semne ale Sarbatorii Nasterii Domnului le dau grupurile de colindatori, care pornesc din casa in casa pentru a le ura gazdelor fericire si prosperitate.




There is the Christmas carol which involves carolers dressed as bears. In the past, a real bear was also included in the dance. The tradition, called Ursul (the Bear Dance), is mostly kept in Bucovina and Moldova on New Year's Eve. The tradition aims to purify and fertilize the soil for the next year. The bear cult is of Geto-Dacian origins; back then, the bear was a sacred animal.

Jocul ursului este o traditie romaneasca specifica Anului Nou. Obiceiul are la origine rolul de a purifica si feriliza solul in noul an. Cultul ursului este mostenit de la geto-daci, care il considerau un animal sacru. Rostogolirea ursilor in cerc, batutul si moartea ursului, apoi invierea miraculoasa ca si urcarea acestuia pe bata (toiag), redau in chip metaforic succesiunea anotimpurilor care, candva, stateau sub semnul acestui animal, capabil sa invinga iarna si sa vesteasca primavara.






Another very special character is the goat—Capra. It is not a real goat, but a wooden goat-like object meant to make a lot of noise. The goat can also be a child or a young adult dressed up in a goat costume.
The whole group dances through the streets and from door to door, often with flute music. This tradition comes from the ancient Roman people and it reminds us of the celebration of the ancient Greek gods. 

Capra este considerata in traditia romaneasca, animalul care arata daca vremea va fi buna sau rea.
Obiceiul "caprei" a fost, la origine, un ceremonial de cult.
In cadrul sarbatorilor din mediul rural, jocul a devenit un ritual menit sa aduca rodnicie anului care urmeaza, spor de animale, bogatia recoltelor.
















Romania is a country with a long and complicated history.
It also has a variety of customs, traditions and holidays.
Within South Eastern Europe however, Romania preserved a significant number of traditional customs and celebrations manifest within the strong community of the village.

Peasants possessed a deep knowledge of the way to tend the earth. They had the ability to enjoy life and to dream into the future. They were regular observers of the feasts for the earth, their cattle, the flowers and crops, and the overall beauty of living.
The Romanian customs can be divided into family customs, calendar-based customs and religious customs. They represent a "triptych" marked by the three major life changes: birth, marriage and death.

Thank you!
This photo (also from the previous post) was taken on December 12, 2010 in Village Museum - Bucharest
Fotografiile din postarea de azi ( si cele din postarea de ieri ) au fost facute pe 12 Decembrie in Muzeul Satului din Bucuresti.

more : winter traditions  , traditii si obiceiuri

51 comments:

Anonymous said...

thank you for sharing with us these traditions, I liked your beautiful series for its authenticity and intensity !
I wish you a happy new year 2011 dear wind ! :))

Bye**

Klaudia J said...

wonderful image,
Happy Holidays too you!
ahoj Klaudia

DuCo said...

Multumesc , Daliana ! Frumoasa seria.Din pacate , aceste traditii nu se mai pastreaza , decat putin , pe la sate.
O saptamana frumoasa!

Windsmoke. said...

Traditional customs and celebrations should never die out as they are unique to that country. Happy New Year to you and your family.

Kenia Santos said...

Great pictures!! I saw a similar one on Vali Onciu's blog!!! Were the two of you together? Are you friends!? How amazing is that!!!

I love your photos, it goes without saying, right?!

Kiss you Daliana, wishing you the best for the New Year!

=*

Ignacio Santana said...

Preciosas y encantadoras fotografías...llenas de color y alegría!!! Un gran trabajo Wind...o Daliana (?).

Un gran abrazo!!! ;)

Daliana Pacuraru said...

Well, is the third part of " Romanian Winter Traditions" with some explanations (because some of you wanted to know more about).

Kenia Cris, maybe the photo were taken in the same place ....but I didn't have the honour to know Mr. Onciu and no, we are not the same person...ha ha!

I wish you "HAPPY NEW YEAR" !
I will be here, anyway!

DUTA said...

I have one word for the pictures, the costumes, the peasants, the romanian traditions : MAGNIFICIENT

Anonymous said...

Thank you Daliana.I undestand more of it now..It is very much the same as we have here in norway..from the old time .I know Romania has a comlplecated history.One of my female work nursecompanions..-Rebecca..is from Romania and has alot of stories to tell..They are a very strong.proud and BRAVE people.

Thanks for telling me more about it.

Kindly regards from Norway

Out on the prairie said...

We have lost many of these customs that were brought across the ocean, but they slowly melded into a mixed set of ideals.Many still observe the solstice in a variety of ways. A lot of the Native Americans revered the bear, it often was given a special status in their traditions and cultures.Often conflicts could arise with some tribes not following these traditions.

Clint said...

Thank you, Wind! What charming customs you have and what wonderful pictures you take. Romania is a beautiful country with beautiful people.

DaddyNoBucks said...

Thank you for sharing these cultural traditions, providing education, and a glimpse into your live.

Kaya said...

I enjoyed reading this post and viewing photographs.

I have never been in Romania but I see how much people from your country value and keep their traditions. It was the same in Lithuania.

These photographs are beautiful. And folk costumes are fascinating. Great post and wonderful pictures.

Happy New Year to you, Wind!!!!!!!

Luis Gomez said...

Gorgeous! I love all these images showing tradition and faces. Beautiful job. Thank you for sharing all of these.

Anonymous said...

Ancient strength, beauty, honesty and reality. Thank you very much for this nice escape to a place life somehow felt more real than here. Please have a wonderful Tuesday.

daily athens

T. Becque said...

Love the spots of red in almost all the pictures. The traditions of your country are beautiful and amazing to see.

T. Becque said...

Love the spots of red in almost all the pictures. The traditions of your country are beautiful and amazing to see.

Bitch said...

Dear Wind.
Thank you for sharing with us with
beautiful photos the traditions and
customs of your country!!

Hugs from Greece Daliana.
Wish you a very creative New Year!

Monika

Fram Actual said...

You are a teacher as well as a photographer, Wind. I cannot think of anything I enjoy and relish more than learning the history of a people and of a place.

Congratulations and thank you, for your splendid work here.

Apuni said...

Thank you for this post. It's very interesting. Beautiful picture, and beautiful tradition.
Happy new Year to You!

ANRAFERA said...

Excelentes fotografías las que nos expones de tradiciones de tu pais. Un placer conocerlas y gracias por acercarnolas a través de tu camara. Saludos cordiales.
Que tengas un feliz año 2011.
Ramón

Tommy Andre Nekkoy said...

Nice documentary, and excellent use of lightning - Well done

German Banchio said...

This kind of histories are what I likethe most about photography... You don't need to explain too much if you can capture the essence of the common people... which you do perfectly!
Happy new year,
German

Arnoya Ari said...

O compilatie fantastic care spune / arată tradiţiile româneşti şi de sărbători. Multumesc;)

ADRIAN said...

Yet another superb set. I sometimes wish we had such traditions to help with the dark damp days of winter.

RCA Ieftin said...

Superbe poze!

Jesús M. said...

muy buenas fotos. Un saludo.-

VertAnge said...

Ce frumos!
Au venit si pe la noi pe acasa copiii cu Steaua si o ceata de capre, dar nu mi-a trecut prin tartacuta sa ii fotografiez.

CalinMirisan said...

frumos imortalizate momentele.
un an nou cu sanatate si impliniri iti doresc!

Kenneth Larsson said...

Very nice documentary. I just love to see your work. Great shots!

Have a nice evening! :-)

marty said...

An interessant and beautiful serie of images of your country ! I love that
very much ! thank you

Objekte-aus-Ton said...

Many thanks for these interesting photos!
Gaby

Olga said...

So far I'm blown away by the images. You can make a book with all these photos. I enjoyed it very much. Thank you for sharing.

robert said...

Acum m-am lamurit ce e cu fotografiile astea...

Am sa fiu un pic critic: cred ca multi dintre noi (inclusiv eu) am pierdut legatura cu traditiile. Daca ma intrebi pe mine de ce sunt importante traditiile, cred ca am sa iti dau un raspuns ambiguu... Ce vreau sa zic este ca nu stim sa facem diferenta! Poate ca unele se pot integra in contextul actual... altele nu! Nu stiu ce sa zic!
Cred ca as putea sa vorbesc ore in sir pe tema asta si nu as epuiza-o!

Adica vreau sa vad traditie, tarani in adevaratul sens al cuvantului. Asa ei sunt doar niste actori care mimeaza traditia!

Cred ca fotografia in care nenea ala isi pune vin dintr-un PET, reflecta foarte bine ce vreau sa zic! :D

Despre fotografii: cred ca ai surprins foarte bine momentele, iar tehnica asa cum m-am obisnuit: PERFECTA!

Astept postarea de Anul Nou!
Inspiratie si lumina buna iti doresc! ;)

Tomas' sketchbook said...

Your photography as expanded my horizons (made me more familiar with the Romanian customs) as healed my heart (your pictures shine- colors spread the beauty) Thank you for the unforgettable time I had while viewing your wonderful site. Greetings from Lithuania

José Ramón said...

Gracias por sus deseos que pase un Feliz 2011 lleno de Amor y Felicidad comienza el Año con el pie derecho para tener suerte

Un cordial saludo de…
Abstracción textos y Reflexión

Polix said...

Wow Great shots! Congrats!

J_on_tour said...

Hi Wind, thanks for the extra set with the explanation of your countries traditions. In this album I like the close ups of instruments and implements.
All this dressing up with fancy hats, sticks, goats, fertility and bells might speak to you of winter but remind me of summer when we have English Morris dancers in country villages doing there thing too. They need to work a bit more magic for that sun as I'm stuck at home and didn't go away.
Hey, there's a cat on your seat... that's not allowed !! haha.

Anamaria do Val said...

I love your blog,Daliana, so interesting! I have to thank you because you inspired me to post brazilian customs in my page.
I wish you all the best for 2011! Hugs and kisses

Victor said...

dragă Wind,
ţi-a spus cineva că în ceea ce faci se simte patriotismul?
spre deosebire de ceea ce fac politicienii, şi cei din administraţie, la tine regăsesc onestitatea, fiorul, emoţia patriotismului autentic... şi nu mă refer numai la postarea asta...
să-ţi dea Dumnezeu belşug de bucurie în noul an...
ai grijă de tine...

RIZALENIO said...

Wow! Like scenes in a very good movie. Love all the photos esp the composition.

Happy Holidays!

Celia na Italia said...

Beautiful photos and wonderful traditions!

Flutterby said...

Thank you for sharing you beautiful pictures and culture. Wonderful.

ruma said...

The smile of children is the treasure of the human.
Their folk costume is elegant.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year!

Thank you.
ruma

Gringo said...

Looks like a fun way to celebrate!

Unknown said...

Very interesting pictures.
Greetings Andrzej.

Laura said...

This is all so fascinating. Thank you for sharing your culture with us. The photos are wonderfully colorful! Happy New Year!

Willy. said...

Nice pictures, of beautiful traditions,we want more!!!
A wisch you, a very creative 2011!
Groetjes,Willy

Unknown said...

Buenisimos retratos, son espectaculares en cuanto a colorido y nitidez.
Enhorabuena.

Unknown said...

bine surprins, nu atat evenimetul cit starea de suflet a oamenilor. pacat ca pe an ce trece se obiceiurile se degradeaza din ce in ce mai tare.

GRIGORE ROTARU said...

Obiceiurile nu se degradează … ele dispar ! Am privit-o cu toată uimirea pe soacra bunicii dinspre mamă … a trăit în costum dacic toate clipele vieţii ei. Lucrările dumneavoastră – picuri de nemurire – reţin ( prin extracţie ) bulgări de aur din conglomeratul unor vremuri deja intrate în fabulos.
Fie să aveţi pe axa optică lumină dulce … sănătate şi bucurii alături de cei dragi !

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