For
the most eye-catching festivals, you really have to head for the countryside,
where bizarre traditions and rituals have survived modernization.
Religious
occasions are taken particular seriously, and Romanians celebrate the saint’s
days (after whom many are named) as a birthday. As well as rural revelry, there
are some up-to-the-minute cultural events, showcasing drama, film, music and
jazz.
January
Snow
Festival: Câmpulung
Moldovenesc, late January.
March
Mărțișor: heralds
the beggining of spring. Man present any women they meet with gift, usually a
small flower with a red and white
string,
also called a mărțisor
– 1 March
International Women’s Day: sees men again giivng flowers to all the women they
interact – 8 March.
March-May
As in other
Orthodox countries, Easter is a
bigger deal than Christmas in Romania. Families paint the shells of hard-boiled
eggs, which they crack against each other in a game, the winner being the one
whose egg withstands the impact. The eggs are then eaten. There’s a night-long
service on Saturday, and many restaurants close for the period, as families
stay home and eat lamb and eggs- lots of them.
April
Rooster Shooting: near Brașov, third Sunday
St George’s
Day’s: 22-24 April
April-May
A tradition dating back hundreds of years, Sărbătoarea Junilor (Pageant of the Juni) sees
the bachelors of Brașov parade in
flamboyant armour and on horseback through the city.
May
Constanța Days:
around
21 May.
Gayfest:
Bucharest,
late May/early June.
Sibiu
Jazz Festival: varies.
June
Romania’s only international feature film festival, Transylvania International Film Festival in
Sibiu aims to promote young film-makers and showcase innovative, original and
independent new features.
Suceava
Days: music, dance and craft fair, late June.
July
Maramuzical
Festival: Maramureș,
mid-July.
Medieval Arts Festival:
Sighișoara, late July.
August
Liberty Parade:
Vama
Veche, late July/ early August
Sfântu
Gheorghe Film Festival:
Danube
Delta, varies.
September
The
George Enescu International Festival, named after Romania’s
most famous composer, is held biennially, for two or three weeks at the
beginning of September in Bucharest. Orchestras and performers from across
Europe play and compete in daily concerts.
Sâmbra
Oilor (Welcomimg of the
Sheep):
Țara Oașului, late September/early October.
October/November
National Theatre Festival:
Bucharest.
December
Moș Nicolae (St. Nicholas’s Day) On 6 December parents fill their children’s polished
boots with small gifts, and a stick to warn the recipient to behave well
throughout the year. On Christmas Eve people go to church and decorate their
trees.
Winter Festival: Maramureș, 27 December.
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