This art has been used by people since very ancient times. It flourished especially in the 19th -20th centuries in Basarabia - a country where the local people used to have thatched roofs made of rye. Today the local craftsmen who are interested in making knitted handicrafts create different decorative household items or toys made of natural materials such as straw, wheat, barley or oats. Even if the number of these craftsmen is decreasing, there are still many people who practice it not only as a means of survival, but also because the straw have also some curative properties-things proved by specialists.

In Bucovina the wattles or wicker works have been made since ancient times. They were used to make huge baskets for keeping corn or carrying fruit or grapes. Because wattles or wicker works are meticulous activities, women are mainly interested in making them. The leaf that wraps the corn cob is used to create different decorative household items: flowers, spoons, purses and bags or cushions.The technique used to make such items is a special one and is obtained by twisting the corn leaves. The items obtained are used as decorative parts on baskets, bags purses.

Bulrush has been considered a durable material that can be found easily near the ponds or swamps. It can be used both for making household items and interior decorations. Different traditional methods are used. The most common is the one in which a band is obtained from three threads of bulrush which are woven together.

Weaving straw is a traditional craft which requires skill, a sense of beauty and minuteness. Straw, very fragile on the one hand, but very rigid on the other hand are harvested in July-August, when the cereals are ripe and yellowish. The process involves cutting the straw, peeling, cleaning and then using them in weaving hats for different formal or informal occasions.

A deeply rooted tradition that is peculiar only to the pottery workshops from Marginea, Suceava county. The manufacturing technique has been almost the same since ancient times. After being dipped into the water, the earth is kneaded by the craftsman empty-handed. Than he chooses a ball of earth, puts it on a special wheel which begins to spin and everything gets a new shape. Than, different geometrical ornaments are added: branches of trees, spirals, broken lines, etc.

The sculptors in wood, who are very talented craftsmen, always embellish the thing they create. In the Romanian art of processing the wood the predominant style is the geometrical one, but the decorative objects made of wood also contain floral, antrophomorphic, zoomorphic patterns. In different areas of the country, starting from the pillars, different decorative technologies appeared: apple, wheel, snakes, star, pear, human face, etc. These particular shapes are still used by the Romanian craftsmen today.

In the past, women` s responsibilities were making clothes and interior weavings. Woven clothes draw peoples’ attention due to their diversity and beauty. The best known part of the Romanian popular costume was the shirt. The upper part is beautifully decorated especially on the shoulders. On the head, women in the countryside used to wear a handkerchief made of floss silk. This is closely connected to traditions, because an important moment of marriage is covering the bride` s head as a symbol of womanhood.

The beautifully decorated shirts are worn

both by the women and men during the

wedding ceremony and are then kept for

the rest of their lives because thy are also

their burial costumes. The traditional shoes

were the peasant sandals worn with

woolen socks.

.

Along the years, many of this popular traditions have

been transmitted from one generation to another and

are still practiced by the women living in the villages.

People’s outlook on life has changed and so some

have popular traditions.

The inside walls of the peasants’ houses were” dressed up” with beautifully patterned

carpets made of wool woven by women at the loom.

Bucovina is also famous for its cultural and religious sights.In fact,the area has the greatest density of monasteries, churches and UNESCO monuments in the world.By far the best known monastery is Voronet Monastery -elected by the famous Moldavian ruler,Stephen the Great in 1488.The archietectural style of this monastery combines gothic and bisanthines elements in a very original way.The interior walls of the monastery,present famous religious scenes and the style is both majestic and simple in details.The paintings on the outside walls have a great artistic value.The famous religious scene “doomsday”-unique in its beauty is remarkable for dramatic intensity,vivid imagery,interesting mixture of colours among which the predominant one is the famous “blus of Voronet”.

Humor Monastery, built in 1520,was surrounded by high stone walls the remainings of which can be still be seen today.The porch has a very original architectural style;it is open in four archways in a broken arch.

Moldovita Monastery, represents together with Voronet, an exceptional artistic document of the epoch.The faces of the saints are very humanized,the profund human feelings are very well delineated and the colours of the paintings are very well reserved. The paintings on the interior walls are peculiar to a particular epoch.In history,that is Stephen the Great’s period.The central painting that represents the Moldavian ruler and his family capture the inner life of the characters.

Sucevita Monastery The Monastery which was built in the 16th century,looks like a real fortress with its thick walls and towers for defence.The predominant colurs of the paintings, a particulat shade of green and scarlet,give the impression of a book in miniature.The most representative themes of the paintings on the outside walls are: “Ion’s tree”, “Ioan climax’s Ladder” (which presents the struggle between the good and the evil forces),as well as the Frieze of some famous philosophers and prophets of antiquity such as David and Solomon,Sophocles and Aristotles or Homer.The paintings of this famous monastery represent the most complex iconographic ensemble on the Moldavian monasteries built in the Middle Ages.The monastery museum houses masterpieces of medieval art.

Putna Monastery It was erected by the famous Moldavian ruler Stephen the Great the ensemble has suffered a lot a long the centuries because of natural disasters fires or robberies. The monastery looks like a real fortress with its thick tall walls made of stone and a high steeple built in a baroque style. Here is buried the Moldavian ruler, Stephen the Great. His tombstone is made of white marble. The sarcophagus has beautiful ornaments which are a real work of art. The tombstone has an exterior frieze made of knitted oak leaves. The Putna settlement is also known for the museum situated near the monastery which exhibits beautifully hand – made embroideries, manuscripts tinned with a thin layer of silver or gold and all sorts of religious objects, icons and ornaments

Bucovina is a county which has many beautiful customs and traditions. Among them, there can be mentioned winter traditions: Christmas tradition and New Year`s tradition. They involve: decorating the Christmas tree singing Christmas Carols, popular theatre with masks and masked people which satirize negative aspects (laziness, idleness, foolishness), decorating the houses with popular towels and small carpets beautifully woven by the women in the countyside. On the first day of the New Year it is customary for children to go from house to house and throw cereal seeds, the so-called “Sowing” which symbolize the abundance for the next year.Another important celebration for us is Epiphany which involves sanctifying the water during a special religious ceremony, water which is then drunk by the faithful; it symbolizes the purification of their souls.

The most important religious event for us is Easter. It consists of a religious ceremony that takes place in all the churches of the country, followed by three days of sermons and pilgrimages to the holy places. The Easter dishes that follow are carefully prepared by women and include red eggs-symbolizing Jesus Christ`s blood. They represented the starting point for the art of painting the eggs and adorning them with beads, which has become so popular nowadays.Among other traditional dishes can be mentioned: Easter Cake (cheese and dough), sponge cake, lamb wine, etc. The festival associated with the names of the churches are a good opportunity for people to come to the church with small gifts: flowers, candles, oil, flour, etc.