the village 3 layout+3ana

Promoting rural culture and tradition - October-December 2009

Portraits of Cata

Traditional Crafts

Fundata Village - how we captured the real spirit of the village, in less than 20 minutes

Pottery with a Deep History

Reflexions on Saxon Identity in Romania’s Multi-cultural Society

The Plescoi Sausage Festival

the_village_3:Layout 1 01.12.2009 22:21

3 EditorialPreserving Traditional Romania

4 Romanian VillagePortraits of Caţ a: One Village, Two Experiences

7 Traditional FoodThe Plescoi Sausage Festival

8 Interview“We should not forget one thing: traditional culture lives in motion”,- Dr. Speranţa Rădulescu, ethnomusicological researcher

10 EventsSaschiz Festival - pictorialUnited through Dance - at the Halchiu village traditional festivalBig Bang for the Buck - the ‘Golden Stag’ International Festival

14 Rural DevelopmentA Dip into Traditional Crafts - Visiting the village of Lisa

16 Travel JournalDisturbing the Peace: How we captured the real spirit of Fundata Village, in less than 20 minutes

18 Arts & CraftsPottery with a Deep History

20 FeatureCultural identities: Reflexions on Saxon Identity in Romania’s Multi-cultural Society

October-December 2009

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w w w . r e v i s t a - s a t u l . r o

Manager: Ana A. Negru

[email protected]

Contributors: Brodie Robertson (UK),

Ilaria Parogni (Italy), Eleina Margaux Novak (USA),

Susanne Persson (Sweden), Norbert Schwarzenbrunner

(Austria)

Photos: Ana A. Negru, Brodie Roberston,

Eleina Margaux NovakProject Coordinator:

Alexandra Ichim

DTP & graphic design: Mircea Samoila & Adrian Andrei

Cover:

Director Projects Abroad:Mircea Samoila

Promoting rural culture and tradition

Painting by Gheorghe Ciobanu


www.projects-abroad.org

Most Romanian villages are stuck in past times. They seem to be moving nowhere,

separated from the rest of the world, lost in their own tranquillity. You may think

this is a bad thing: I mean, in the Western world, who could imagine living in a

place with limited internet connection or barely any mobile phone reception, after spending

most of our lives in a world dominated by new technologies and wireless communication?

Some Romanian villagers are deprived of so many things, they must be so unhappy. Their

life-long goal must be to escape the ghost-towns they live in to find a job in one of the many

business buildings located in crowded and buzzing cities. So do villages serve any purpose?

Most of us have childhood memories of long hazy summer days playing outside with

our friends, lying in freshly cut grass gazing up at the clouds above wandering what animal

they resemble most. Perhaps you spent afternoons down by a riverside, organizing pebble-

throwing competitions or trying to catch the fish you could see through the cold, crystal-

clear water. I remember losing track of time speaking to my best friend in a field of daisies

as we were gathering flowers for our neighbour or building a tree house in some woods close

to our house. And who hasn’t closed their eyes, took a deep breath of fresh air and enjoyed

the rare silence, as a soft breeze gently caressed our rosy cheeks and the sun set behind a

rolling green hill?

Nestled in the Transylvanian landscapes lies numerous small villages in which people can

live the experiences recited previously on a daily-basis. Here, the roads are not cemented,

there are very few cars, geese and hens all roam freely around the streets and the gentle chim-

ing of the bells around the cows’ necks and the clip-clop of horses over a nearby-by bridge

is all the noise you can hear. In these villages, only a few hundred people reside in the cen-

turies-old houses, but this in no way reflects a flaw in the country lifestyle: it just means that

the sense of community and unity is enhanced even more. People here respect and appreciate

one another. They take time to speak to one another, laugh or cry with one another, pushing

whatever else they had planned for the afternoon aside. In this stress-free environment neigh-

bours come round to see how you are doing, if you are feeling better or if you have need of

anything or if you have been injured in some way, a kind neighbourly act that people don’t

see very often in busy cities.

In these well-preserved villages, traditions that vanished from town-people’s thoughts

years ago are still being kept alive today. Some women still weave on a traditional loom and

create amazing embroideries that can only be described as pieces of art, others centre their

talents on their amazing cooking abilities in order to provide their family with a good and

healthy traditional meal every night. Wood-carvers proudly talk about the many symbols

and meanings behind every carved door-frame while shepherds tend to their flocks in the

nearby fields to prevent any of them from becoming scared and lost.

During my entire stay in Romania, I have been told that the heart of a country can be

found in the village. Nothing describes a country more than its traditions, its people and its

landscapes. If you take away these villages, the centuries-old traditions and the people who

represent them, a piece of the country’s culture will be lost forever. All in all, these villagers

may not have the latest laptop, the fastest car or even the new fashionable pair of shoes but

they have something that many other countries lost years ago: pride and joy in the knowl-

edge that they are the ones who are keeping some precious aspects of past days alive. Don’t

you want to be a part of it too?

Preserving Traditional Romaniaby Brodie Robertson


Leave Stress Behindby Susanne Persson

www.revista-satul.ro

If you are longing for tranquillity and want to experience a place

where time almost seems to stand still, a visit to a Romanian vil-

lage is truly recommended. The fascinating and colourful coun-

tryside is worth visiting for a variety of reasons. It offers the visitor

a meeting of traditional customs and rural life, a unique world wait-

ing to be discovered. The villages in Romania have every chance of

attracting those tourists in search of something authentic, people who

are curious about places that have not yet been globalized.

One such place, the village of Cata, particularly appealed to

me and will always have a special place in my heart Rural life in a

village, seemingly frozen in past times, is something completely

different from the way of living I am used to.

Our journey starts in Brasov, a city situated in the heart of Ro-

mania. As we leave the city behind, the busy traffic is soon replaced

with magnificent scenery of corn fields, shepherds, carts and

horses. On bumpy roads we make our way through a picturesque

landscape and finally end up in Cata, about two hours drive away

from Brasov. As we make our way along the streets, we are greeted

with curious glances. I assume the inhabitants are not that used to

having foreigners strolling around their village. However, we are

received with a warm and generous welcome by the people pass-

ing us by. Everybody nods politely and says hello to us, or "buna

ziua” in Romanian. I cannot help thinking that in Sweden, where I

come from, people would probably give you strange looks if you

started greeting everybody without knowing them.

Whilst walking around in the village we discover a world full

of traditions and cultural heritage. Furthermore, it is extremely easy

to get in touch with people. Although there cannot be particularly

many tourists coming to Cata, people seem to have a natural way of

bonding with foreigners. As soon as you start speaking to them they

will give you an interesting account of their lives. By chance, we

meet an old woman who openheartedly tells us about her life and her

children. She also tells us about her skill of making Romanian dolls

dressed in traditional clothing. She does not sell the dolls however,

but gives them away as presents to friends and family. Admiring the

dolls, I think what an important part of the Romanian cultural her-

itage they are and what a great loss it would be if the skill and knowl-

edge of making themvanished. Hopefully, traditional handicraft will

receive more appreciation if the number of tourists coming to the

area increases. If so, this may encourage her to continue making dolls

and passing on her skills to coming generations.

After a while, we say goodbye to the friendly woman and her

dolls and head for another street. As in lots of other Romanian vil-

Portraits of CaţaOne village, two experiencesPhotos: Brodie Robertson & Ana A. Negru


lages, there are beautifully painted houses almost everywhere you

look. While continuing our walk we pass by elderly men and

women, peacefully resting on wooden benches. Every now and

then the silence is interrupted by a horse and cart passing us by.

Apart from this noise, it is quiet and restful. It seems to me that

stress is a phenomenon that does not exist here.

However, the daily life in the countryside should not be idealized.

In many ways it is tough, a day by day struggle for survival. Most

of the people who live in Cata are engaged in agriculture and ani-

mal keeping. There is only one factory in the village. Ten people are

employed there, five men and five women. Only about twenty peo-

ple commute to Brasov. The unemployment rate is high, especially

among the Rroma people, who often lead a harsh life. One part of

Cata is only inhabited by the Rroma and during our visit I saw the

poverty and poor living conditions that they endure. When ap-

proaching that area I have to admit that I was slightly worried since

I was aware that the Rromas are said to be marginalised by society.

However, we were soon surrounded by friendly and curious chil-

dren who all wanted to have their photo taken. For a couple of min-

utes our cameras clicked frequently. When we finally stopped

taking pictures, there were not only children curiously looking at us

but also adults. A woman started to talk to me and even though I did

not understand a single word I could tell that she was saying some-

thing friendly. It seemed like she appreciated that some foreigners

had come to visit their village.

A significant feature of Cata is that it is a multicultural vil-

lage; Romanians, Hungarians and Rromas live here, side by side.

Although it is said that the Rromas in many ways are marginalised

by society, the overall impression we got from the men and women

we met in Cata was that people are living a peaceful life and that

the idea of multiculturalism is working pretty well. In my opinion,

this brings hope for the future.

As we leave the Rroma area and Cata, some of the children

follow us through the village. A girl gives me a friendly smile and

I smile back at her. We come from different worlds, do not speak

the same language and our living conditions differ enormously. But

still, I felt a bond between us during that walk. My visit to Cata

will indeed be an everlasting memory.

After a peaceful two-hourdrive, through the thick and im-

pressive forest of Bogata, we set foot on the soil of Cata.

The weather was perfect for our visit: blue skies and pecu-

liarly warm temperatures. One could easily forget that it was actu-

ally the beginning of autumn; the only sign of this change being

the numerous pumpkins lined up close to a field of old sweet corn

stocks. We didn’t really know what to expect from this village as

we stepped out of the car, but we ended up being pleasantly sur-

prised. Why? You’ll soon find out.

Cata is part of a group of five villages located in the commune

of the same name. In this commune, four villages out of the five are

Saxon and the fifth is Romanian. Although bigger than many places

we have visited during my stay in Romania, Cata has managed to

maintain the same country charm we find in smaller Saxon villages

across the country. The streets were lined with pastel coloured

houses; tractors sped by us on their way to the fields and horses

pulling heavy-loaded carts trotted gracefully across a nearby

bridge. Needless to say, we definitely found ourselves in a typical

Transylvanian village. Everyone out for a stroll made a point of

saying “Hello” to us, something unusual to me as not many people

speak to strangers in the street back home in France. I enjoyed the

friendly spirit that seemed to overflow from this village as we were

looking for people to interview.

One of them was a Hungarian woman, Mrs Margareta

Dibernardo, 56 years old, who kindly told us about the village in

general and the kind of life that they live in this secluded part of Ro-

mania. She told us about a gathering that takes place every year on

the 24th of January. Saxons, Romanians and Hungarians all turn

up dressed in their traditional outfits and eat together. Then, when

the clock strikes midnight, they all join together and dance in front

THE VILLAGE - issue no. 3, October-December 2009 5

Stepping on

Unfamiliar Groundby Brodie Robertson


of the town hall. This very open and welcoming woman also

showed us some doll’s outfits that she is well-known for making

herself. Mrs Dibernardo presented to us some examples of the Hun-

garian traditional costume worn by a few of her children’s dolls,

and then let us see a Romanian bride’s gown that she hand-stitched.

We were informed that there are around forty Hungarian fam-

ilies here and that the number of gypsies living in the village is

much higher than the number of Romanians. She told us that the

common problem of the inhabitants of Cata is the lack of job open-

ings in the area. This is a problem that we have seen not only in Cata,

but also in many other villages of its kind. Areas in Transylvania are

sadly lacking in job opportunities and many of the younger genera-

tion are leaving their families behind to find jobs in nearby Italy, with

the hope to one day return to the quaint village where they grew up.

The factory close to the entrance of Cata only employs five men and

five women, which, in turn, forces around twenty men from the area

to go to Brasov everyday in order to work. It may not seem like many

people to us, but for the villagers it is. The idea that most men in Cata

have to go so far away to earn a decent living is quite appalling to

them. That is why the other main source of income in the area is the

ever-present agriculture. People here have turned to the breeding of

animals, for a number of different reasons, in order to gain a stable

and good enough salary.

As we continued our tour of Cata, we wandered into the part

of the village in which the gypsies live. At first we thought it would

be wise to turn back but we thankfully didn’t. We had heard so

many things about gypsy villages, how the people living there may

be aggressive towards us or want to steal items from us. Well, all I

could see was a group of lively and friendly children gathering

around us, asking us to take their picture. It was amusing to watch

them gasp as they saw their funny faces on our supervisor’s cam-

era screen! Then after about five or ten minutes of picture-taking,

we were surrounded by other villagers who simply wanted to talk

to us. Some of them kindly asked us who we were and what we

were doing here, so I did my best to explain in my very poor Ro-

manian. I think I got the message across: their faces lit up with de-

light as they found out we worked for a magazine, as perhaps not

many journalists come to visit them. Other members of the village

showed us their horses and poneys and talked to us about their liv-

ing conditions in general. One woman informed us that they almost

starved a few months ago as they had to save enough money to pay

for their horse. As I watched these people with great admiration,

laughing and playing around together, I wandered how it is that

they are pushed aside by society, even in the modern times we live

in. They are known in the village for being peaceful gypsies, they

are friendly and, as we saw some of them building a drain pipe

from a house, obviously trying their best to earn a living. And yet,

they are still cast aside to live in such poor conditions. These peo-

ple told us that they have no perspective for their future. They get

the opportunity to do odd jobs here and there, helping others in

moving houses or cultivating fields, but they are left wondering

what will happen in two or three weeks time. Will they be able to

eat or will they have to tighten their belts a little more? With the

winter season fast approaching, it is hard to imagine how they will

be able to cope. But I suppose they will find a way; they have had

to deal with this lifestyle year in, year out.

To me, gypsies were people who lived on the road in cute lit-

tle painted caravans, playing music and dancing all night long.

They would travel the world, see amazing places and all the while

they would be spending time with their families. To me, it was a

perfect way to live. A famous French singer even wrote a song

about their nomad life and how great it would be to grow up in.

Well, I learned on this day that the gypsies I had standing in front

of me are humans, like you and me, who are just trying to stay

alive. Nothing more than that.

As we walked back to the car, surrounded by a group of chil-

dren asking us various questions we didn’t quite understand, then

watched as they all waved goodbye, we felt overwhelmed and con-

fused. We remained in silence, each of us thinking of what we had

just experienced. All of the things we had been told about the gypsy

people dissolved, as what we had just witnessed became our new

and better vision of these people. Even our supervisor, who is Ro-

manian, never expected them to be so friendly and open. This goes

-to show that we shouldn’t base our knowledge of people on a pre-

conceived and biased opinion before actually facing them ourselves,

even if the society we are surrounded by tells us to. We should learn

and discover more on our own, ask people questions and not settle

for something that, to many people, is considered as “right”. That

afternoon, I felt as if I had learned something, not only about the

gypsy people, but also about the way we live our own lives.



The people of Romania definitely know how to enjoy food. That is

one thing I have noticed during my stay in the country. The Ro-

manian cuisine has been influenced by different countries and cul-

tures, such as Germany, Hungary, Turkey, Serbia, Austria and

Greece. Beef, lamb and chicken are common ingredients in Ro-

manian cooking but the preferred meat is pork. Romania is also

a country of festivals. Throughout the year, festivals that attract

both locals and tourists take place in various areas of Romania.

An excellent combination of these two pleasures - the joy of food

and the joy of celebrating - is the Plescoi Sausage Festival. Ple-

scoi sausages are world famous and named after the Plescoi vil-

lage situated in the county of Buzau. They are traditionally made

in and around this village and their main ingredients are mutton,

chili peppers, garlic and thyme. The festival is arranged every

year in the beginning of October. This year the event was held on

the first weekend of October and I was lucky enough to get the

opportunity to attend it.

As we leave Brasov at nine o’clock in the morning, we are

greeted with magnificent scenery. It is the beginning of autumn and

the leaves are just about to change colours. On winding roads we

find our way to Berca Village - the place where the festival is held

- passing through villages and valleys surrounded by billowing

hills. After a three hour ride we finally arrive at the guesthouse Casa

Matei where it all takes place. Unfortunately, the rain is pouring

down and it is a bit chilly, which does not seem to stop the visitors

from coming to the festival. The event appears to attract people of

all ages. Children and elderly people gather together to enjoy a culi-

nary experience, listen to Romanian folk music or simply just to

stroll. In the market stalls in front of the guesthouse I have the op-

portunity to get samples from a variety of sausages, bread and wine.

The local producers are displaying their goods and generously of-

fering pieces of their products. I do not have to wait very long be-

fore I get the chance to try a slice of a famous traditional product

from Buzau area. It is called ´Babic´, a smoked salami made of

pork, beef, red chili peppers, tomato sauce prepared after the old

recipe of the Serb gardeners from Buzau. It has an oval shape and

when produced it is pressed with the help of a bottle. As I expected,

the Babic sausage is spicy and tasty. As it is melting in my mouth

I keep on wishing that I could find these amazing products in the

Swedish town where I live.

Suddenly people gather around one of the tents in the mar-

ketplace and I am told that there is a sausage-eating and a beer-

drinking competition about to start. There is a sense of expectancy

among the waiting crowd. Then, the cameras start flashing and I

realize that the competition has begun. Unfortunately, I am not able

to get a glimpse of the competitors since there are too many peo-

ple standing in front of me. Some thrilling minutes pass by before

the lucky winner of the competition is chosen and awarded with a

medal and some cans of beer for his achievements.

I continue my walk and in one of the stalls I find Constantin

Moldoveanu who represents a local bread producer. For him, the

Plescoi festival is a way of making his company’s products known

and hopefully getting some new customers. I am tempted by the

smell of the freshly baked bread and decide to buy some. I pick up

two buns but, to my surprise, Constantin refuses to accept my

money. At first I feel uncomfortable and a bit embarrassed. But

then I realize that this is another example of the great friendliness

and generosity of the Romanian people and I come to the conclu-

sion that he indeed wants me to have that bread loaf for free.

It is not only the local producers that have the opportunity to

promote themselves, but also the different guesthouses from the re-

gion. Within the Casa Matei guesthouse tables are covered with

specialties such as sausages, steaks, meat rolls, the traditional pas-

trami (salt and smoked mutton), shepherd’s pie and many other tra-

ditional dishes prepared with sausages. I get to try some of them

and, indeed, it is a wonderful culinary experience. After a while, the

main chef himself makes his appearance and teaches the curious

audience how to prepare two different types of sausage salads,

which all seriously stirred my appetite.

After another stroll among the stalls, it is time to head back to

Brasov. It has been a day full of impressions and an opportunity

for me as a foreigner to get an insight to rural Romania, its food,

traditions and customs. The sweet memories of the mouth-melting

sausages of Plescoi will surely last for a long time.

The Pleşcoi

Sausage Festival:

A Real Taste of Rural Romania

by Susanne Persson


8 www.revista-satul.ro

“We should

not forget one thing:

traditional culture

lives in motion...”interview with Dr. Speranţa Rădulescu

by Ilaria Parogni

- How did you develop an interest in Romanian traditionalpeasant music and the urban ‘lautareasca’ music?

It happened gradually. I finished university and found a job atthe Institute of Folklore from Bucharest. At that time – in the70’s - it was in fashion to study especially Romanian archaicpeasant music: the communist government was obsessed withthe idea that its intellectuals must produce irrefutable argumentsto prove the antiquity and continuity of the Romanian people onthis soil... Still, I changed focus pretty quickly towards the musicplayed by the ‘lautari’ (professional traditional musicians); firstthose in the villages (I even wrote a book about them and theirmusic back then, in 1984: The Traditional Music Band and theHarmonic Accompaniment in Traditional Dance Music) andthen those in the cities. The reason I became interested in the music played by ‘tarafuri’(rroma musical ensembles) was that I must have felt that pro-fessionalization was the major phenomenon affecting the oralmusic traditions in the XXth century.

- How did this happen?

The peasants started to increasingly entrust their festive musicto professional musicians who were of rroma ethnicity (Gyp-sies). They took it over and committed themselves to play it ondemand and be paid for it. At the beginning, ‘lautarii’ had toplay the music exactly as their beneficiaries wanted it; in otherwords, they were under control. In a short while though, the mu-sical competence of the peasant communities weakened, and sothe evolution of traditional music became more and more en-trusted to the rroma ‘lautari’. As their assignments were en-hancing, their prestige, autority and their right to have musicalinitiatives became more powerful. Nowadays, musicians oftenplay what they want, not what their audience wants. The massmedia had also a great influence, offering musical models thatare pretendedly superior, but actually questionable. Globaliza-tion has had its say too. As a consequence to all this, peasantsplay very little nowadays, often only because they are driven bythe ambition to be on the stages of festivals of folklore, not be-cause they feel the need to...

- How was urban ‘lautareasca’ music perceived at the be-ginning and how is it seen today?

The urban ‘lautareasca’ music – my second area of interest – isthe music of the great Wallachian cities (Wallachia is a histori-cal and geographical region of Romania, located north of theDanube and south of the Southern Carpathians – ed.n.). At firstit was created by the rroma professional musicians, not at the re-quest of their regular clients, but for themselves, for their ownparties. Everybody liked it though, including Romanians, whichis why it slowly became the music of the common, simple folk,an emblem of the marginalized people. This music is subtle anddifficult to understand, especially at its peak, towards the mid-dle of the XXth century. It is even today the trying stone for thosewho practice the trade of ‘lautari’. It is also one of the mostbeautiful and original type of oral music in Romania. I like itthat young people nowadays – especially the educated ones –listen to ‘lautareasca’ music, find themselves comfortable in it.It is a pity that it is played now in forms that have lost a lot ofthe refinement found in older days.

Dr. Speranta Radulescu is an ethnomusicology re-searcher at the Museum of the Romanian Peasant inBucharest, co-founder and manager of the ethno-musi-cologic project - Ethnophonie. She is considered to be anauthority in the field of Romanian traditional music, avery important part of Romanian cultural identity. Whenshe kindly agreed to meet us of Satul – The Village andanswer a few of our questions, we were positively sur-prised by her personality and passion for her job.

It took us a few seconds to understand that we werein front of someone with a well-defined goal in life:to make Romanian traditional music known and under-stood for what it really is.

The interview takes place in Dr. Radulescu’soffice at the Museum of the Romanian Peasant,in Bucharest. A small and energetic woman, whoturns out to be Dr. Radulescu, welcomes us withthe most open smile and introduces us to herworld.



-What can you tell us about the emancipation of the

rroma musicians?

A new foray into history I see... Until the middle of the XIXthcentury, the Rroma – including the rroma lautari – wereslaves: they belonged either to the ruling court to nobles ormonasteries. The slaves from the ruling court were in an ad-vantageous position: in exchange for a tax, they were free topractise their trade to the benefit of anybody willing to payfor it. The peasant rromas that belonged to nobles andmonasteries though were tied to the land. In the halls of theirmasters, they played the musics that were in fashion at thetime, that is, successively: Turkish, Greek, ‘German’ music...The nobles however used to rent them out to pub, where the‘lautari’ became accustomed to the music of the commonpeasants. For ‘lautari’, the abolition of slavery meant ob-taining all the freedoms that they had longed for. This free-dom also created problems for them though: they now hadto sustain themselves, to find clients. That’s how they startedoffering their services to peasants, learned their music, re-placed the village fiddler or bagpipe player at the Sunday orwedding dances. Then they organized themselves and formedmuscial bands – ‘tarafuri’.

- Returning to our own times, what do you think about

the traditional music promoted by the media?

The music promoted by the media is purported to be the su-perior form of peasant music. In reality however, it is a musicstandardized according to the model of the soviet ensemblesand its purpose is the re-invetion of the peasant and its cul-ture according to the national-communist ideology. Themedia have remained attached to this model even after thefall of the communist regime, without realizing that they arebecoming more and more untruthful and old fashioned.Noticing this is easy when we watch on TV a ‘taraf’ dressedall in white, doctor-like, lead by a conductor that has neverexisted in peasant culture, accompanying a young ladydressed head to toe in a costumes that doesn’t match hermake-up or her high heels; everything in a bucolic back-ground featuring an imaginary village, of an indiscript placeand time, singing a music from an indiscript place and time.The trouble is that the peasant music nowadays is strongly in-fluenced by this music the media promote; and this meansit’s becoming standardized, suffering thus a dillution of itsidentity.

- What could those who promote culture do about this?

As I’m already horrified enough by what those who promote“culture” intend to do, I would be very happy to know thatthey do absolutely nothing for a couple of decades. This sothat people have time to de-tox and to reabilitate their artis-tic tastes. Then they could try a more intelligent revitalisationthan that attempted nowadays by some. They could go backto the documented sources of the true rural culture.

As for ourselves, here at the Peasants’ Museum – CostinMoisil, Florin Iordan and myself – we are doing something:putting together an anthology of Romanian traditional mu-sics, through our collection of recordings - Ethnophonie.Today, Ethnophonie maintains its role as a genuine alterna-tive to the official folkloric music, but has added a new func-tion: that of an alternative to globalizing musics (fusion,world music), which have been gaining ground all over theworld, including Romania. Our belief is that, in a quicklyglobalizing world, the seekers of the new must not stifle thevoices of those who, for various reasons, wish to preservetheir regional, ethnic, professional identities and displaythem emblematically, as in music.The collection could later (after de-tox) serve those who areinterested in the cultural past of their people.

-

Here are some CDs, part of this wonderful collection of

Romanian traditional music. You can search for more de-

tails about Ethnophonie project on the following web-site:

www.ethnophonie.ro

What is your message for our readers?

We should not forget one thing: the traditional culture livesin motion, and at one point, the motion transforms it andchanges its fundamental features. We have to acknowledgeand accept it, if we want to preserve at least a small part ofRomanian patrimony.



The motto of this special festival of the Saschiz

village is: ‘Just like the trees are tied to theirroots, the perfume to the flowers and the buds to

spring, we also wish that all the children of this villageremain tied to its heart – and that this tie endures for-ever’. Having reached it’s sixth edition, ‘The Childrenof the Village’ was organized this year in August by the

Townhall and the Local Council together with Fundatia

Adept. The festival also celebrated 700 years of docu-

mentary attestation of the village.

Through singing, dancing, drama, arts exhibitions and

all-round fun, the festival seeks to celebrate the conti-

nuity of rural traditions and promote cultural under-

standing between the different ethnicities that live

together in Saschiz.

“The Children

of the Village”An annual festival in

Saschiz

photos by Jackson Matthews & Tali Farine



When asked if I wanted to attend a traditional festival in the

rural village of Halchiu, I became very enthusiastic; I had

never really seen Romanian dancing, singing or even the

costumes worn by people on special occasions before. I was going to

get my first taste of a traditional event during my stay in Romania, so

how could I refuse?

This annual festival has been a part of the village’s lifestyle

since 1998. Its aim is not to draw tourists from around the world but

it is simply a way to celebrate ethnic differences and the unity of

Halchiu and surrounding villages. Romanians, Saxons and Gyp-

sies stood together wearing their traditional costumes in front of

the town hall, all waiting to parade proudly through the streets of

the village to reach the main stage, where the afternoon’s event was

going to take place. Children and older teenagers smiled happily for

the camera while the band warmed up for the march. I couldn’t

help but be surprised as I watched eighteen or nineteen year-old

teenagers wearing their traditional costumes without feeling any

shame or embarassment whatsoever. This is such a culture shock

for me as, back home in France, the same aged teenagers would

never dream of wearing the traditional Breton costumes, far less

parade around in them in front of hundreds of people and dance on

a stage! Needless to say I was impressed that they felt so strongly

about their culture and traditions.

As the participants started to march towards the stage led by a

brass band, a wide display of costumes passed us by, ranging from

little simple white dresses with red embroidery to brightly coloured

tassels and hats with peacock feathers on them. It was interesting to

see so many different costumes but to be honest, I think we only saw

the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Romanian folk costumes!

After a while, we finally reached the park where the event was

going to take place. We passed through thick clouds of smoke com-

ing from the numerous barbeques and walked by many stalls over-

flowing with toys before arriving at the wide basketball court where

the main dancing stage had been set up. As people gathered around

the stage, the Mayor of Brasov followed by the Mayor of Halchiu

said a few words to mark the start of the festival. Then the fun re-

ally began. First a class of children from the village of Halchiu sang

a few Romanian songs, with some aid from their teacher of course.

Each child tried to get their moment in the spotlight by singing right

into the microphone; it was adorable to watch how their faces shone

with delight as they heard themselves sing through their feedback.

After that show, a few younger classes danced and presented

a play before it came the turn of a group of young Rromas to show

off their talent. Those children blew us all away with their passion

for dancing. They obviously loved their time on that stage and

didn’t seem to notice that people were watching them; they just

stood up and danced. It was truly amazing to watch.

The afternoon continued with various dance groups showing

the public a particular dance. Some dances were especially for cou-

ples, some others for large groups of people, but, in a few of them,

men took center stage, hitting their legs and boots and jumping into

the air as a sign of their virility. As I watched the dancers with great

admiration, I noticed that traditional Romanian dancing involves a lot

of shouting. There is a verbal exchange between men and women

throughout the duration of the song. I maybe didn’t understand every-

thing they were saying but it felt as though there was a different story

to each dance. These calls are known as “Strigaturi” and represent a

unique Romanian phenomenon. These calls aren’t just shouted at any

given time, they have to fit in with the tempo and melody of the song

the participants are dancing to. So there is a lot more organization to

these calls than what first meets the eye. They certainly add to the at-

mosphere and give the dance a feeling of joy and fun.

I watched with great enjoyment a number of people form a

circle in the middle of the basketball court to dance together, whilst

a woman sang traditional songs on the stage. The fun and relaxed

atmosphere in which this

scene took place reminded

me of the Kermesses we

used to have in our local

village. During such

events, children would put

all of their effort into their

end of year performance to

proudly show their parents

what they had achieved,

and people would sit and

talk to one another long

into the evening. Everyone

seemed to be having so

much fun together: drink-

ing, laughing, dancing and

singing (sometimes out of

tune) to the songs they rec-

ognized. In this little vil-

lage of Halchiu, we felt as

if we were welcome into a

big family event where the

dancing wasn’t displayed

for competitive reasons,

but it was purely to amuse

the public and remember

important traditions. Even

though we weren’t from

this area - or Romania it-

self for that matter - we felt

as if we were part of this

culture, thanks to the peo-

ple promoting it. I must

say it was good to see how

Romanians, Saxons and

Rromas all seemed to mix

together on that Sunday af-

ternoon, in a society that

holds many judgments and

dislikes. Who knows,

maybe traditional dancing

is the key to a better, more

united Romania!

United through Dance- at the Halchiu village traditional festival -

by Brodie Robertson



The unsuspecting viewer might be inclined to think the

prize giving ceremony had been the highlight of the

“Golden Stag Festival 2009”(September) – but the real

finale went down with a Romanian folklore show, “hora satului”.

The last evening of the event was filled with traditional music

and dancing, several live bands and dozens of singers, and it

proved quite difficult to keep track of all the action, as most of

the time just so much was happening at once. On stage and off,

that is, as the bandstand proved to be far too small for all the

dancers, so they simply moved to the front of the boards and

even involved some more or less willing audience members in

the show. Needless to say the traditionally clothed dancers on

stage gave it their all, skipping, hopping, and bopping to a fare-

thee-well, beating their boots until they sparkled and giving the

good people from “River Dance” a run for their money. Never

have men in tights looked this good since the ’93 Mel Brooks

film. The spectacle was accentuated by numerous singers shar-

ing the stage and the bands playing at a general velocity that

would make Steve Vai blush with shame on his best day. As an

added bonus, no one even attempted a Dracula joke, unless said

Mr. Vai the day before, saying that he brought his band with him

but hasn’t seen nor heard of them since their trip to Bran castle.

Naturally, a rather long and awkward silence ensued, something

that didn’t happen for a single moment on Monday night, ex-

cept maybe when a flute player miraculously conjured up a bag-

pipe seemingly out of nowhere and started playing, but that

silence didn’t last long and was quickly replaced by a crowd

going wild.

And speaking of wild, unsurprisingly the name of the festival is

derived from an actual stag, well, the “Legend of the Golden

Stag”, to be exact. The myth tells the story of two siblings, a boy

and a girl, who were abandoned in the woods at their evil step-

mother’s behest. The boy then drinks from a pool of rainwater

gathered in the tracks of a stag and is therefore turned into one.

The rest of the tale involves a noble prince, an old wise woman

cunningly luring the stag’s sister off her tree by pretending not

to know how to boil water, a wedding, the wrath of an old lover,

a failed plot for revenge and last but not least a prince and a

princess – and a golden stag – living happily ever after.

Although it may not have been around for as long as the

legend has, the festival does have quite a history itself. The first

edition was held in 1968 and since its beginnings many interna-

tional artists have come to perform in Brasov, including the likes

of James Brown and Ray Charles. In addition to these guest per-

formances, contests have been held with competitors from all

over the world; in 2005 the first place winner came from as far

as Vanuatu, a small island nation on the other side of the planet.

With all the international pizzazz going on, the unsuspecting

viewer might think that a traditional evening offers the tran-

quility of a later summer evening alongside some placid enter-

tainment easily overshadowed by the stars and starlets, but once

more reality tells a different story. “Hora satului” was the undis-

putable highlight of this year’s “Golden Stag”, ending the festi-

val not with a whisper, but a nice bang indeed.

by Norbert Schwarzenbrunner

The ‘Golden Stag’ International Festival

Big Bang for the Buck



Harvest season came early this year. A tractor breaks up the soil, the po-

tatoes are then picked by hand, packed into bags and loaded upon the

horse carts to be sold to the mini markets or directly at the front doors.

In Lisa, some thirty kilometers southwest of Făgăraş, pretty much

everyone is out on the fields, except for the priest. He’s surveying the

renovations in the bigger one of the two churches in the village. For

two years a single man has repainted the interior, and with the outside

already restored, it shouldn’t be too long before sermons can be held

again. The priest estimates the size of his congregation to be around

200 families. Keeping in mind he isn’t counting the large Rroma com-

munity, it’s still a considerable drop from the census held in 2002, when

Lisa had a population of 1,701. The reason is a common phenomenon

in rural Romania: young people between twenty and forty leave their

home to work abroad, mostly in Italy. Ioan Sucaciu, retired topographer

and part-time farmer, says his daughter and her husband live in Rome

with their children and that they visited Lisa for one month per year.

It’s a peculiar blend between migration and commuting.

The reason for leaving is economical, yet even though Ioan’s

daughter has built a life in Italy and her children go to school there,

the final aim is still to come back to Romania. And it’s not an isolated

case: Depending on the source, between 1 1/2 and 3 million Roma-

nians are currently working abroad, the lower number being the offi-

cial one. The World Bank estimates the remittances at 9 billion dollars

for 2008, which is more than half of what foreign investors put in the

countries’ economy. A huge advantage of these remittances is that

they go directly to the people, without any agents demanding their

cuts in the middle, drastically increasing the living standard. When

asked what change she would like to see the most in the village, Ioan’s

wife answers without hesitation: connection to Romania’s sanitation

and gas grid, but that’s of course something that only the

government can provide. Another thing Ioan would like to see from

the government is more support for small time farmers like him and

most others in the village. He says there were almost no subsidies for

the crops they are growing and that they used to have cows but now

they weren’t allowed to sell the milk anymore.

With an incredible view of the Făgăraş Mountains, Lisa and its

surroundings like La Valtori, a museum hosting a 150-year-old, water

powered installation for wool blankets, the Sâmbăta de Sus

Monastery and the fortresses in Breaza and Făgăraş are truly worth

a visit.

Lisa is well worth seeing especially in winter, when the locals in-

dulge in their holiday custom, Ceata de Feciori, a custom that has

even made it onto YouTube. For this tradition, young men gather in

a circle spanning a blanket between them and they then throw one of

their fellow village lads up in the air until his girlfriend comes to his

rescue.

Driving away from Lisa towards Făgăraş, the scenery once

more is dominated by the mountain range looming over the fields.

Smoke is rising from the plains; the farmers are burning the potato

plants. The ashes are used as fertilizer and the farmers are already

preparing for next years harvest.

A Dip into

Traditional

Crafts

Visiting the village of Lisa

by Norbert Schwarzenbrunner &Brodie Robertson

Photos by Brodie Robertson



After a relaxing drive through Brasov’s beautiful country-

side - not to mention getting lost a few times - we arrived

at the peaceful village of Lisa. The village itself looked like

the desolate places one can see in Wild West films. Shutters on the

windows were closed tight, the streets were empty and not a car or

cart was to be seen on the roads as many of the inhabitants were out

on the fields gathering their potatoes. The only few remaining peo-

ple who were actually on the streets glared at us going by in a shiny

silver Polo, amazed by the car’s brilliance (or so the other journal-

ism volunteer who drove us there wanted to believe!) .

Following a drive up a tight country lane, we finally walked

up to the museum we had been searching for. La Valtori, located

just outside the quaint village of Lisa, is a well-known family busi-

ness that makes amazing woolen carpets in a traditional fashion.

Indeed, this museum prides itself in only using the power of the

river’s current that passes by their house to fluff and clean any

woolen rug. Angelica Lungociu kindly received us and gave us the

tour of what is the Greavu family business. Indeed, it was her great-

great-grand-father who set up this processing unit 150 years ago

and she is now the fifth generation out of seven to continue mak-

ing these traditionally crafted carpets.

She first showed us the whirlpool or “valtoare” in Romanian,

thus the name of this outdoor museum. This whirlpool is a wooden

tub plunged in the water in which the river’s current is trapped and

turns quite fast before finding its way out again, allowing whatever

the tub contains to soak and spin. There is a secret to making these

wooden sumps as no sand found in the stream can penetrate and

damage the woven woolen rug it contains. The making of these

basins is a family secret that has been handed down from genera-

tion to generation and is therefore unique to this outdoor museum

in Lisa. Many locals use this system regularly to clean their rugs as

it is more ecological than the use of detergent. Back in the 90s, the

whirlpool was located in the nearby forest because the debit of the

water there was stronger. So people used to go on picnics nearby

and bring their carpets along to clean them as they were eating and

having fun. There is no doubt that this whirlpool is the main at-

traction in this little rural village.

Once the rug is clean, it is taken out of the whirlpool and dried

for one or two days, depending on the weather. After this step, the

dry carpet is attached to “the real”, which is a long wooden tube

that spins. Using the power of the stream below the wooden floor-

ing, the real spins the rug and, as it hits the floor, it is pressed

against a long metallic comb. In doing so, the wool thickens and

woolen strands become stronger and more apparent. The woolen

rug is then dipped into the whirlpool to fix the plucked-out hair, a

process that takes around six hours, and is dried in the sauna room

for five hours to give the rug time to thicken and strengthen. To

complete the process, the carpet has one final dip into the tub to do

as it has to be washed and the hairs have to be arranged before dry-

ing entirely for two days. The creation of these traditional carpets is a long process, tak-

ing up around two weeks to make a single rug. As the weather getspretty bad during the wintertime, the Greavu family spends theirtime weaving, therefore creating the rugs, and keeps this wholefluffing process to the summertime when the river is at its best andof course, when there are more tourists around to see them doingit. La Valtori rug processing workshop is promoted by the Ethnog-raphy museum of Brasov and it receives funds from the BrasovCounty Council to continue producing these marvelous rugs in atraditional and non-polluting way. Before it received these helpfulfunds, this little gem in the middle of the Lisa countryside was onlyknown locally. Indeed, women used to bring their woven creationsto be fluffed up by the whirlpool and strengthened by the real andsauna room. Now that they are helped to preserve this craft, thefamily has the will and the interest to keep making the carpets andby doing so they are helping the local tourism, as their rugs are be-coming known internationally. Little by little people are recogniz-ing their work and it is becoming more popular. “It is our business”,Angelica Lungociu said,”We live off of this alone.”

As the owner shows us around the museum’s grounds to seethe objects used to create such beautiful rugs, one cannot help butnotice the peaceful surroundings that these people work in day byday. Not a sound was to be heard but the slow trickling of thestream we had to walk over and the playful bark of their few dogs.Who could choose a better backdrop for such an intricate crafts-manship? This museum is fast becoming a place not to miss whenvisiting villages in Transylvania as it strives to protect local tradi-tions and crafts by using only the natural resources given to them.La Valtori is an incredible outdoor museum that allows us to dis-cover more about the traditional Romanian way of life, also throughthe friendliness of the Greavu family who are thrilled to show us themaking of what they have believed in for the last five generations.



Nestled in the Transylvanian mountains at approximately an

hour and a half drive away from Brasov, Fundata is known

as the highest village in Romania. Indeed, it towers over

1400 km above the ground and is therefore a perfect place to begin

various hiking expeditions. However, this is not the reason that

brought me, a volunteer, “the Village” manager and her husband

to this beautiful and desolate place. We had actually come to see an

annual traditional ritual called Sumedru’s fire. However, we ended

up experiencing one of the most memorable days of my trip that

will never leave me.

Before coming to this village I was told that we would be hik-

ing a lot throughout our visit as the village doesn’t have a “normal”

layout. As I found out, the village is scattered over many various

hills. To explain this clearer, the town hall found in the center was

located four or five kilometers from the local primary school, after

numerous bends and climbs. So as we parked the car, we set off on

foot through the hills in order to find the local church, known to be

on the Unesco’s World heritage list, as the priest would probably

give us some much needed information about the village and the

festival that was to take place that evening.

Sumedru’s fire is an annual event that takes place every 26th of

October, which celebrates the end of autumn and the beginning of win-

ter. The legend comes from a Romanian god called Sumedru, a usual

villager who, during the ceremony, becomes a fir tree that is then

burned during the night. Villagers gather wood and create a huge bon-

fire that symbolizes the purification and regeneration of the seasons. In

some rural areas, local teenagers jump through the fire to show off

their virility. Children dance around the fire as it burns and the women

of the village distribute fruit and home-made treats to the guests. At the

end of the night, each family takes home a piece of the last embers of

the bonfire and throws it in their garden in order to fertilize the land and

bring good luck to the home and all who live in it.

The landscape around us during our walk through the village

was truly breathtaking. We had been informed that the village of

Fundata (and its surroundings) is one of the most beautiful areas in

Romania, with its stunning scenery and pure cleansing air which is

known its therapeutic abilities. Many guest houses are set up

around the main street in order to attract tourists wishing to spend

a tranquil vacation among the Bucegi and Piatra Craiului mountain

ranges. In the distance, the magnificent snow-covered mountains

became a perfect backdrop for all of our scenery photographs.

We passed random cows and horses gently grazing on grass in

fields. The bells around the cows’ necks chimed each time the an-

imals moved, and this pleasant sound was the only noise that could

be heard in this vast countryside. The area is also well-known for

its traditional cooking, many dishes consisting of locally bred live-

stock including sheep, goats and cows. The villagers use their an-

Disturbing the Peace

How to capture

the real spirit of Fundata

a Heavenly Romanian Village,

in less than 20 minutes

Photos and text: Brodie Robertson



imal’s milk to make a traditional dish called “bulz” (which is in

fact polenta and cheese).

Having spent some time discovering the up-lifting environ-

ment, and having a fore-knowledge of the customs and traditions,

we felt the need to uncover more about the local people themselves

in the heart of this rural village. After laughing at Adrian (Ana’s

husband) who was seen running away from a fast-approaching

horse he wanted to photograph in a field, we noticed an older man

sitting outside his house at the foot of a steep hill. As journalists do,

we decided to investigate.

After descending a slope covered in crunchy green grass, we

approached the mysterious man and asked to interview him. He

kindly invited us into his garden where we were soon joined by an

elderly woman. She seemed delighted to speak to us and quickly in-

vited us into her home. As we entered the house, Ana and I looked

at each as we were obviously thinking the same thing: We were

very fortunate to have found such a talented woman! We had

walked into a room covered in multiple hand-embroidered cush-

ions and rugs, as well as hand-painted flowers on the roof. It was a

wonderful insight into what this woman is passionate about and we

felt thrilled to have found her. Sadly we had to leave this house and

this wonderful woman due to a miss-understanding with her neigh-

bours, who were clearly very anxious about her safety as she had

strangers in her home. This situation led us to speaking with a local

policeman and he informed us that his community is a very friendly

but protective village. They all look out for each other here so they be-

came very worried when the three of us walked into an elderly

woman’s house, not knowing who we were or what we wanted to do.

We were still talking and laughing about this unusual experi-

ence for days afterwards. Even although we barely spent twenty

minutes inside the woman’s house, we had the wonderful opportu-

nity to catch a glimpse of the heart of Fundata. We discovered how

the inside of a traditional house should look like, we saw the strong

sense of community that reigns between villagers but most of all we

now understand what Fundata is… I strongly believe this is a clear

demonstration of the strong bond a community can have in these

Transylvanian villages. Although we explained to them who we

were and what we are doing, these people wouldn’t trust strangers

who seemed to be threatening the tranquil peace of Fundata. I

maybe didn’t understand what was happening in full detail, but one

does not need to speak the language to see that the people living in

this beautiful mountain landscape are sensitive neighbours who are

simply trying to protect the elders of the village as best as they can.

We did not see the traditional Sumedru’s fire as we didn’t want to

disturb the peace any longer; however the memory of this village

in particular will warm my heart for years to come.

reclama Casa Muntelui



Potterywith a Deep HistoryText and photos: Eleina Margaux Novak

Traditions in Romania epitomize the Romanian way of life; withsimplicity at its core. In the villages that have survived inva-sions, dictatorships, and so far, democracy, these traditions havestuck with the inhabitants as a preservation of their own uniqueculture regardless of what changes the nation on a whole hasundergone. Because of this, the traditions that are still pre-served today are invaluable to those who have been taught toappreciate and purport them.

One such long established craft is the art of pottery. The re-

gion of Transylvania, specifically, is most famous for its

pottery, but all parts of Romania still participate in making

and painting pottery. Since this craft has recently become valued by

tourists, families continue this trade as a way to earn money, though

most now use shortcuts designed to make the task easier; however,

these are not as wonderful or historically accurate.

I had heard from several sources that I would not be able to

find a family near Bran that kept the traditional way of pottery mak-

ing that had been passed down generation to generation. Discour-

aged, I confess I also gave up on the idea. But when I went to the

town of Bran on a tourist outing, I saw in a field, away from the

business of everything else, several tables. Intrigued as to what was

set up on these tables, and relieved to escape from the crowded area

filled with Dracula masks and mugs, I walked over to investigate.

I found that the table contained colorful dishes—mostly various

shades of green—that were stacked with rows upon rows of

uniquely painted, and incredibly beautiful, pottery. Drawn to the

collection originally out of curiosity, I asked the woman about the

pottery she sold. What she replied made my head reel! She began

to tell me that her family had learned the art from generations and

generations ago, and that they made it now in the same way they

did centuries ago.

Another day, armed with pen, paper, and a camera I returned

to see if she was still there. Thankfully she was. I approached nerv-

ously; I knew she had spoken English before, but I was unsure as

to how much, and my Romanian was severely inefficient to conduct

an interview in. She was obviously on her break, but I timidly asked

anyway if I could interview her and told her I had been there a few

weeks before. Heart thudding as any new journalist going on their

first mission alone, I courageously waited for her reply. And I was

just as amazed as before. She said that she remembered me and I

could interview her! Thankfully a kind tour guide from Bran’s cas-

tle, Matei, graciously served as a translator and explained processes

I would not before have been able to understand. With his assis-



tance, and her kind patience, I began to piece together the process

that produced such works of art.

Once I learned her name, Raluca Popa, I asked her how her family

was able to preserve this tradition when so many other families are

struggling to or have lost interest. She replied that while the knowl-

edge has been handed down from family member to family mem-

ber, it helps that this is something her parents work on together.

Her father, Constantin Popa, is the potter as he shapes and creates

the dishes, bowls, and vases. Her mother, Georgeta Popa, is the

artist who paints the lovely designs onto the clay. Raluca laughed

as she added that now she herself sells them.

Then Raluca began to describe the detailed process the clay

must undergo to turn out properly. It takes one month and a day to

bring a piece from start to completion. Her family owns nine

hectares near Bran. To reach clay fit for molding into pottery, they

must dig two meters (6.6 feet) into the ground. This clay is unique

to Transylvania because of its blue tint. Once the clay is harvested,

then it is put on a potter’s wheel. Constantin molds the pieces in

various ways for the different products. For a jug with a handle, he

must first create the bottom, then the top, and lastly the handle.

These pieces are assembled in the same order. It takes roughly ten

minutes to shape a bowl, which is then handed off to her mother,

Georgeta Popa, who spends twenty minutes painting it while it is

still wet. Then the pottery must dry for one month. After a month,

when the clay is sure to be dry all the way through, it is baked in a

kiln for eight hours. After this initial baking an optional glaze is

applied that makes the pieces safe for modern appliances such as

dishwashers and microwaves, and also adds a clear shiny glaze

once it is taken out of the oven after a second eight hour long bak-

ing. Her mother alternates every month between blue and green-

based works. Though all the colors used are composed of natural

ingredients and in the traditional way, the green, brown, and white

color scheme is traditionally from the South, while the cobalt blue

is Transylvanian.

The designs painted on the pottery are also traditional. The

three most common are the rooster, the tree of life, and the pea-

cock. The peacock tail is from the South and is called “Horezu.”

The lines and dots that serve as extra decoration are also patterns

that Georgeta Popa knows by heart as being the same used long

ago. The “brushes” used for painting are actually the tips of bull-

horns or sometimes wooden needles.

After the official interview had finished I requested to take a

few photographs of Raluca and her family’s pottery. It is always

interesting to gaze at objects through the lens of a camera after

learning more about them, because suddenly, different things strike

you more than before. As Raluca kindly posed behind her prod-

ucts, I zoomed in closer to the various pieces, remembering the

month they spent out in the Transylvanian sun drying, or the in-

gredients for the mixture of special colors, and found myself gaz-

ing in awe rather than snapping photos. Raluca disappeared for a

moment and I began noticing the other visitors to the area who

were now meandering across the field to see what had originally

drawn me there. The mystery and the colors from the special wares

were housed away from the hubbub of the main square were evi-

dently intriguing to many. I watched people from all over the world

become entranced with the raw beauty of this art and smiled as I

recognized them repeat similar exclamations I myself had made.

Raluca returned to hand me a box—my own lovely piece of pot-

tery. Of course she couldn’t know that to me it will also symbolize

a successful interview with a fascinating family who has a story I

will not forget soon.

As we were saying our goodbyes, I asked Raluca if she planned on

continuing this tradition throughout her own life. She smiled again

and said that for now she just sold the pottery and that she was ac-

tually in university now studying for a degree in Psychology.

Whether or not this is a tradition that will proceed for many more

generations to come we will all have to wait and see, but for now,

it is a beautiful piece of history preserved.



By Christmas they were gone. Gone, alongside over one hundred

thousand other Transylvanian Saxons, who had left Romania

in just two years at the beginning of the nineties. Eginald

Schlattner stayed, but found himself a shepherd without a herd. From

his time as pastor in Roşia, he recounts how the Easter celebrations had

been business as usual for the small village near Sibiu, but come Christ-

mas, most of his congregation had left, a fate shared by many other

German communities in Transylvania.

Emigration started strongly in the seventies, when Ceauşescu and

German chancellor Schmidt agreed upon allowing Saxons to move to

Germany as part of a family reunification program. After the revolution

and the collapse of the communist regime, most members of the Saxon

community seized the chance to leave Romania, for Germany, for Aus-

tria, and for overseas. According to the “Democratic Forum of Germans

in Romania” (DFDR), the German-speaking minority in Romania had

45.000 members in 2002, thirty percent of which lived in Transylvania.

At the end of the seventies that number was still at over 175.000, dur-

ing the nineteen forties at around 250.000.

For the chairman of the German Forum, Wolfgang Wittstock, the

reasons for this mass exodus are rooted in the repercussions of World War

II, in the loss of trust the Germans placed in Romanian authorities and

most importantly, in poverty. In January 1945, the year after Romania had

surrendered and declared war on its former ally Germany, 75.000 Saxons

were deported to Soviet labor camps, in March the ones who stayed at

home were dispossessed, at a time when 75 percent of them were farmers

living off the land. Under Ceauşescu’s rule the situation for the German

minority improved as they were valuable bargaining chips with the Ger-

man government yet the economic situation remained dire and was un-

likely to get better – a situation where, as Homer put it, “all that avails is

flight.”

The expatriation of the Transylvanian Saxons in the last decades of the

twentieth century may seem like the last act in the history of this peo-

ple, but one shouldn’t underestimate the staying power of a nation that

albeit never having its own state managed to survive and at the same

time retain a certain amount of independence for over 850 years. En-

during as a minority for such a long time is in itself an incredible

achievement and keeping a relatively small – the Saxon population

never consisted of more than 300.000 people – community alive and vi-

brant while being part of six different states, defending it against Mon-

golian riders and the Ottomans, just to name a few, is something that

speaks volumes about the kind of physical and spiritual fortitude not

easily wiped out. And as Frieder Schuller, Transylvanian author, poet

and filmmaker in his own right, puts it, history isn’t a horse-drawn car-

riage one simply hops out of. The Cața native fled to Germany in 1978

with the help of fellow author and eventual Nobel laureate Günter Grass

only to return to his hometown after the revolution, renovate his fa-

ther’s, the village priest’s, house and to now divide his time between

Germany and Romania, many times making the Saxons’ history a sub-

ject of his work. In Cața, there are only three Germans left who live

there full-time, the rest have either vanished entirely or become what is

known as “summer saxons”, emigrants who return to their homes for

the summer but whose lives are based elsewhere. Schuller says the rea-

son they stayed in Germany wasn’t their lack of faith in the Romanian

authorities but the fact that they were comfortable in the new lives they

had made for themselves.

This isn’t to say they have shed their old identity entirely and all

traditions are lost. Saxon organizations, the so-called “Heimatortsge-

meinschaften”, organize meetings and festivities for the expatriates,

gathering Saxons who originate in the same village in Romania, no mat-

ter where they live now. As for those willing to come back, Wolfgang

Wittstock and the Forum are a first point of contact, offering informa-

tion, counsel and even legal advice. The chairman acknowledges that

there isn’t much they can do to bring people to return to Romania, still

it’s the thought that counts and the offer that stands. Besides providing

support and a sense of community, the Forum’s main goals are the

preservation of the Saxon identity and the German language. They offer

language courses and are involved in several cultural activities, most

notably their support for the only German brass-band left in Transyl-

vania. The brass bands, once central institutions in the Saxon villages,

dissolved at the beginning of the nineties, the few musicians left were

pooled into the “Burzenländer Blaskapelle”, which plays traditional

German-Bohemian music, among other things, at weddings and other

festivities, and consists to equal parts of Germans, Romanians and Hun-

garians.

Although most of the Saxons may have disappeared, their legacy

has anything but. From the most obvious remnants, the over one hun-

dred fortified churches scattered throughout Transylvania, to the more

subtle ones, like some German traditions taken on by Romanians, such

as the “Kronenfest”, there’s still a lot to fuel the pride regarding this

heritage of not just the Saxons themselves, but also of the Romanians

and Hungarians in the region.

As for Eginald Schlattner, he found himself a new herd by work-

ing as a prison minister – besides coming upon a large audience as a

writer. And at seventy-six he still travels the land to bring comfort to his

flock. After all, a shepherd’s work is never done.

Cultural Identities:

Reflections on Saxon Identity Reflections on Saxon Identity

in Romania’s Multi-Culturalin Romania’s Multi-Cultural

SocietySociety

by Norbert Schwarzenbrunner


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