Invite at the Maramures Days
An increasingly popular fair held in northern Romania
Ana-Maria Cononovici, 22.05.2016, 13:29
The second edition of Maramures Days was held at the beginning of May in this northern Romania county. Most of the events were held in cultural institutions in the county seat, Baia Mare. Traditions, customs, music and food specific of this beautiful region were presented in detail between May 6 and 8. The ”Victor Gorduza” Mineralogy Museum hosted a presentation of works about protected natural areas, biodiversity, geo-diversity and the Natura 2000 Network in Transylvania. At the Administration Palace in Baia Mare, university professors, researchers, ethnologists and curators discussed about the traditional costume and its symbols.
Dana Buzura Gagniuc, a spokeswoman for the Maramures County Council, told us more about this year’s edition:
“The whole event this year revolved around the symbol of the traditional costume, given the fact that its official celebration was legislated this year. We have started with a symposium devoted to this day. On the second day, the events were hosted by the Village Museum in Baia Mare, where we had a Free Dacians Festival and a series of presentations of traditions and customs from the traditional region of Maramures. A traditional wedding specific of the Grosii Tibles area was staged, along with a cooking workshop, a handicraft fair and a minerals fair, given that Maramures is a mining area with a very long tradition.”
One of the most interesting events at the Maramures Days this year has been the Free Dacians Festival held at the Village Museum. Ana Buzura Gagniuc:
“The Free Dacians Festival is an event that brings back to life 2-thousand year old traditions, such as pottery, weaving and making chain mail armor. There is a group of historians from Baia Mare and Cluj who wear these costumes and teach people how to make them. There are also demonstration fights between Dacians and Romans, which make children very happy.”
Dana Buzura Gagniuc also gave us a few details about another important moment of Maramures Days:
“The traditional wedding was very special. In Maramures, traditional weddings are still being held in several remote villages. On Saturday we presented a traditional wedding specific of the Grosii Tiblesului, in the Lapus area, while on Sunday we had another wedding, this time from Petrova. These two weddings were very different in terms of ritual, costumes, music and dance.”
The traditional cooking workshop was another highlight of the Maramures Days. Dana Buzura Gagniuc:
“The famous dish sarmale, that is mincemeat stuffed cabbage rolls, polenta with cheese, and also fried dough were cooked by Maramures women. Moreover, each household at the Village Museum hosted numerous workshops for children, such as traditional sewing and glass painting. Also as a part of Maramures Days, students with the Open Art School in Baia Mare held a beautiful traditional music concert. At the same time, several folk ensembles presented their shows on a stage set up at the Village Museum. A folk costume parade took place on Saturday evening in Baia Mare.”
Attending the events occasioned by Maramures Days were special guests from the entire county, and also from Bucharest, Cluj Napoca, Zalau and Satu Mare, some of whom presented their scientific works related to the life of Maramures.
(Translated by E. Enache, L. Simion, C. Cotoiu)
