The căluș ritual of southern Romania (also found in certain villages in northern Bulgaria) takes place every year at the time of Rusalii (Pentecost, 50 days after Orthodox Easter). The căluș has drawn the attention of many researchers, from a range of backgrounds and disciplines including folklorists, religious historians (spiritual …read more
Regiunea Banatului poate fi împărţită în linii mari în trei zone etnografice – câmpia Banatului, dealuri şi munţi. In toate cele trei zone, Hora este cel mai inclusiv dans din comunitate. Hora este folosită pentru a deschide evenimente şi este un element esenţial în ciclul vieţii si la obiceiuri si …read more
During crazy week (the week in which lent commences) carnivalesque events, in various manifestations, take place in many villages in Banat. The commonalities between these events are that they focus around local music, dance and customs and only local people are involved. Although each event may be nominally organised by …read more
The celebration of the day of patron saint of the local church is a custom that is widespread among Christians in various parts of the world. In the plain and mountain areas of Romanian Banat this day is referred to as ruga (plural ruge), literally meaning to pray. These customary …read more
At Easter in 2013 we took part in a ‘fieldwork experience’ with the ‘ICTM Ethnochoreology sub study group for field research’ in the village of Svinița on the Danube Gorge in southern Banat. This trip was organised by our Serbian colleague, Selena Rakočević, from the Institute of Musicology in Belgrade, …read more
Carnivalesque events known as fășanc, fărșang or fășang, nunta cornilor take place in Banat during the week preceding the start of the pre-Easter fasting, postul mare, (the precise week depending on catholic or orthodox calendars). These events mark the transition between the end of the winter and the beginning (re-birth) …read more
The annual celebration of the patron saint’s day for the local church is widespread. Within southeast Europe these celebrations mostly follow similar formats. These celebrations are known as ruga (plural ruge) in Banat, or in the Banat mountains also as nedeia (spelt in various ways). Ruge in Banat usually take …read more
This paper concentrates on the joc de pomană in Svinița that formed one of the focal points of the May 2013 fieldwork by the visiting researchers from the ICTM Sub-Study Group on Field Research Theory and Methods. My broader concern is with rituals for commemorating the dead that include dance …read more
The observation of the custom of dedicating a dance to the dead (joc/ora/hora de pomană) was the focus of the Sub-Study Group on Field Research Theory and Methods fieldwork experience at Easter 2013 in Svinița (Serbian: Svinica), southwest Romania. This paper discusses how the authors’ narrative of this event was …read more
During Easter 2013, under the auspices of the International Council of Traditional Music study group for ethnochoreology, a group of international researchers participated in a fieldwork trip in the village of Svinița, in the Danube gorge. This visit was initiated to coincide with viewing the custom of ‘Joc de pomană’ …read more