Dance of the Bears 2024 -ancient tradition in eastern Romania

0:00 THE BAND OF THE BEARS FROM LALOAIA
45:00 THE BAND OF THE BEARS FROM CUCUIETI
1:27:00 THE BAND OF THE BEARS FROM LEORDA
Performed on New Year's Eve, the dance celebrates the power, the death (hibernation) and the ”resurrection” of this animal.
A millennial tradition originating in an ancient Indo-European tribe, known as the Geto-Dacians, is still being kept alive by the Romanians, especially in certain areas of the country.
The Bear Dance is unique worldwide. Geto-Dacians, saw the bear as a sacred animal, as an “absolute being” which had the power to “die” in winter and “resurrect” in spring. According to the Romanian mythology, the bear has the power to protect and heal. This is exactly why Geto-Dacians anointed newborns with bear fat, to give them strength, good luck and to protect them from diseases. Moreover, when a person fell ill, their name was changed to: Urs (bear), Ursache, Ursula, to help them recover as quickly as possible.
In the Medieval times, the Church fought against those kind of dances considering them pagan rituals.
The Communist dictatorship tried in vain to prohibit the Bear Dance, and now it becomes more and more popular.
Another legend related to bears is the “bear’s tread”. Centuries ago, in certain areas of Romania, people would go from house to house with bear cubs. These would climb on the villagers’ backs to ease their back pain.
They say the bear wards off evil spirits and brings only joy and abundance to the people who welcome it into their households.
The “Bears” come every year to festivals as well as in people’s households, since they were mere children. Now, as adults, they pass the tradition on to their children. We were impressed by a “Bear Cub”, only 4 years old, happily and proudly wearing the traditional original bear costume.
The bear skins are passed on from the ancestors, they all come from the Trotuș River Valley and are maintained with great care. Kept in the dark, protected from moisture, treated with special fur oils and substances to protect them against death-watch beetles and moths, they can easily be seen as a treasure. They weigh between 50 and 100 lbs, depending on their size, so they can be adapted to the age of all Bear Dancers.
Each bearskin is ‘adorned’ with 2 large red woolen tassels, which are said to protect against the evil eye.
Every year, the Bear Dancers train several months in advance for the specific dances of this tradition The beating of the drums, which is also meant to drive away evil spirits, is the traditional one from the Trotuș River Valley and evokes the regeneration of nature, the passing of the seasons and the power of the bear that "dies" during the dance and then "resurrects". The death and resurrection of the bear suggest its strong ability to overcome the harsh winter and herald the coming of spring.
It is amazing how hundreds of people of all ages, clad in bear costumes, dance every year around Christmas to the deafening beat of drums and roam villages and towns. The highlight of this festival falls on December 30, with bear-clad dancers descending on the town of Comanesti, in eastern Romania, for the finale.
Visitors come from as far as Japan to see the spectacle, featuring lines of people in costumes with gaping bear jaws and claws marching and dancing. Some of the "bears" jokingly growl or pretend to attack the spectators.
"The bear runs through our veins, it is the spirit animal for those in our area," said one of the elderly bear dancers, who started taking part in the festival when he was 8. At the time, Romania was still under communist rule and the festival was relatively low-key.
"I want to keep the tradition alive," the 46-year-old added. When the holiday season approaches, he joked, "our breath smells like bears, and we get goose bumps when we hear the sound of drums."
Participants in the festival say most of the bearskins they use as costumes have been preserved for generations and treated with great care. The most expensive bearskins can cost some 2,000 euros ($2,200), according to local media.
Of the many colorful Romanian traditions that are brought to life every year, the Bear Dance is one of the most awe-inspiring.
The Bear Dance is a testament to the enduring spirit of Romanian folklore, celebrating the rhythm of life, the harmony of the seasons, and the timeless bond between humanity and nature. With its mesmerizing choreography and rhythmic drumbeats, the dance evokes a sense of wonder and awe, transporting spectators to a bygone era when the lines between myth and reality blurred.
Taking place every winter in villages and cities in Romania’s eastern region of Moldova, the Dance of the Bear symbolizes the death and rebirth of time.