In a village in Romania, residents maintain a centuries-old carnival tradition called farsang to mark winter’s death.
The musicians follow, alongside children, teenagers, and adults dressed as “Transylvanian genre characters,” according to the ethnographer. There is a priest and cantor; people in the attire of hussars ; couples younger and older, modest and elegant. In modern times, devils, reapers, and a clown also join in.
Many of the characters are meant to ridicule the stereotypes they portray. Döme’s casket for example, is followed by men dressed as what the villagers call “spinsters.” These characters wail over Döme’s death and pull a log behind them—an ancient European symbol of fertility. In the poem, they recall the major events of the previous year, touching sarcastically on many of the blessings and struggles endemic to rural life in Transylvania. While they praise the village council, they are nonetheless self-deprecating, poke fun at residents’ follies, and lament Rimetea’s waning population.
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