Festival – Romania

Targul de Fete

Targul de Fete or MaidensÂ’ Fair is a well-known Romanian festival, which takes place in July atop Mt. Giana. This mountain is about 20 miles west of Campeni, which is located in the province of Transylvania. In the past decades, it served as an opportunity for young men to meet girls from neighboring villages. Everyone wore their finest traditional attire because the meetings usually led to marriage.

The festival still continues to this day but its purpose is no longer to find a partner for marriage. Life is less isolated and young people do not need help meeting others. Currently, the festival is a time for traditional attire, food, music, and dance. Well-known folk artists perform at this festival every year.

Georgiana says that she attended the festival twice when she was younger, but attended it as a tourist. She did not participate in the traditional ceremonies. Instead, she was involved in the more modern celebrations, which include fairs and popular music concerts along with other events. The festival has become an annual destination for tourist but it is also popular within the community.

I thought it was interesting that although Georgiana visited as a tourist she was not interested in taken part of the tradition aspect of the fair. This could either be due to the fact that she is a tourist from within Romania and not an international tourist or because she was a young girl interested in new trends.

Reference:

Roberts, James. The Mountains of Romania. Cicerone Press Limited, 2005. p. 167