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 1:46:00 THE BAND OF THE BEARS FROM LAPOS 2:20:00 THE BAND OF THE BEARS FROM SIPOTENI 2:43:00 THE BAND OF THE BEARS FROM SEACA 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 c