MARAMURES – Land of traditions
Maramures is considered one of the best preserved zones in Europe from the perspective of cultural anthropology and ethnography. Old traditions have remained alive due to the high mountains sheltering the long depression from all sides. Morosenii, as the people of Maramures call themselves, are a hospitable people who like company and talking. The old habit of greeting everyone, originating from the times when people of the same community were few and the strangers even fewer, continues today: when two people meet they greet each other, be they acquaintances or complete strangers.
Maramures is one of the few zones where the folk costume has been preserved almost unaltered by urban influences. And although it can be admired only on Sundays when Morosenii go to church, or on the occasion of religious feasts and great fairs, each Morosan, without exception, owns a traditional costume. Not only old people dress in traditional clothes but also “coconii” (preschool children), which explains the continued use of the costume. Both women’s and men’s costume includes a bag made of woolen loom-woven textile (aici am scos text). The pattern can be chromatically rich or plain black and white that is often adorned with geometric motifs, the rhomboid being the most frequent. A lace twisted of woolen yarn serves at binding the mouth of the bag and at wearing it on the shoulder. It is interesting that this item of the traditional costume was also adopted for use with daily clothes: blue jeans, T-shirt, leather coat and a bag on the shoulder is a common sight. The women’s folk costume of Lapus includes a shirt folded around the neck with a small collar and sleeves that end in a flounce and lace. A sleeveless vest is worn in the cold season. In the 19th century it was usually white but in the 20th century black became the favorite color. Floral embroideries are made with red, orange, green and violet silk.
Girls and unmarried women wear their hair plaited and covered with a scarf. On festive days the plaits are decorated with ribbons and flowers. A married woman pins her hair up and covers it with a scarf. On festive days the plaits are decorated with ribbons and flowers. A married woman pins her hair up and covers it with a scarf. Men’s costume doesn’t differ much from that of Maramures. The buildings often form a compact courtyard. On the right is the house, in the background the barn, the stable and the summer kitchen, and on the left a shed. Anyone entering Maramures from the east, through the Prislop Pass that separates the Maramures Mountains from the Rodnei Mountains, can immediately notice the defining feature of Maramures settlements. The villages are big, often quite compact, with houses lining the road that follows the river valley. Usually, there are two or even three houses aligned in the narrow and long plot of land owned by the family in question. This way of building is an indication of the age of the site, with less and less space for each successive generation.
A traditional village farmyard in Maramures typically includes several buildings. The main house is placed either opposite the entrance gate or perpendicular to it, but in a way that the main façade is either towards south or east. The largest building in the yard is the combined barn and stable, where the horses and cows are housed. One or more small buildings are often found near the fence to house the smaller farm animals, pigs and poultry. The relationships between humans in general, but especially those between members of different communities, have been carried out through an archaic commercial practice, very active even nowadays: the fair. Generally speaking, the fair is a market where people from the villages of a very well defined come to sell and/or to buy various goods. When a business agreement is reached, the “adalmas” is drunk, a glass of horinca, as a symbol of the common agreement. It should be mentioned that Morosenii do not even nowadays use any papers to back up their commercial agreements, their word and honor binding them.
In this household religious subjects painted straight on the walls have replaced the more common icons and wallpaper. The living room, which the Morosan calls casa (house), is the domestic universe and arranged according to the aesthetic and pragmatic taste of women. Women are in charge of the design and division of space in the whole house and they also decorate the dwellings and objects used in daily life. Women are the practitioners of various rituals relating to the transitions of life: birth, marriage and death, and these rituals take place in the house. This ritual space is marked by the presence of holy icons on the walls, together with a display of beautiful ceramic ware adorned with home woven towels. In the corner is a table and along the walls are wide benches that serve as wooden beds, with big bridal chests placed at right angles with them. By the icons, always placed on the east wall, above the table and especially above the master beam, there are hidden papers, the razor for shaving, the cross for the feast of Saint John the Baptist, basil that for the Romanians is a sacred plant with magical and religious powers, placed in wooden boxes. In the bridal chests are kept the blouses, the skirts (zade) and the valuable objects of the girl to marry. The harmony of the interior is completed by the vivid colors of the textiles and of the various objects that adorn it.
Maramures is a civilization of wood, made obvious by the splendid wooden churches and the numerous buildings of lay architecture. Even though life in Maramures is adjusting itself to modern times, some elements are preserved unchanged, which is a proof of a strong collective mentality. Unfortunately, modern construction materials are partly replacing the traditional log-built house, but the church, the Calvary and the gate have remained the same all through the documented periods, as far as material, techniques and symbols are concerned. The best wood meant for building is cut during winter when it is at its strongest. The inhabitants of Maramures, being animal breeders par excellence, and especially sheep breeders, have preserved until this day the ancient ways of processing textile fibers. The long work of wool processing starts in May, when shepherds shear the herds in their care. The wool is then washed, dried, carded and stored. Once the agricultural season comes to an end with the completion of fieldwork, women start the real processing of wool: spinning the wool with a distaff, then weaving and thickening the cloth in whirlpools. Each woman of Maramures has in her household a loom, which finds its place in the kitchen during the winters. In Maramures, the loom is used to make cergi (long-haired blankets), carpets, bags and panura (thick cloth used to make warm winter clothes: sumane (long winter coats), gube (short winter coats), and trousers. In most cases the blankets and cloths are dyed with industrial pigments, bought from the market, but bags and carpets are often dyed using old recipes for preparing natural vegetable dyes. Thus, nettle is used to get green color, birch bark for black, onion for ochre and buckthorn for brown. The decorations vary from area to area. Weaving and spinning are occupations that only women – and all women – take part in, and a series of ancient beliefs and taboos are still alive today. A whirlpool is made with boards that form a loose open barrel the shape of a truncated cone. Water is led into the barrel, whirls around it, and splashes out from the slits between the boards. The centrifugal movement of water spins the fabrics wildly around. The stills for making horinca are masterpieces of traditional metallurgy. Made of copper beaten with hammer, and then joined perfectly together with rivets, the stills have a capacity varying between 100 and 500 liters. They are equipped with a mixer, whose action depends on a water wheel, to stir the fruit. The still is placed atop an open hearth, where a hot fire is maintained, necessary to the distillation of the fruit to obtain the drink. There are two periods and, implicitly, two types of drink that can be obtained: the horinca made at the end of summer with plums and the apple brandy (rachiu) made in spring.
Ceramic ware is still produced and used throughout the region of Maramures. The ware is made in various shapes and sizes, depending on the intended use. The colors are vivid greens, reds and blues on a whitish background. If one wants to see the only place in Europe where unglazed red ceramic ware is still produced, then they should go to Maramures, towards the source of Iza River. All steps have been preserved in an unchanged form: the manner of preparing the clay, which is by first treading it with feet and then pounding it with wooden hammers, the shapes of the pots, the preparation of the pigments by grinding rocks containing iron oxides, the polishing with river stones, the painted decorations, the shape of the oven, and the firing techniques. The Maramures wooden churches are remarkable examples of well-preserved religious architecture that emerged from the Orthodox traditions and Gothic style influences.
The churches show such a high level of artistic maturity and craft skills: they are narrow, tall, timber constructions with characteristic elongated towers single or double-roofed and covered by shingles. The walls of the wooden churches are generally built of oak logs laid horizontally with intricate joints. Because they are an exceptional expression of the cultural heritage of this mountainous area of northern Romania 8 of these churches are included in UNESCO World Heritage List since 1999. The wooden churches, the nature and the people of Maramures are spiritually connected and have maintained this link to the present day.
MOCANITA – last steam train still working
“Wood” and “water” are two words that best define Maramures. The history, the traditions and the life of the people of Maramures are carved in the wood of the churches and gates, and numerous rivers and streams are spread along the land like a cobweb, forming famous valleys: Mara, Iza, Viseu, and Vaser.
Among these, of special interest for tourists is the Vaser Valley, which crosses the Maramures Mountains in the middle of one of the most wild and beautiful landscapes in Romania. The Vaser River is about 60 kilometres long, forming a spectacular canyon-like valley, where precipitous cliffs alternate with dense forests, beautiful clearings and mineral water springs.
The access point to the Vaser Valley is the town of Viseu de Sus, which is also the starting point for Mocanita, a narrow gauge steam train, the only means of transportation in the valley. The railway runs along the Vaser River and is one of the last remaining steam rails still in active use in Europe, and the only one in Romania still used for hauling logs down from the mountains. Built after the First World War for the express task of transporting wood, it is still – surprisingly – used for the original purpose.
Nowadays, in spite of its old age, the steam locomotives have been given one more task: that of transporting tourists. As this place is one of the few where one can ride along in a wagon pulled by steam power, every year the old Mocanita attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world, and offers them unforgettable railway trips.
Travellers can go by train all the way up to the end of the valley and back, enjoying the beauty of the nature. It is also possible to stop on the way, get off at one of the several halts, halte, and start a hiking trip to the mountains.
In the Heart of the Mountains
It all starts at the Viseu de Sus railway station (Caile Ferate Forestiere Viseu de Sus, or simply CFF Viseu de Sus). Since this is not a regular railway station, but a forestry station, there are no passenger platforms. The place looks more like a lumberyard than a railway station, smelling of freshly cut wood.
Very early in the morning the Mocanita is made ready for the day’s trip. Both the tourist wagons and the forestry wagons are attached to the steam locomotive, wood and water provisions are made – they are the fuel of the steam engine – and the mechanic starts the engine. After some time off the train goes with a long whistle, puffing along the way.
Following the cascading river, the train first passes among the houses of Viseu de Sus. Then, after about seven kilometres, the tracks start to go deep into the wild forest, passing among the steep cliffs of the gorge, and penetrating the mountains through dark tunnels.
The silence of the nature is broken not only by the on-rushing tumultuous river and the puffs and hisses of the train, but from time to time also by the sharp whistles of the locomotive. The Mocanita creeps slowly up the abrupt slopes and often gives the impression that it can no longer advance and that the steam power is not sufficient. However, it manages to continue the journey and carry the tourists to picturesque places.
The journey is long and with several stops. As it ascends, the train drops off empty wagons, which are picked up on the return, piled high with logs. The train also stops when locals are taken on board along the way. They use the train to bring cheese down to the town to sell, and to visit nearby villages. Moreover, several fuelling stops are required, as new provisions of water need to be made. Then the locomotive is unhitched from the wagons and is taken to the river. At its return it gives the tourists a strong shake, just to let them know that they should be ready for continuing the trip. The fuel tender also needs to be filled with firewood. The train can also fall off the rails, but at the slow speed of 10 km/hour that poses no danger. The passengers (who are experienced in the matter) help get the train back on the rails using anything they can lay their hands on: cut pieces of wood, chains, axes, or hooks. A forestry tractor that manages to wallow on in the torrent can give the final push so that the trip can continue.
What Else You Should Know Before Getting on the Train
When travelling with the Mocanita up the valley one should keep in mind that this is like a journey back in time: after leaving the Viseu station there is no cell phone signal, and any contact with the modern times is lost; the train is pulled by an antique steam locomotive, and therefore one should pay attention to the soot and sparks that might stain or burn one’s clothes; along the way there are no shops, and provisions of food, water and other consumables have to be made before departure.
“Unforeseen” is a key word in the mountains, and it is advisable not to plan anything for the afternoon, as there is no certainty about the return hour: something might break (one has to keep in mind that the line is more than 70 years old and the locomotive can be even older!), and there might be either trees or rocks on the tracks. As the weather in the mountains is very unstable, appropriate shoes, warm clothes and a waterproof coat are necessary. The Vaser Valley is in the border zone, and a valid identity card or passport has to be brought along.
For safety reasons one can get on and off the trains only at the halts, and it is forbidden to jump on or off the train while it is moving. One may only travel in the specially designed passengers’ wagons, and it is strictly forbidden to ride in the production wagons or on the stairs. As these are working trains, one should be very careful when manoeuvres with logs and other equipment are being made.
The halts, the majesty of the mountains and the untamed forests, the frenzied river that competes with the noise and sounds of the train, the lumberjacks, the train itself with its conductor, all are a cause for enjoyment, a feeling of adventure, of enchantment. On this train one has to forget the destination, the time it supposedly takes to reach the end of the line, the schedules and other mundane worries of our frantic modern life.
SAPANTA – the Merry Cemeterry
The worldwide fame of Sapanta is due to the unique cemetery that has become an important tourist attraction. Some days the throngs of tourists that assault the cemetery with their cameras ready make one wonder if it really is possible to rest in peace here!
The original character of the cemetery is first of all suggested by its name: Cimitirul Vesel that means The Merry Cemetery. This paradoxical name is due to the vivid colours of the crosses and the amusing or satirical epitaphs carved on them. It is said that this joyful attitude towards death is a legacy of the Dacians who believed in the immortality of the soul and that death was only a passage to a better life. They did not see death as a tragic end, but as a chance to meet with the supreme god, Zalmoxis.
The cemetery dates back to the mid-1930’s and is the creation of the local folk artist Stan Ioan Patras, sculptor, painter and poet rolled in one. Patras used all his skills to create this masterpiece. For half a century the master created hundreds of wooden crosses, carved in a distinctive style, so famous today. After his death in 1977, his work has been carried out by his apprentice, Dumitru Pop Tincu.
The material used for the crosses is oak, which, after being properly cut and dried, is carved by hand. On the upper part of each cross is a bas-relief with a scene that describes the life of the deceased. The scenes are simple and naïve in style, but have an undeniable power: they bring back to life the inhabitants of the village and present their main occupation or a relevant aspect (either a virtue or a flaw) of their life. There are women spinning wool or weaving rugs, housewives baking bread, men cutting wood, farmers ploughing the land, shepherds tending their sheep, carpenters working the wood, musicians playing their instruments, butchers chopping lambs, teachers at their desks, alcoholics drinking, and so on.
After the carving is done, the cross is painted. The background colour is a distinctive vivid blue, called “Sapanta blue“. Then the scene and the geometrical and floral decorations of the borders are painted with vibrant colours, yellow, red, white and green.
No cross is complete without a short poem, a few simple rhymes (between 7 and 17), carved under the image. The epitaphs are written in the local dialect. Sincere, spontaneous and written in the first person, they are messages from the dead persons to the living world. The style is usually lyrical, but ironic or satirical rhymes are also frequent. Each poem contains the name of the deceased and presents briefly an essential aspect of his/her life, personality or habits; they can even talk about things that happened after the death of the person, at the burial for example, or describe how death occurred. Bad habits are humorously presented, but with a deeply moralizing intent.
One famous epitaph is:
Underneath this heavy cross
Lies my mother-in-law poor
Had she lived three days more
I would be here and she would read
You that are passing by
Try not to wake her up
For if she comes back home
She’ll bite my head off
But I will act in the way
That she will not return
Stay here my dear
Mother-in-law.
Other poems:
The grave marker of Stan Ioan Patras, the creator of the Merry Cemetery:
Ever since a little boy
I was called Stan Ion Patras
Please listen to me good folks
What I say are not lies
All the days that I lived
I never wished ill for anyone
But all the good that I could
To whoever asked for it
Oh this poor world of mine
So hard was my life in it.
Here I rest
And Gheorghe Pop is my name
Like a handsome mountain fir
I was in my parents’ yard
Young and kind-hearted
There were not many like me in the village
When I finished the army v
I bought myself a car
And the whole country I toured
Many friends I found
Many friends that were kind
The way I liked
When I was to live my youth
In the earth I rot.
With these images and the short poems, Stan Ioan Patras and Dumitru Pop Tincu have managed to recreate the entire village at the cemetery and give the people a second life beyond the grave. The more than 800 painted crosses constitute a vast archive that preserves, carved in wood, the stories of the people of Sapanta
|
|
|
