Bucharest: Sânzienele la Muzeul Satului

On Monday, June 24, the “Dimitrie Gusti” National Village Museum invites you to an enchanting event celebrating the Sânziene holiday. This delightful occasion will be filled with rich traditions, offering visitors a unique glimpse into Romanian folklore.

In honour of Sânziene, the museum will host a lively fair featuring traditional shirts and workshops dedicated to the art of weaving flower wreaths. These engaging activities will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Visitors donning traditional attire, such as the folk costume including the ia (women’s blouse) and men’s shirts, will enjoy complimentary entry to the museum. This generous gesture underscores the museum’s dedication to preserving and promoting cultural heritage.

Sânziene, also known as Cap de Vără, marks the beginning of the agricultural summer. This festival is steeped in symbolism and celebrated with numerous rituals aimed at ensuring health, luck, and fertility. The event is imbued with a magical essence, with certain practices designed to ward off evil spirits as the heavens open and worlds intermingle.

Highlights:

• Free museum entry for visitors in traditional attire.
• Fair featuring traditional Romanian shirts
• Flower wreath weaving workshops from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• Celebrations rich in symbolism, promoting health, luck, and fertility
• Rituals to protect against evil spirits during a magical time of year

Relish the enchanting atmosphere of Sânziene at the Village Museum, where tradition, community, and cultural heritage come together in a celebration of Romanian folklore.

Who Are the Sânziene?

Each year, on June 24th, Romanians celebrate the pagan holiday of Sânziene. Sânzienele, part of the family of Iele fairies, are always benevolent towards humans. Legend says that on the night before their special day, they fly over meadows, touching and scenting the wildflowers, endowing them with healing properties.

Sânziana also refers to a wild yellow flower, Lady’s bedstraw (Galium verum), frequently used in ancient remedies. June 24th is ideal for collecting this flower and other medicinal plants. On Sânziene’s Eve, the fairies are believed to bless animals and fountains, strengthen marriages, heal sicknesses, and dance and sing until dawn.

This celebration also honours the Sun. On Sânziene’s, people traditionally make large campfires on hills and dance around them. Brave men jump over the fire, believing it will purify them and dissolve their sorrows. In some villages, young men impress girls by rotating burning torches, creating sun-like circles in a dazzling display. Unmarried girls place yellow bedstraw under their pillows, hoping the Sânziene will help them dream of their true soulmate.

Sânziene’s Day rituals focus mainly on love spells; for example, in some regions, young girls play the role of the Sânziene. One girl is chosen to represent Dragaica, the most potent Sânziana. Dressed in white and adorned with golden wheat, she leads the others in a dance. They then collect Lady’s bedstraw and make joyful wreaths. In some places, girls throw their wreaths into the water while chanting wishes for love. In others, they toss them over houses; if a wreath stays on the roof, the girl will marry soon; if not, she must wait.

Sânziene’s Day is a celebration of love and joy, akin to Midsummer Night, when the skies open, miracles occur, and the world becomes magical.