In a few villages in the Western Carpathians the turn of the year is celebrated with a picturesque ritual:
between Christmas and new years eve the men and young boys in this region in Rumanian Moldavia practice turnarounds, dressed in bear furs, accompanied by drums and flutes. They are guided by "bear guides". The whole ritual refers to the huge population of bears in that region.

Aurelia Mihai not just documents this ritual, but rather stages it as arrival, performance and leaving ...

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