Tradiții de Anul Nou (I) - Strada (Târgu Neamț, jud. Neamț, 2.1.2016)

Various ancient New Year tradition are everywhere in areas inhabited by Romanian, but these from Targu Neamt are characterized by ampleness, by diversity and by the fact that the climax is precisely on 2nd January each year. Since childhood, I knew that on January 2 "masked men" come to photographer to immortalize their beautiful or funny outfits and, of course, in those years, even they have. The main street is filled with "gangs" coming from different corners of the city, but more complex and better organized are those arriving from the villages around the town: gangs of masked accompanied or not by bears and bear leaders, "arnauti" (mercenaries), rarely goats, horses and bucks. Archaic or SF masks depict phantasmagorical characters (demons, defrocked, brides, whores, current political personages... imagination has no limits). It is noted enthusiasm and genuine experience of the participants, actors or spectators, in this popular little madness. In the last four years, in Targu Neamt, tradition turned into a folk festival attended by teams from distant zones, as you can in the following episodes (I shot almost all manifestation). In this video you can see the groups (gangs) of masked, gypsies with their dancing bears, bucks and "arnauts". The "arnauts" are mercenaries of Albanian origin, known for their dedication, employees by rulers or boyars of Moldova and the Wallachia especially during Phanariot medieval period, serving as a guard or bodyguard.