URSUL MARE din Oglinzi - Tradiții de Anul Nou (Comuna Răucești, Județul Neamț, Moldova, România)

The video shows the performance of a band of "bears" and "bear gypsies" from the village of Oglinzi (part of the Răucești commune, Neamț county, Moldova, Romania), on the stage installed near the Răucești City Hall. The recording was made on December 31, 2023, a day that has become a tradition for the bands from the entire commune to gather. Other groups of "bears", "goats", and arnauts can also be seen during the show, as well as folk music recitals accompanied by traditional dances. Of course, many of these folk groups can be seen two days later, during the great New Year's folk traditions festival that takes place every year on January 2 in the neighboring city of Târgu Neamț, with local folk groups from the city area, as well as guests from other counties or even from the Republic of Moldova. They are traditional manifestations inherited from ancestors and eagerly awaited by the entire population of Moldova. Except for small groups of carolers that generally do not require special training, the bands (gangs) of bears and (gypsy) bear leaders are probably the most common presence of folklore groups in the traditional New Year's events in the Târgu Neamț area. In addition to the bands of "bears" we can see "goats", "deer", arnauts, "small horses" who, together with spectators, fill the main street of the city of Târgu Neamț and the surrounding villages. In general, the bear show takes place in the form of a folk skit in which the bears leaders (frequently "dressed" in "rags" and with blackened faces - but no those from Oglinzi - to remind us of this old gypsy profession) beat drums and shout while singing, and the bears dance rhythmically. From village to village, the rhythm of the drums can differ, as can the "bear fur" and the attire of the bearers. We can also say that the bearers' lyrics are generally polite, especially on stage, but they can have licentious connotations in a more intimate setting. In the bearers' group from Oglinzi, we notice the smaller drums, traditionally made from pig bladders, preserved from one year to the next. The bearers are equipped with richly decorated helmets, according to a special model. Probably as an innovation, the bearers have portharts, but there are other elements (wide belts, braids, "decorations", etc.) that support a more "military" appearance. In the Oglinzi performance, unlike what is usually done, the "bears" no longer "die" nor do they "resurrect", but they play with great joy. The entry and exit of the group is done at a frenetic pace with unbridled dance movements. The entire performance is accompanied by the song of the (traditional) wooden whistle, the bears dancing, singing and beating the drum. In other situations, the wooden whistles are missing and the rhythm of the drums alternates with that of small metal whistles (tsignale). The bear is a symbolic animal in Romanian mythology, being the character who chases away winter and brings spring. The rolling, the rhythmic stamping of the feet, the "death" followed by the miraculous "resurrection" and the bears climbing on the club represent the succession of the seasons. It is assumed that the origin of this custom is a pre-Christian, Thracian-Getic cult.