Ours du Nouvel An 2025-2026 à Roumanie

Des foules d'ours dansent, grognent, roulent, meurent, puis ressuscitent dans les rues roumaines enneigées

Rendez-vous: décembre 31–janvier 1

À la veille du Nouvel An, les rues enneigées des villes roumaines voient un spectacle incroyable : des centaines de personnes vêtues de peaux d'ours dansent et grognent au son des batteurs et des panpipes, empêchant tous les esprits maléfiques. Un babushka effrayant mène la procession mystique portant un ourson tout le chemin. La danse des ours culmine avec leur mort symbolique et leur résurrection. Les rites de régénération symbolisent que le printemps viendra bientôt.

Les soi-disant festivals d'Ursul se déroulent dans tout le pays. Cependant, la tradition provient de la vallée de Trotus, à savoir de Comănești, Comté de Bacău. La ville est toujours considérée comme l'un des meilleurs endroits pour vivre la célébration. Comănești se trouve à environ 300 km au nord de la capitale roumaine Bucarest.

The bear skins worn by the dancers, which can weigh up to 50 kilograms (110 pounds), are cherished heirlooms passed down through generations. Each group carefully preserves the techniques they use to maintain the furs, ensuring they remain in excellent condition and ready for the next year's festival.

In ancient Romania, the bear was revered as a sacred animal, and the tradition of bear dancing is thought to have begun centuries ago among the Roma people. They would visit villages with live bears on leashes, performing dances to drive away the bad spirits of the old year. However, bear dancing was banned during the communist era and was officially outlawed in 1998. When Romania joined the European Union in 2007, the remaining dancing bears were purchased from their owners and relocated to a bear sanctuary in the Rila Mountains. Nevertheless, the tradition endures through the Bear Dance Festival in Comănești, where the spirit of this ancient custom is kept alive.

The so-called Ursul festivals take place all across the country. However, the tradition stems from the Trotus Valley, namely from Comăneşti, Bacău County. The town is still considered one of the best places to experience the celebration. Comăneşti is roughly 190 mi (300 km) north of Romania's capital Bucharest.