New Year Bears 2024-2025 in Romania

Centuries ago, in what is now northeastern Romania, people wore bear skins and danced to drive away evil spirits. Today, this tradition has evolved into the Dancing Bears Festival, attracting large crowds of tourists each December. Held between Christmas and New Year's Eve, this ancient ritual unites the community, who gather to witness the performance. Men, women, and even children participate, wearing heavy bear skins to honor the bear's strength, its symbolic "death" in hibernation, and its "resurrection" in spring.

Tradition Highlights

During the festival, groups dressed in bear costumes—often crafted from real animal furs—parade through the streets of Comănești city. While the bear dancers are primarily men and boys, girls also join in. Accompanied by musicians playing drums and panpipes, the procession heads toward a stage where a symbolic ritual unfolds. In this scene, the bear collapses, signifying a demon's presence within. A "Gypsy" character then approaches with a knife, symbolically bleeding the bear to release the demon, reviving the animal in a powerful act of rebirth and renewal for the coming year.

Costumes

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.

Origins

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.

Best Place to Witness the Tradition

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.