Romanian traditional and cultural event: Cuckoos' Day

Project facts

Project promoter:
Administrativ-Teritorial Unit Branesti
Project Number:
RO13-0014
Target groups
Young adults,
Staff from enterprises involved in teaching/education/training activities
Status:
Completed
Initial project cost:
€179,478
Final project cost:
€167,336
From EEA Grants:
€ 142,236
The project is carried out in:
Bucureşti - Ilfov

Description

Ziua cucului (Cuckoos' Day) is a traditional and cultural event, which takes place in the Branesti commune. It explains and reinforces cultural identity and highlights the local custom and Romanian traditional arts and crafts. Furthermore, this festival encourages cultural diversity by inviting similar groups from Germany, Romania, and Bulgaria, which take part in the festival in 2015. Documentation and research is carried out by ethnologists and geographers with database comprised of local teachers which will shed light on the background and nature of woven or embroidered clothing, colourful materials, techniques of traditional costumes of the Branesti village, and other parts of costume accessories. The grant helps to raise the visibility of the Cuckoos' Day festival. It is expected that the festival will attract at least 10% more visitors during the 2015 editon. The project safeguards this cultural tradition and the crafts related to it, for example by the making of masks and costumes for the festival. The partnership with the donor project partner NO productions (Norway), results in workshops held with pupils and teachers from Branesti, leading to their initiation and training in the art of presenting ideas and contexts in public, and also to their further cultural development. It also leads to intercultural exchange.

Summary of project results

Preserving cultural identity is a necessity for all communities, taking into account the phenomenon of globalization and secularization, which tend to rewrite the identity of mankind in place to ensure the preservation of cultural heritage. The evolution of society, upgrading the tendency to standardize elements of tradition - singing and playing are representative of our national identity. Deliverables realized in the project are costumes and traditional cuckoo cucoaica (male and female) - 22 pieces, Roman-English bilingual album - 700 pieces, bilingual documentary film, Romanian English - 300 pieces, two sculptures from linden wood, bilingual website, bilingual leaflets, bilingual brochures, wall and pocket calendars, banners, posters, press conferences and articles in the local press, national and international level. Following the implementation of this project were developed: interest of students and young people to local tradition, these learning and making their own masks and costumes, masked youth groups participating in various festivals in the country and abroad (Bulgaria - Yambol, Pernik and Kalipetrovo); local peple from Branesti incresed interest for the festival, to practice local culinary and handicraft traditions, highlighting the town Branesti - Ilfov in numerous press articles and television, at local, national and international level.

Summary of bilateral results

Within this project, ethnologists, geographers and data collectors have been documented and scientifically researched about the traditional custom of the " Cuckoos' Day" to highlight the particularities of this custom and the costumes that are part of this habit. The Norwegian partner, through Mr. Morten Bruun, had the role of organizing workshops for initiating and training in theatrical art, presenting to the public an artistic concept, a context, as well as the cultural development of the pupils who attended in these workshops.