In remote northern Romanian villages secular traditions blend with modern influences.

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

ROMANIA | Friday, 15 October 2010 | Views [439]

The two sisters, the mother and the grandmother reflect the passing nature of life and the succession of generations during an interment ceremony. The money collected in the coffin is a symbol for the customs that have to be paid while passing towards the next world.

A group of peasants bow while praying during a funeral ritual on top of a hill. Modern elements like this bag portraying one of Disney’s characters merge with local traditions in a critical moment for the Romanian cultural identity.

< previous

4 of 5

While embroidered saints open the path towards the village cemetery, grandma’s coffin still waits in the back of the garden. The oranges and tangerines in the bread basket replace the traditional apples from “the tree of the dead” destined to help the soul in its “Great Transition”.

next >

In remote northern Romanian villages secular traditions blend with modern influences.

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Share

Photo Galleries

Where I've been

My trip journals