In Şinca Nouă commune, an ancient costume resurged after being oppressed for 50 years by the communist regime. The emotion of a new start enflamed the whole community and the tourists eager to discover ancient practices. On Shrovetide, the unmarried youngster celebrate a nocturne ceremonial, a traditional costume that local Romanians, Magyars and German also use to celebrate o various occasions in this area.
?The Wheel on fire? or ?The Shouting across the village? is a village?s feast organized by the youngsters to mocks the spinsters. The central element of the nocturne ceremony that take place in between Winter and Spring is the wheel on fire.
Dumitru Flucuş, the mayor of Şinca Nouă, says the costume has gained through the years a spectacular character: ?People can?t say how ancient the costume is. On Shrovetide the youngsters gather to decide which girl of the village is the most beautiful or the most reach and whether she?s married or not. If the girl refuses to get married, the boy whose proposal was denied climbs the hill to throw the wheel?.
The Symbol
Two symbolic and ritual elements hang together in this costume: the wheel and the fire. The wheel symbolise the cycles, the beginnings, the renewals, and a solar symbol as well. The fire represents the burning element, meaning purifying, illumination, passion, but also destruction ? the punishment fire. According to the ethnologist Alina Mandai, the fire occasions various rituals meant to chase away the maleficent powers.
The Village?s Feast
The event becomes a real village?s feast, combining the mysterious tradition whit a rustic party. The boys and girls? trail, led by the ritual dancers and the village?s elders, turn towards the inhabitant?s house chosen by youngsters to prepare the tradition wheel. The householder wraps the wheel in straws and offers everybody plum brandy. The youngsters perform traditional dances, accompanied by a rustic orchestra then climb the hill to lance the wheel on fire.
Mystical Roots
,,The wheel on fire? has mystical roots. The flames chase the bad spirits, while people yell and make a lot of noise. The screaming, the whip cracklings and the drum beat have a purifying meaning, chasings malefic spirits away.
The feast puts an end to the marriages period and opens the purifying path on Easter? Eve.
