Transhumanta 2013 Pearls of Nature and Culture

This is a project of traditional movement of the professional shepherds with 300 sheep through the Carpathians, which is organised to celebrate historical transhumance of the Vlach shepherds, which in the past led to the settlement of the mountain area and the creation of a common pastoral culture in the Carpathians. The shepherds cross 1400 km of mountain areas through: Romania - Ukraine - Poland - Slovakia - Czech Republic, from 11th of May to 14th of September. When I arrived, soft music welcomed me. The place was filled with sheep and shepherds. Somebody was putting on a Romanian traditional costume. At the same time, the smell of grilled meat combined with fresh air tickled my nose. The sheep were gathered together in an enclosure and their voices became a part of the music. The view from top of the hill caught my eyes: a green and blue world spread out in front of my eyes. At that time, the opening ceremony just started. A presenter declared the opening of the festival and the audience clapped in delight. After the opening ceremony, various performances were shown: mainly people playing traditional musical instruments, singing and dancing on traditional music. Visitors were having a good time hearing beautiful music while enjoying a pleasant cool breeze under the sun and the blue sky. Then, I noticed a girl wearing traditional clothes distributing cheese. She was adorable, she made all visitors smile. Her family was selling various cheese types in the stand. According to them, the tradition of making cheese from sheep’s milk was kept intact for hundreds of years. By the stand, a man was cooking 'Polenta' (mămăligă - corn meal) with cheese and many visitors drawn by that good smell came to the stand. Also, in another stand, I saw an interesting man. He was putting on a shepherd’s costume and a big cloak made from sheep's fur. His name is Muresanu. He is promoting Romanian food and culture to visitors. He is part of a nonprofit association from Romania, called Slow Food Convivium Brasov, member of Slow Food International network. They organize local events and markets to show quality products and help quality food producers connect. Through their actions they promote healthy eating, starting from the principles promoted by the International Slow food movement. I asked the visitors their impressions about this type of events. A man said, “These events are beneficial for the community because they can see the traditions in detail. And I love the traditional culture." The man told me he was really enjoying the event. People from other countries participated at the event and they seemed to enjoy it and the Romanian traditions as much as the locals. Surrounded by nature and watching people enjoying the culture and traditions, fascinated me. Fascination is, in a word, what "Transhumanta 2013" meant for me. Text and photos: Kazuki Shimada