Comanesti, Romania is a small industrial town in northeast Romania that has become an unlikely tourist destination, especially during the winter holiday season. Tourists from as far away as Japan gather here to witness the annual Dancing Bears Festival, which is derived from a long-held tradition in the Moldavia region. This unusual custom features people of all ages wearing bearskin costumes, organized in groups, and dancing to the loud beat of drums.
The festival, which has grown from this ancient tradition, begins before Christmas and culminates with a grand finale in Comanesti on Dec. 30. Some participants in the festival playfully growl and mimic attacking the onlookers. The bearskins worn by the dancers weigh as much as 110 pounds and are passed down from generation to generation. The packs carefully preserve the furs to keep them in good condition for the following year.
The Sipoteni Bear Pack is one of the well-established groups, boasting up to 120 members. The pack is named after a neighborhood in Comanesti, the birthplace of its founder, Costel Dascalu. This group has members as young as 3 years old, indicating the strong generational ties to the tradition.
Locals explain that the festival dates back to pre-Christian times when wild animals were believed to protect people from misfortune and danger. Participants of the Sipoteni Bear Pack told the Associated Press that they are motivated to continue the tradition to preserve it, to experience an adrenaline rush, and to feel a connection to their ancestors and departed loved ones. Additionally, they relish the opportunity to interact with others in person rather than over the internet.
The festival is seen as a significant way to maintain the cultural heritage of the region, particularly in light of the area’s population decline since the 1990s. People like 35-year-old Marian, who has been dancing with her pack from a young age, make a special effort to return home every year to participate in the ritual. She expressed a hope that the tradition would endure and insisted that she would never give up taking part in this unique custom.