Sânziană (Sanziana) is the Romanian name for the gentle fairies who play an important role in local folklore, also used to refer to the flowers of Galium verum or Cruciata laevipes. In the plural form Sânziene, the word refers to an annual festival in honor of the fairies. The inhabitants of the Western Carpathian Mountains celebrate the Sânziene festival every year on June 24.
Sânziene, in honor of the Sânziană
Sânziene folk practices involve the most beautiful young girls in the village dressing in white and spending the whole day searching for and picking flowers, one of which must be Galium verum (lady's bedstraw or yellow bedstraw) which in Romanian is also called "Sânziànă". Using the flowers they have picked during the day, the girls weave flower crowns which they wear when they return to the village at nightfall.
Here they meet their beloved and dance around a bonfire. Wreaths are thrown onto houses, and every time the wreath falls, it is said that someone will die in that house; if the wreath remains on the roof of the house, then a good harvest and wealth will be bestowed upon the owners. As with other bonfire celebrations, jumping over the embers after the bonfire is no longer raging is done to purify the person and also to bring health.
Another popular belief is that during the night of Sânziene Eve, the heavens open, making it the most powerful night for magic spells, especially love spells. It is also said that plants harvested during this night will have enormous magical powers.
It is not a good thing, however, to be a man and walk at night during the night of Sanziene Eve, for this is the time when fairies dance in the air, blessing the crops and granting health to people – they do not like to be seen by males, and anyone who sees them will be maimed, or the fairies will take away their hearing/speech or drive them mad.
In some parts of the Carpathian Mountains, villagers then light a large hay wheel from the ceremonial bonfire and push it down a hill. This has been interpreted as a symbol of the setting sun (from the coming solstice until the winter solstice, the days will become shorter).
The consequences of the opening of the heavens over Sânziene are linked by some to paranormal events reported during this time of year. According to popular belief, strange things, both positive and negative, can happen to a person wandering alone on the night of Sânziene. Strange ethereal activities are believed to occur especially in places such as the Băneasa Forest (near the capital, Bucharest) or the Baciu Forest (near the city of Cluj-Napoca).
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Today, Romanians celebrate Sânziene. The most beautiful women dress in white and make crowns of small yellow flowers. In the evening, dancing and singing take place around a large bonfire. #mythology #myth #legend #calendar #24June #sanziana #Roumania
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