Hunting

Bacau County is famous for its winter customs, admirably preserved especially in the Trotus Valley, from the springs in the Ciucului Mountains to Comanesti, Darmanesti, Dofteana and Onesti.
At the end of each year, between Christmas and New Year, the towns of Comanesti and Bacau, as well as many villages, host traditionally popular festivals. Thousands of Bacau residents and tourists come to see the masked games in which groups of young people from the localities of Bacau County and other Moldovan counties compete, groups playing Bear, Caiutii, Goat or Deer Dance. The carolers wear traditional masks - many made by craftsmen who have preserved the tradition of leather and fur processing, and many moments mock real characters - the doctor, the policeman, the gendarme, the hunter, etc.

bear dance, the most famous in the ethnographic area of ​​Trotus, it evokes the regeneration of nature, the passing of the seasons. In the dance, unfolded to the roar of the drums, the bear dies, then comes back to life - an evocation of the power of this animal, of its ability to overcome the hard winter to announce spring. The most famous Ursi gangs are in Dărmanesti, Asău and Dofteana.

The cabin game it evokes youth and fertility. In ancient times, the horse was considered a guard against evil spirits, defender of households and churches. Nowadays, dance impresses with the agility of the performers.

The goat game, originally a dance of fertility, today the public enjoys it. The herd of goats (they often play hunched over, in a circle) is led by a shepherd, who makes merry wishes, accompanied by the song of the pipers.

These traditional games can be admired in Bacau The procession of the datins and winter customs, organized immediately after Christmas by the Busuiocul Folk Ensemble from Bacau.

Also, in Comanesti (57 km from Bacau) the Festival of Ancestral Traditions and Customs takes place, most often even on New Year's Eve, after the large-scale event organized in Bacau