MASKING

4.2

Bringing Forth / Setting Apart Part 1

For his fieldwork in 2001, George-Paul Meiu recorded masked rituals in the village of Comǎna de Jos, Southeastern Transylvania, Romania. The footage served as the basis of his first book “Vin feciorii cu turca”.

The video below shows the dance of the “turca” mask. Take a look at the footage and write down your observations or record them on your phone.


Now read the accompanying background information about the history of the ritual in the text box below.

Write Down Your Thoughts

  • Did anything you observed in the video match the background information you read? Was there anything that surprised or stood out to you?
  • What do you think the “turca”’s dance is meant to do for each household it visits?
  • Why do you think the village now lets the priest bless the “turca”, when it wasn’t allowed in the church before?

Author: George-Paul Meiu

Reference

Meiu, G-P. (2004). Vin feciorii cu turca! Schimbări semiologice în obiceiurile cetei de feciori din Comăna. Brașov: Arania.

Masking and Unmasking
Vidéo
Bringing Forth / Setting Apart Part 2
Combiné