Paper Short Abstract:

The aim of this presentation is to investigate the urbanization of a traditional custom of the peasant communities of the valley of the Jiu river: the ”nedeia”. In the last 20 years, the mayors of some mining towns have appropriated this rural custom, turning it into a modern festival.

Paper Abstract:

Valea Jiului is a region in southwestern Transylvania, situated in a valley of the Jiu river. The start of the mining in this region, in the second half of the 19th century, and the inherent immigration it triggered, has caused the emergence of two distinctive local communities: the natives (Romanian peasants) and the newcomers (foreign miners), which continue to redefine themselves, in opposition, but tightly intertwined. The aim of this presentation is to investigate the transformation of an important, old traditional custom of the region of Valea Jiului: the ”nedeia”. The ”nedeia” is a representative festival of the peasant community; it plays an important role in the local identity, and in some communities, it is also invested with a religious role as well. The importance of this traditional event, related to the most important calendrical and religious celebrations, is the main reason for its survival. Today, the ”nedeia” is organized by the village community itself in villages where its religious role is more pronounced. But more interesting is that the mayors of some mining towns have appropriated this rural custom, turning it into a modern festival, very different from the original peasant celebration. Are the city dwellers represented by their city’s festival, inspired by a tradition borrowed from the peasant communities? What do the peasant communities think about The nedeia organized by the city halls, given that they consider it to be their traditional holiday? In this presentation I will try to give some answers to these questions.