Молдова

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / The whip. After Saint Andrew holiday, all young boys with 14-15 years start to train with the whip, which is more than 3mt long. Whip, cowbells, bells all alements coming from the rural tradition and linked to the work in the land. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / 'The Priest' is spreading holy water to everybody. The Malanca celebrations have a religious origin. They were in fact forbidden during the Soviet times. Many young men of the village kept doing it despite their will, trying to overcome the control of the police and the mayor. Nowadays on the contrary, the whole village is the mayor are happy to receive a visit from the Malanca. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / The Malanca celebrations have a religious origin. They were in fact forbidden during the Soviet times. Many young men of the village kept doing it despite their will, trying to overcome the control of the police and the mayor. Nowadays on the contrary, the whole village is happy to receive a visit from the Malanca. Some old woman in the town hall are assisting to visit of the three groups of Malanca from the villages, coming to gratulate the local mayor. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / The mask of an old woman, called 'Baba'. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / The masks are handed down from grandfathers and fathers. Made mostly of natural materials, in this ukrainian version of the Malanca they represent the society of a traditional village, with roles as the sheperd, old man, the gipsy, the merchand, the devil, the old woman called Baba and so on. The young men of the village engage all in the preparations of the traditional Malanca. Most of them alternate their time bewteen Russia, where they work, and Palanca, which they call home. Many of the boys return from afar in order to keep the tradition alive and hand down to the younger the rituals. Proud of this celebration, they will be protagonists untill they marry. After that they will still be supporting the group without wearing a mask. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / The GuИ›ul horse is the most important figure in the Malanca theatre: it is the positive and brave character who protects the village and will save it from the bad ones. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / All the group of masks on an old Soviet truck. They visited the mayor of the four villages and sang for him at the town hall. They were welcomed with music and dances in main hall of the building. Will now go on with bringing their wishes to other people named after Basil in the community. As soon as the truck is repaired. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / The morning after. The group of Malanca has visited all the houses of the community and now sit to rest after in the courtyard of Basil's house in order to gather energy for the final fight. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / The Malanca are singing the closing song in the middle of the road in the village. Villagers listen in silence around during the whole long eight minutes. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / A mask as 'Aurochs'. In the background the beautiful landscape of the village of Palanca. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Hirjauca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / The Soldier is also a mask in the Malanca of the neighbouring village, Mindra. Both groups visited the city hall and sang for the mayor in the town hall situated in Hirjauca. They have some similar masks but most of them differ very much from each other: ancestors from the villages had their origins in different regions of Ukraine, thus the variations in the customs. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / Some boys also dress up with more modern made masks: here the role of 'Grandfather frost'. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / 'Aurochs' making jokes around the centre of the village at the beginning of the celebrations. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / The 'GuИ›ul Horse' is the most important figure in the Malanca theatre: it is the positive and brave character who protects the village and will save it from the bad ones. Here during the final fight of the celebration. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / The fight is the closing event of the whole celebration of the Malanca as custom in Palanca. The fight takes place between the 'GuИ›ul Horse' and the bad spirits, as he defends the place. Not every Malanca is closing with a fight: the neighbouring village of Mindra, for example, where the tradition is handed down by ukrainian ancestors coming from the region of Donetsk, do not fight in the end. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / With the 'Black Aurochs' on the way to visit more inhabitants of the village, we crossed a rivulet. The night is falling and the temperature dropping but the costumes are made of warm natural materials and will help keep the boys warm during the long night. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / Some warm home made food is offered in the morning to the group of Malanca who has been awake and out singing the whole night. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / When reaching a new house, the rule says the group has to ask three times the permission to sing and bring the wishes. If there is no answer within three attempts, then the group leaves. If the owner of the house allows it, the group will sing the Malanca song and at the end he will offer something to the visitors: sweats, wine, izvar (hot wine) and some food. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / The fight is the closing event of the whole celebration of the Malanca as custom in Palanca. The fight takes place between the 'GuИ›ul Horse' and the bad spirits, as he defends the place. Not every Malanca is closing with a fight, the neighbouring village of Mindra, where the tradition is handed down by ucrainian ancestors coming from the region of Donetsk, do not fight in the end. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / The heavy masks belong to the heavy and warm costumes, sometimes though it is necessary to take a break and take them off. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / The boys are finishing up to assemble their masks. They gathered all the material in one of the old empty houses in the village. As many people leave the country to work in European countries or In Russia, the group of young men participating to the Malanca has dropped in the last years. The engaged ones felle the need to come back home for the occasion to keep the tradition alive. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / Calarasi / Palanca / January 2016 / Malanca in Palanca / After the fight the boys get back to their role. The party is not over though: after the final fight and the final song, the music will go on for the people of the village who will gather to danse in the square over the whole cold evening. В© Chiara Dazi / Anzenberger