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Hundreds of ii and traditional shirts are sewn every year in a small town in Ort, where ia has been officially celebrated for half a century. The sons of the village also come from overseas and various countries to wear the clothes sewn by their grandmothers and feel proud in the village hall. Buy as much as you can here.
On Queenia Sunday, strolling through the streets of Cezieni is an experience unlike any other. The gates and fences of the houses along the avenue are decorated with folk costumes carefully preserved for many years in dowry chests. The owners often waver between the pride of displaying such wealth and the fear that these objects – exposed for hours in the hot sun, admired, photographed, touched by the popular port wine lovers from wherever they come from – will not be damaged.
Waiting for evaluation of sutures within the year Photo: AM
This is the Sunday that the people of Cezini wait for all year. The program changes every year, but everyone knows that the women who sew all year round must first present the results of their work in front of a jury of experts – this year it was Claudia Balaş, an ethnographer from the Olt County Museum and Olga Filip, a folk artisan, who had the last word – to have their work admired.
After judging the second edition, everyone goes “down the hill” to the stadium, and perhaps the biggest second edition party in Romania starts heating up this Sunday, with visitors arriving in Cezini mostly choosing to wear traditional shirts.
“Without roots, traditions will not go away”
The “Feast of Eia” in Cezieni is now in its 40th year. Founded half a century ago by the agronomist-engineer Tudor Dănacu, it was interrupted for ten years (1990-2000), has seen better times and more difficult ones, but to this day it still manages to unite the community. However, the origins of this celebration are much older.
Olga Filip, a folk artisan, is a teacher at the Olt Cultural and Art Center, but above all a local and keeper of traditions, who knows even before judging what and how much will be sewn that year. He knows how many pieces will be in the “traditional shirts” section, how many are stylized shirts, who sewed them, who has not sewed since the last edition, etc. Olga Filip confirms the story that the village elders still solve many years ago, that the origin of this celebration is attributed to the custom established by Princess Colette Brâncoveanu, a lover of the popular port wine and a person with a great soul. The princess, who had an estate here, in order to raise the children who were orphaned after the war, called them to the mansion, gave them free food and encouraged them to learn various crafts. These, according to artisan Olga Filip, are the “roots” of the Cezieni craft.
“You know, I tried it in another commune to see if it worked. No, without roots, traditions don’t work. Our roots are here. (…) She continued, Princess Brancoveanu awarded the children They were still orphans, and in order to stop them from doing stupid things, she called them to the manor house and made them work there. For the men it was a specific thing, and for the women it was from spinning to sifting the wool until the finished product was completed. They made not only ii, but also zavelca, skirts, handmade stockings and much more. In order to give the girls the ambition to continue working, he rewarded them, but not with money, but with products, or one or two meals a day at the manor house, to give them the ambition. One of the winners was my mother, who had lost her father, who died in the war. My mother had two or three meals a day to feed three brothers and four people. It’s the same with us now”, explains Olga Philip.
“I’ve been working since I didn’t know their number. I don’t care about the price”
In the halls of the Cezini Cultural Center, there was once again a great bustle on Sunday, June 30, 2024. The most beautiful shirts sewn last year were awarded, and it was difficult to select them, because almost 200 pieces were sewn in a year, but before that they had to pass the rigorous test of the “competition”.
The women who sewed them this year wait to present them to the judging panel Photo: AM
This year has also proven that the old women of the village are hard workers, for their children, for their grandchildren, for their great-grandchildren, for their children’s friends, and for those who want to make a meal. “I’ve been working since I didn’t know their phone number. I also sold a lot and couldn’t bring any more over”, An old woman admitted.
“I made them for my niece. He is in Bucharest and he can’t come. He really likes wearing them. I have sewn ten so far”revealed another grandmother.
“I have many, I think hundreds of them sewn, and I also make them to order. With my canvas, with my arnica and everything, with my model. They can also come with a model. I also sew a lot of clothes for men. Only in the EU countries where I have worked, seven at a time, and only women”“, said Auntie Maliusha. The clothes and shirts she sewed also reached Britain and other parts of the world.”I don’t care about the price” Aunt Măriuşa said, without revealing how she evaluates her job. He said he works best at night. It is quiet and no one disturbs by shouting at the door. She also has a lot of help from her husband, so she can spend a lot of time working. “Okay, I work in the mornings, because, well, that’s what you do, but help me out”, Grandma added.
A committee takes inventory of the items on display Photo: A. Mitran
In another corner of the room there is a lady who sews IA as she wishes. Not many craftsmen, even experienced ones, would attempt this model, which requires nearly a year of work. It also has sequins added to it, and the effect is spectacular. “I’m not selling it, but if I had to name a price, I’d say 2,500 lei. When people hear that price, they say it’s a lot, but no one knows how much work it took.” The woman said. The creator estimated that the raw materials alone cost her about 400 lei. It was about quality fabric, thread – neither, sequins, and the most valuable thing, his work and time invested.
Young women who learned to sew as children now sew for their children Photo: AM
Grandmothers, on the other hand, take their work least seriously. They say “this is how I stay at home”, so they are happy if they can still help their children or grandchildren by making traditional shirts that they then sell. For stylized or “street” models, prices start from 150-200 lei, and for children’s models they can go up to 400-500 lei, but for traditional models the price goes up a little, even if not much.
“I wouldn’t sell them for all the money in the world”
Today, at the gates of Cezieni, the “Sărbătoarea eia” exhibits many fashionable costumes again, a few years after the villagers’ enthusiasm waned. Many villagers say they would not “spend much” to sell the inherited items, as they are a link to their ancestors. “I would not sell them for all the money in the world. There is work, soul and history in my family here”, says one woman who, year after year, shows the audience the miracles created by the Cezian family.
Mayor Dănuş Guşatu said that during the pandemic, since they can no longer meet in the village choirs at the cultural center or the stadium, it was decided to reward women who display the shirts made during the year on the fence. It was then decided to give a sum of money for each item in the dowry box displayed. This is how people are stimulated to show their popular items on the one hand, and even increase the dowry of items on the other hand, because on this Sunday, in addition to the judging of the sewn items, there is a commission to go to each household to count the exposed items and give each person a sum of money.
Cezieni sews hundreds of shirts every year Photo: A. Mitran
Not everyone is optimistic about the measure. Engineer Tudor Dănacu made the decision to revive the village choir in 1974 And offering money to the women who are still sewing the shirts, starting the countdown to “Children’s Day” from that version, she said offering hundreds of prizes might ridicule the efforts to separate those who did well from those who deviated from tradition. However, they are happy that the festive spirit has not disappeared, and even today, people rush home from all directions to gather and enjoy the fun in the village.
“During that time, going out of the region was a big thing for us.”
Young people strive to return to Cecini to attend the “Ea Feast”. Many of them were dancers of the “Ghiocelul” children’s troupe and have priceless memories, and some girls were students of folk artisan Olga Philip, who learned needlework from an early age, so young people have an inextricable connection with Cecini. Thread.
A young teacher admitted that she had experienced some truly emotional moments the previous two nights. He met with former colleagues from the orchestra – it was also a big celebration for them, as the Ghiocelul Gagging Orchestra was about to celebrate its 50th birthday – and they had a lot to tell each other.
Eng. Tudor Dănacu, the man who started the “Ea Feast”, 1974 Photo: AM
“It’s our pride, it’s a celebration of our souls. You see how many people are here, especially children. Everything starts with the little ones. Somehow it brings us all together at home, because here are girls from Italy, Spain and other countries, it brings us all together in the days of Sânziene and we all go home with joy. Likewise the “Ghiocelul” orchestra, of which I am part and many of my colleagues of my generation. We even had a meeting on Friday with the participation of all the former members of the orchestra, which was very good”” said Violeta Carstea, a young teacher who teaches children in a neighboring town.
Young teachers of the “Ghicelu” ensemble Photo: AM
The young woman said the band may give them a unique opportunity to see the world. “We remember where we went, what we visited, what we did. In my time, the joke also went to Japan, Belgium. We were in Italy, France. At least in the country, I went everywhere. It was a small commune, there were not many people in our village, it was difficult, parents did not have opportunities, here they worked more in the fields, that’s all. In that period, going beyond geographical boundaries was a big thing for us. We went to Rešta, Radeuš, Targu Mures, Tulcea, Piatra Neamt, we traveled all over the country. The boys’ costumes were made by us, at least the hats, the beads and all the patterns on them. I also participated and sewed the shirts myself”Veronica added.
Although the merriment is general, it seems that the elderly know best what is happening year after year. They value meeting each other more, enjoy their grandchildren, and are glad that they will leave them in the dowry boxes that people here truly cherish, not just as real heirlooms, but as part of their souls. “My niece told me that she didn’t want to sell the clothes I sewed no matter what. She doesn’t wear them anymore, they are too small for her, but she cares about them and who knows, in the years to come, her children might wear them””, said a grandmother, looking over the countless shirts she had sewn over the past few years, which she displayed on the fence for onlookers.
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