Căluş in Romania: Tradition, Heritage, and National Calendar
Căluş in Romania: Tradition, Heritage, and National Calendar

Summary/Abstract: The Romanian căluș is a traditional ritual and ritual male dance performed mainly on the Pentecost Day (Whitе Sunday) in many villages in the regions of Oltenia, Moldova and Transylvania. Nowadays, it is very popular as a scenic dance not only for men but also for boys and girls. In 2008 the căluș healing ritual was inscribed in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Meanwhile, the first and second day of rusalii (Pentecost and Pentecost Monday) were declared official non-working holidays in Romania and thus they were included in the national calendar.The Romanian national calendar is a mixture of international, secular, and religious holidays. In the process of elaborating this calendar, the national elites are trying to add historical, Orthodox and European perspectives to the image of Romania. The paper claims that traditions, and especially a unique rural tradition such as căluș, are an indispensable ancient background for a solid and complete national image. In order to illustrate this idea, I will trace the development of the this ritual and mainly the dance from traditional spaces and uses to a national symbol not only as a representation of Romania abroad but also as an essential constituent of the national identity-building processes through calendar, persons, and images.

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