The Cuckoo tradition in Romanian villages involves masks, costumes, bells and sticks. Known as "The Cuckoos", participants roam the village dressed as women to bring protection against illness and bad luck to spectators they touch with their sticks. This colorful pre-Lenten custom originates from villages near Bucharest, Călărași and in the Maramureș region of northern Romania.

1. KEYWORDS: CUCII, TRADITION, ROMANIA, VILLAGE
Translated as ‘The Cuckoos’, this is a tradition the whole village takes part in. One of the most colorful
Romanian customs, it precedes the start of the Lent and involves beautifully adorned masks and costumes.
The main character, The Cuckoo, wears a mask shaped like a globe, embellished with hundreds of paper
flowers and ribbons. The rest of the participants are men dressed as women, who wear their lovers’ clothes
They wear belts fixed with loud bells around their waists and carry a stick. They roam the village and touch,
or even gently hit, those in the audience so they gain protection against diseases and misfortune in the
coming year. This tradition takes places in the villages of Brănești, near Bucharest, as well as several
villages near Călărași, the seaside city of Constanța in the Maramureș region, northern Romania.
University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Buchares
Coordinating teacher:
Mihai Daniel Frumușelu
Student:
Dumitrescu Nicolae-Alin
Group 8113
The kukeri traditionally visit peoples'
houses at night so that "the sun would not
catch them on the road.After parading
around the village they usually gather at
the village square to dance wildly and
amuse the people. Kukeri rituals vary by
region but remain largely the same in
essence.