Merry Cemetery festival spotlights Romanian villages of Maramureș

The eighth edition of the Drumul Lung spre Cimitirul Vesel (The Long Road to the Merry Cemetery) festival is on until in August 20 in Northern Romania, in the Northern Romania region of Maramureș. The festival celebrates the rich traditions of the area, from traditional dress and crafts to food. Between July 23 and July 30 the festival takes place in the region known as Țara Lăpușului (Lăpuș Land) and between August 13 and August 20 in Țara Maramureșului (Maramureș Land). “Țara Lăpușului holds well-preserved treasures of gastronomical tradition, crafts and dress, music, wood carving and many others,” explained Peter Hurley, the initiator of the project. Every day of the week, a different village in Țara Lăpușului will host an event in festival, as follows: Boiereni (July 24), Dămăcușeni (July 25), Suciu de Jos (July 26), Libotin (July 27), Costeni (July 28), Lăpușul Românesc (July 28). A traditional wedding will take place on July 30 in Groșii Țibleșului. When not visiting these villages, tourists can attend the Moș Pupăză Summer School, where they can learn various traditional crafts, or how to make a haystack. A series of concerts featuring well-known artists are also part of the event. Their role is to connect the youth in rural and urban areas with the help of music, performed in spectacular settings. The event culminates in Săpânța, the place where the Merry Cemetery is located. All participating villages and tourists are invited to attend this last leg of the festival. The full program of the festival is available here. Travel planner: Romania’s Sapanta and the festival at the Merry Cemetery A 700-km walk across Romania with Peter Hurley editor@romania-insider.com (photo by AndreiStroe on Wikimedia Commons)