The strange, dark nights of Romania’s bear dancers

Barry Neild
By Barry Neild, CNN
4 minute read
Updated 8:48 AM EST, Thu December 31, 2015
Each winter in the rural Moldova region of Romania, locals dressed in bearskins gather in troupes to perform dances to drive away evil spirits. In 2014, New York-based photographer <a href="http://www.dianazeynebalhindawi.com/" target="_blank" target="_blank">Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi</a> captured the annual festivities.
Annual bear parade —
Each winter in the rural Moldova region of Romania, locals dressed in bearskins gather in troupes to perform dances to drive away evil spirits. In 2014, New York-based photographer Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi captured the annual festivities.
Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi
Alhindawi, who is half-Romanian, lived in Moinesti until she was eight and recalls the bear dancing fondly. She says despite appearances, it's a joyous time of celebration -- but one that's dying out as hard times force young people to leave the area.
Dying tradition —
Alhindawi, who is half-Romanian, lived in Moinesti until she was eight and recalls the bear dancing fondly. She says despite appearances, it's a joyous time of celebration -- but one that's dying out as hard times force young people to leave the area.
Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi
Dumitru Toloaca, leader of a bear troupe from Laloaia village, marches through the alleys of Asau village. He's followed closely by his "bear tamer" and "bears," whom he guides to private homes where they've been invited to perform.
'Bear tamer' —
Dumitru Toloaca, leader of a bear troupe from Laloaia village, marches through the alleys of Asau village. He's followed closely by his "bear tamer" and "bears," whom he guides to private homes where they've been invited to perform.
Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi
The bear dancing has its roots in an old forest Gypsy practice of bringing bears to towns. Residents would pay the Gypsies, also known as Roma, to let bear cubs walk on their backs to cure backaches.
Gypsy origins —
The bear dancing has its roots in an old forest Gypsy practice of bringing bears to towns. Residents would pay the Gypsies, also known as Roma, to let bear cubs walk on their backs to cure backaches.
Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi
Older bears would be made to "dance" on hot metal plates. At some time in the last century, use of live bears was replaced by people wearing bearskins.
Mysterious traditions —
Older bears would be made to "dance" on hot metal plates. At some time in the last century, use of live bears was replaced by people wearing bearskins.
Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi
Although in the minority, female bears can be found in nearly every troupe. Alhindawi's links to the area helped her gain candid access to the dancers.
Smoking bears —
Although in the minority, female bears can be found in nearly every troupe. Alhindawi's links to the area helped her gain candid access to the dancers.
Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi
Alhindawi says in some towns, competitions have been organized to help keep the traditions alive.
Bear competitions —
Alhindawi says in some towns, competitions have been organized to help keep the traditions alive.
Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi
Catalin Apetroaie chats with a young bear and the "bear tamer" seated on his porch. They and the rest of the troupe have just finished performing for a family and are taking a rest before they continue on to the homes of other patrons.
Resting bears —
Catalin Apetroaie chats with a young bear and the "bear tamer" seated on his porch. They and the rest of the troupe have just finished performing for a family and are taking a rest before they continue on to the homes of other patrons.
Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi
A female bear plays with the young son of Catalin Apetroaie, a bear himself. The child's grandmother scurries by while his great-grandmother peers from inside the house.
Bear family —
A female bear plays with the young son of Catalin Apetroaie, a bear himself. The child's grandmother scurries by while his great-grandmother peers from inside the house.
Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi
Catalin Apetroaie serves his fellow bears pig fat while his wife fills up glasses of homemade palinka liquor.
Pit stop —
Catalin Apetroaie serves his fellow bears pig fat while his wife fills up glasses of homemade palinka liquor.
Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi
In the days leading up to New Year's, troupes of bears dance their way into the night, traveling by van through a handful of towns and villages in the Trotus Valley.
Dark nights —
In the days leading up to New Year's, troupes of bears dance their way into the night, traveling by van through a handful of towns and villages in the Trotus Valley.
Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi
While the tradition originated with the Roma, Alhindawi says they've since been priced out of the practice. A ban on bear hunting means bearskins now fetch up to €2,000, and most Gypsies have sold theirs.
Bear market —
While the tradition originated with the Roma, Alhindawi says they've since been priced out of the practice. A ban on bear hunting means bearskins now fetch up to €2,000, and most Gypsies have sold theirs.
Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi
Between visits to private homes where they've been invited to perform, a troupe of bears stops at a bar.
Time for drinks —
Between visits to private homes where they've been invited to perform, a troupe of bears stops at a bar.
Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi
At the end of each night, bearskins hang from hooks on the ceiling of a front porch.
Job well done —
At the end of each night, bearskins hang from hooks on the ceiling of a front porch.
Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi
Dark, strange nights with Romania's bear dancers
CNN  — 

To outsiders, the sight of a troupe of dancing bears, decked out in blood-red tassels, stomping through the snowy streets of a small Romanian town might be a strange, almost sinister sight.

But for those who live in Romania’s eastern Moldova region, the arrival of the bears – actually locals wearing real bearskins – is a time of celebration.

The event takes place annually between Christmas and New Year’s.

It’s a tradition that, until recently, few beyond the tight-knit rural communities of the Trotus Valley have witnessed.

But a series of images by New York-based photographer Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi has captured this mysterious ceremony and brought it to a wider audience.

Alhindawi, a former humanitarian aid worker now pursuing photo projects mainly across Africa, is half-Romanian and lived there until she was 8, when her family left as refugees, first to Canada and then New York.

Photographer Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi
Photographer Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi
Michael Christopher Brown

“The bear dances were always one of my favorite memories,” she tells CNN. “It’s a joyous event, although the dancers don’t look that way in the pictures – they’re trying to look fierce.”

Bear tamer

Alhindawi’s beautiful images show men and women in full bear costume, parading through the streets in and around her old hometown, Moinesti.

They’re accompanied by drummers and a singing “bear tamer.”

Candid shots also show the bear dancers enjoying downtime – smoking cigarettes, sharing drinks, relaxing and even kissing.

The bear dancing is meant to drive away evil spirits.

According to Alhindawi, it owes its origins to the time when local Gypsies, also known as Roma, would descend into towns from the forests in which they lived, bringing with them real bears.

Townsfolk would pay the Gypsies in exchange for letting the bear cubs walk up and down their backs – seen as a cure for backache.

Older bears would be made to “dance” by being placed on hot metal plates that would make them hop up and down.

Alhindawi says this took place as recently as the 1930s.

Her grandmother, now in her 80s, recalls seeing Roma leading bears on leashes down from the forest when she was five or six years old.

“The tradition is very undefined because Roma don’t write their history down,” says Alhindawi. “I’ve done research but no one can figure out how they went from live bears walking on people’s backs to people dressed as bears.”

The costumes involved in the dance are actual bearskins.

Economic hard times

While bear dancing was once an exclusively Roma activity, Alhindawi says they’ve been priced out because a ban on bear hunting has escalated the price of the skins up to €2,000 ($2,200).

Most Roma, she says, have sold theirs and can’t afford new ones.

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    Hard economic times following the collapse of communism meant an end to the days when crowds of bear troupes were welcomed in every house with food, drink and money.

    Now fewer groups make prearranged stops at the homes of community figures or restaurants, where they can pick up tips of up to $100.

    Recently, some have been able to make more money traveling to bigger cities like Bucharest to perform for wealthy clients.

    Even though the tradition is still cherished by locals, Alhindawi says it’s in danger of dying out as local cultures are diluted by Western influences and many people leave home.

    Welcome contrast

    “Romania has a problem with out-migration because there are no jobs for people of working age,” says Alhindawi. “They’re all away in Italy or Spain or other places.

    “In rural areas it’s mostly older people and very young kids, everyone else is gone.”

    She says she hopes her photos will help pique international interest in the tradition and perhaps bring visitors to an area that sees few tourists despite spectacular scenery.

    For Alhindawi – still coming to grips with working as a photographer in troubled regions, despite considerable acclaim for her work so far – shooting the bear troupes brought a welcome contrast.

    “As a new photographer, I’d like to be able to concentrate more on taking a good photo, but in east Africa, I have to watch my back a lot,” she adds.

    “It was so great to go to Romania and focus 100% on the photos instead of worrying about the guy with the big gun that might sneak up on me.”

    Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi is a photographer based in Brooklyn. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.