Masquerade is a 52-minute film
directed by Cornel Gheorghiță documenting winter celebrations in Moldova. Rituals with deep roots in the culture of the
region, though echoing rich folk traditions elsewhere in Europe, they celebrate
the end of the old year and the promise of rebirth, a reaffirmation of life
over the persistence of death. They provide
a sense of control when confronted with the unknown, such as fear the dead
wander the earth in the darkest days of the year. A sensitive narration locates the festival
within the broader context of memory, to emphasise the way it offers a thread
of continuity which helps to bind local identity.
Villagers dress in outlandish
costumes and wear frightening masks that would scare off Death himself. There are symbolic representations of
different types of people and animals, notably the goat and the bear. Youngsters dress in bear skins, a band plays
enthusiastically and loudly. Drink may
be taken (we are told part of this region was once called Bacovia, from the
Latin ‘Bacchus’ and ‘via’, ‘the path of Bacchus’). The procession of young males makes sure to
visit the homes of unmarried females.
Everyone has a high old time.
In many places these customs have
disappeared in the face of urbanisation, industrialisation and the
fragmentation of communities, and when the procession is seen winding through
city streets it looks incongruously domesticated: these are profound mysteries
that should be confined to the pastoral landscape. But wherever they are performed, it is
possible to see the enthusiastic participation by villagers in pagan
festivities elements of which may not have been unfamiliar to the Dacians. Staid Christianity takes a back seat.
Does this harking back to the
past have a future though? To the urban
eye the events can seem unnervingly alien, the energy involved even aggressive
(and the slaughter of a pig is disturbing), but one would like to think the
enthusiasm of the participants, including the children, is an indication that,
however much traditional ways of living are diluted by modernity, these customs
will continue for as long as the villages remain populated.
However, it would be interesting
for a comparison with the situation now, two decades after Cornel Gheorghiță
filmed on the streets of rural Moldova, to see if that is the case. The musicians and craftsmen all look rather
old in the tooth and there is no guarantee their skills will be passed down to
a new generation. One also wonders how these
ceremonies are faring elsewhere in the region.
The biggest danger is probably
depopulation by young people in search of a better life elsewhere, breaking the
cultural chain. It would be a shame if
these traditions were lost, but much of their power comes from the exuberance
contrasting with the dullness of routine daily life, and these days such a life
is not the inevitability, nor necessarily quite as dull, as it once was. Whatever the fate of the old practices, this
is a beautiful, if stark, film, and a valuable ethnographic record.
The film is available on the
Cinepub platform.
