Haferland Week cultural festival, now at its 10th edition, will take place between July 29-31 in ten villages of Haferland (or Țara Ovăzului).
The celebration dedicated to Saxon culture and traditions in Transylvania will take place in the villages of Archita, Roadeș, Homorod, Viscri, Bunești, Saschiz, Meșendorf, Rupea, Criț, and Cloașterf.
According to the organizers, 2022 was declared the year of intercultural education and environmental conservation.
For three days, visitors from the country and abroad are invited to discover the stories, traditions and history of the Saxon community in Romania and attend artistic performances.
The organizers have prepared for the visitors, at the anniversary edition, a spectacular program that will include traditional Saxon music and dances, plays, concerts in the fortified churches, three traditional Saxon balls, painting, pottery and felting workshops, public debates, exhibitions.
The fortified church in Archita will host, on Friday, on the fortified esplanade, the official inauguration of the Haferland Week Festival. After an opening with brass band music, there will be a welcome speech by the organizers and local officials, after which priest Johannes Halmen will make a presentation of the Saxon life in Archita both in German and Romanian.
The artistic program will continue in Archita with dances, music and theater, but also with a workshop for children.
After lunch, in Cloașterf, a jazz concert will take place inside Dominic Boutique, followed by a presentation of traditional medieval costumes.
The events of the first day will continue at the fortified Church of Saschiz with the panel „The role of the community in the villages of Haferland”, held by Cătălin Ștefănescu.
The first day of the Haferland Week Festival ends with a traditional Saxon ball supported by the music of the Trio Saxones, at the cultural center in Cloașterf.
The weekend starts in Roadeș with the students from the Tabaluga Foundation’s After-School educational project with a cultural program, followed by the Junii Săceleni Ensemble from Săcele, set to present a program with folk dances and songs.
The fortified church in Bunești will host, after lunch, a Saxon cultural program prepared by the local community, which will include music and theater, followed by the presentation titled „German Culture from Transylvania”, held by associate professor Dr. Adina Lucia Nistor.
The trip through Haferland continues in Rupea, where people can attend the presentation „Rupea, spa town – history or future”, delivered by architect Noemi Simo, and then they can admire traditional Saxon dances, followed by music, dances and recitals by young local talents.
In the evening, the fortified Church of Homorod will host an organ concert, and the day will end in the village of Criț with a Saxon ball featuring Taxi band.
The main day of the festival, on Sunday, will be opened in Criț, where the fanfare will welcome the guests at the fortified church, followed by a service in the place of worship and organ music.
After lunch, a Saxon artistic program will be presented with dances, music, theater, wood painting and ceramic workshops and traditional craft workshops.
The events of the last day will continue at the fortified church in Meșendorf, where visitors will be able to taste and buy ecological products from the area. In the same space of the fortified church, the exhibition with traditional Saxon objects and costumes from the private collection of Hermina Antoni will be presented.
The courtyard of the fortified church in Meșendorf will also host a special program dedicated to children.
Then, there will be an organ concert, followed by a musical program provided by the Kulturwerk der Siebenbuerger Sachsen.
In the evening, a Johann Markel piano concert and a Dagmar Dusil book presentation will take place at the fortified Church in Viscri, followed by a concert offered by SoNoRo.
The Viscri Saxon Ball, supported by the Radu S. Band in the courtyard of the locality’s parish house will conclude the events of the Haferland Week Festival.
The organizers of the Haferland Week Festival have also prepared a raffle for the visitors. The winner will be able to admire the beauties of the Saxon villages of the Land of Oats on board a helicopter. Those who wish to participate in the raffle are expected to register on the link https://www.maurerimobiliare.ro/tombola-haferland/.
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