- The XIth edition of the Haferland Week, the largest festival dedicated to Saxon culture and traditions in Transylvania, will take place over four days from August 3-6 in ten villages: Archita, Saschiz, Homorod, Rupea, Criţ, Roadeș, Meșendorf, Cloaşterf, Bunești and Viscri.
- Visitors will be able to enjoy concerts of Saxon and organ music, traditional crafts workshops for children and adults, traditional Saxon balls, visits to farms and traditional courtyards in the area, tastings of organic products are the highlights.
- The re-consecration of the 14th century Evangelical Church in Rupea, one of the oldest religious monuments of the Saxon evangelical community in Romania, will take place during the festival.
Haferland is an area located between Brasov and Sighisoara, where Saxon communities settled many centuries ago. It gets its name from the local practice of cultivating oats and other cereals, which are more suited to the harsh climate of the region than vineyards.
„Every year, starting with the first edition in 2013, the festival had a different theme, to illustrate the various forms in which the traditions and culture of the Saxons not only survive, but also manage to flourish, thanks to the involvement of local communities and our partners,” said Michael Schmidt, president of the M&V Schmidt Foundation, the co-organizer of this event.
„Here, in Haferland, we are convinced that these old Saxon communities have a sustainable future, outlined in a continuous dialogue between the Saxons here, those from the Diaspora, Romanians and Hungarians. This is the meaning of sustainability – this year’s theme of our festival. The traditions and culture of the Saxons … should not be abandoned because they make an essential contribution to the vitality of … Transylvania.”
At this year’s edition there will also be folk dance performances, film screenings, photo exhibitions and traditional Saxon costumes, workshops for children and adults (painting on wood, felting, braiding wreaths, wood carving, weaving and embroidery, ) guided walks.
This year, visitors are invited to join the conference of the „History of the Organs of Rupea” hosted by Professor Ursula Philippi, who was the organist of the Evangelical Church in Sibiu for three decades.
Tourists can visit the fortified churches built since the XII century (Saschiz and Viscri are UNESCO world heritage sites) and other picturesque places such as the property owned by King Charles III in Viscri, which is open to the public for visiting.
The schedule of the 2023 edition of the Haferland Week festival will be announced on the www.haferland.ro, https://www.facebook.com/haferland and https://www.instagram.com/saptamana_haferland/
„Haferland Week, through its longevity, the multiple events hosted over the years and the constantly increasing number of visitors, is the living proof of the vitality of the Saxon communities in Romania,” said Michael Schmidt.
„It is extremely important to ensure that these communities maintain their ancestral traditions in order to have a sustainable future and a developing economy. The return of the Saxons who come back every year to their native lands, has become a new and dynamic tradition that carries on the life of the Saxon communities in the Land of Oats and beyond, enriching our common cultural heritage. “
About Haferland Week
The Haferland Week Festival was initiated in 2013 by the M&V Schmidt Foundation, together with the Tabaluga Foundation // Peter Maffay Stiftung, an organization founded by Romanian-born German musician Peter Maffay. The general objective of the event is to promotethe evil culture and traditions of the Transylvanian Saxons, as well as the development of tourism in the Oat country region.
This edition is organized in partnership with the Brasov County Council, the „Dimitrie Gusti” National Village Museum in Bucharest, remarul 16 Februarie, CON-A, Bosch Romania Foundation, Aqua Carpatica, Sâmburești Domains, Rompetrol, Ravago, Sefar, MHS Truck & Bus and Automobile Bavaria.
The co-organizers of the festival, the M&V Schmidt Foundation and the Tabaluga Foundation // Peter Maffay Stiftung, are supported by local partners: Mihai Eminescu Trust, ADEPT Transylvania Foundation, Nowero Association, Rupea City Hall, Discover Archita Association, Women’s Neighborhood Association in Saschiz and Bunești City Hall, jud. Brasov.
