Why do Gypsies wear real bearskin in the New Year?

During Christmas and New Year, Gypsies take to the streets in bear costumes. On this festival, children can even be seen wearing bearskins to participate in the parade. This festival is called Ursul Festival, and there are similar customs all over the country, which originated from an ancient Indo-European tribe, Gotodachian tribe.

So in the new year, on the streets of Romania, you will see hundreds of people marching in the streets wearing real bearskins. For gypsies, this is a strange exorcism ceremony. The annual bear market is an important highlight for Romania to welcome the New Year. This tradition comes from Gypsies, and Romanians also follow this custom. Now the bear dance has developed into a set of rituals with strict rules, spells and actions.

Not all participants in the bear dance are strong men. They can be young men or women, even old people and children. Sex and age are not limited. After the parade, bears will send New Year greetings from door to door, because local legends say that if bears go home, they will bring health, wealth and good luck to their families. Traditional Roman rituals can be traced back centuries. In ancient times, it was a little different from the current bear dance. Nowadays people use fake breasts, but at that time people were holding real bears. They let the bear step on the villagers' backs. It is said that this can relieve back pain.

In Romanian culture, bears are sacred animals. People believe that bears can protect human beings and heal wounds. In the past, gypsies would suddenly walk out of the Woods in bearskin to entertain people. Bears are totems in their culture. In fact, this feeling is a bit like our lion dance in China, which is all about seeking good luck and avoiding disaster, but the gypsy bear dance has become a national activity because its technical requirements are not so strict.