(22 Dec 2008) SHOTLIST
1. Pull out from old drums to musicians and dancers in traditional costumes
2. Man with red-painted face singing and dancing
3. People dancing wearing traditional costumes
4. Masks on house wall
5. SOUNDBITE: (Romanian) Gheorghita Tugui, Dancer:
"All these traditions are disappearing, they are almost gone, but we try hard to keep them alive and to pass them on to the next generation."
6. Close-up of mask
7. Wide of Romanian wooden church
8. Romanian flag in foreground and two men in horse costume standing in background
9. Close-up of hat, part of traditional costume, musicians' reflection in mirror attached to hat
10. Musicians performing in traditional costumes
11. Close-up of drum
12. SOUNDBITE (Romanian) Florica Bogdan, Member of folklore group:
"Our youngsters are working abroad but they come home for winter holidays and I hope they will keep the traditions."
13. Wide of traditional house
14. Various of dancers performing "Bear Dance"
15. Traditional house
16. Various of performance
STORYLINE
Romanian dancers wearing masks and folklore costumes performed a "Bear Dance" in Bucharest on Sunday highlighting an ancient winter tradition.
According to pre-Christian rural traditions, performers used to tour villages singing and some dancing wrapped in bear skin to celebrate winter festivities and rid themselves of evil spirits.
But due to the poverty in the country's rural areas, the ancient tradition has moved to Romanian cities where dancers perform the ritual for money.
On Sunday, members of a folklore group performed in the Village museum in Bucharest displaying colourful Romanian traditional costumes and folk music.
A man in bear costume is usually accompanied by fiddlers and followed by a whole procession of various characters, including a child dressed-up as a bear cub.
"The Bear", imitating the movements of a real bear, dances to the sound of drums and pipes and other traditional music instruments.
Romanian dancers said it was important to keep the tradition alive and pass it on to future generations.
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