Night of the Gentle Fairies

Night of the Gentle Fairies

Summer solstice is celebrated in Romania on June 24 with Sanziene Eve. Women in traditional white dresses gather Sanziene flowers to weave into floral crowns. Come nightfall, maidens dance with their lovers around the bonfires, but they aren't the only dancers. The Sanziene, gentle fairies, also dance to bestow good fortune on people unless a man sees them. Then it is nothing but misfortune for him. At midnight the women throw their crowns on housetops for bountiful harvests. Herbs gathered and spells spoken on Sanziene Eve are particularly powerful.


 * Travel to Piatra Neamt near the Carpathian Mountains, Romania.