Visitors to Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall today may opt to listen to a traditional doina, an epic ballad, or taste mamaliga, a cornmeal mush.
That’s because the 16th annual Romanian Festival is today on the Boulder County Courthouse lawn. The event promises Romanian food, photo exhibits and historic information, along with dance lessons and performances done in native costume.
The open-air festival is free, with Romanian food booths dishing up traditional fare. A popular option is sarmale, a Romanian holiday dish featuring cabbage leaves stuffed with meat, rice and vegetables. For those with a sweet tooth, cozonac is a sweet bread filled with fruit and nuts, which Romanians make for special occasions.
Dance performances will take place throughout the day, starting at noon with the Hora Romaneasca dance ensemble. This Boulder- based group will perform Romanian folk dances such as the hora, a circle dance that originated in the Balkan peninsula centuries ago. Hora Romaneasca will perform at 1 and 2 p.m., as well.
At 3 p.m., the Storm Mountain Folk Dancers from Fort Collins will perform.
“These are folk dances from Eastern Europe that are some of the oldest known, from 3,000 years ago,” says Ingrid Fotino, one of the festival organizers.
The line dances involve intricate footwork and are done in colorful Romanian costumes. The traditional clothing typically consists of white blouses with red geometric needlework, and black skirts and trousers embellished with silver and gold designs.
Audience members are invited to join the circle and learn a few of the basic dance steps.
“We want the audience and passersby to participate, especially the children,” Fotino says.
One of the goals of today’s festival is to inform participants about Romania’s people and history.
“Too little is known about the Romanian culture, which is very rich,” says Fontino, who came to the U.S. as a refugee, escaping from behind the Iron Curtain with her family in 1951. After the fall of the communist regime in 1990, the borders opened and the Romanian culture — along with Fontino’s extended family — was once again accessible.
“In 1990, it was almost impossible to find hotels and restaurants, but 20 years later, there is a lot of tourism in Romania,” she says.
With many Boulder residents interested in conservation and eco-tourism, Fotino notes that past festival visitors have shown particular interest in the birds, fish and plants of Romania’s Danube Delta game preserve, all highlighted in a special exhibit at the festival.
By promoting travel and teaching about Romanian culture, Fotino hopes to continue spreading the word about Romania’s many offerings. “It’s part of the rest of the world now,” Fontino says.
The Romanian Festival takes place today from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Boulder County Courthouse lawn, 1300 Pearl St., Boulder. Call 303-449-2586 for information.
