The Day of the Bears and Big Bellies, Cârţa

At Cârţa the 8^th of January is Madmen’s Day! This is the day when young people divide in two groups - the Big-bellies and the Bears and they smear people with fat and soot to chase the evil spirits.

The Big-bellies symbolize the evil spirits and they try to keep people away from the good spirits impersonated by the Bears. The Bears and the Big-Bellies roam the village streets accompanied by musicians. The Big-bellies are the first, followed by the Bears. On their way, they smear whoever crosses their path. Now these people are considered clean and they may join the procession.

The Madmen Day ends when darkness comes with a big bonfire lit in the yard of the group’s host where the Bears burn their costumes, to cleanse the evil.