Maramures Events Calendar for 2016

This year Maramures will host several important events and festivals. Please note that dates may be subject to change.

“St. George in Village Museum”: April 23, Sighetu Marmatiei’s Village Museum. Traditionally dressed participants from several villages will perform folk music and dance.

The Orthodox Easter: May Day. Everywhere.  People are  going to church dressed in traditional costumes for the midnight (or early morning) Mass, taking with them baskets covered with towels adorned with flowers containing red painted eggs, “pasca” (a sweet home-made bread), wine and braised lamb, brought to be blessed by priest.

“Tanjaua” from Hoteni: May 8. The villagers wearing their traditional clothes, celebrate the most hardworking man (the one who ploughed first his field). He is seated on a small carriage pulled by pairs of young men, who take on the role of oxen, raising the decorated yokes and pulling the train out to the river. Folk music, dance and costumes, food and drink.

Budesti and Valeni villages Orthodox Pentecost festivals: June 20.  Solemn processions around the village, with banners and holy icons ahead, in order to bless the fields and crops.  

Barsana Monastery Patron Saint Day: June 30. Thousands of worshipers  are going to the best known Maramures monastery.

The Day of Dragomireşti's Monastery’s Patron Saint: July 20. Pilgrimage at the monastery and its "miracle-working" icon.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Moisei Monastery: August 15. The oldest and most important orthodox pilgrimage from Maramures.

“Dance at Prislop”, held on Prislop Pass (1416 m altitude), near Borsa town: August 21. One of the most important Maramures's folk festivals, thousands of participants from Maramures, Suceava and Bistrita Nasaud counties.

Second half of August: festivals in Sighetu Marmatiei, Viseu de Sus, Rozavlea, Sieu, Sapanta, Ieud, Rona de Jos and other places.

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: September 8. The Patron Saint for Ieud-Deal (UNESCO site), Calinesti-Josani and Harnicesti wooden churches.

St. Parascheva Day: October 14. The Patron Saint Day for Deseşti and Poienile Izei UNESCO wooden churches. Good moment to see folk costumes.

All Saints' Day: around November 1.Everywhere. People bring flowers to cemeteries, lighting candles on the graves, eating, drinking and offering food to the poor. Held in all the towns and villages (date can vary from village to village, from October 26 untill November 8).

Saint Nicholas Day: December 6. The Patron Saint of Budesti Josani (UNESCO site) and Budesti  Susani, Bogdan Voda, Glod, Feresti and Cornesti wooden churches.

“Marmatia” Winter Customs Festival, Sighetu Marmatiei: December 27. An important and 45 years old festival . Big carnival parade: hundreds of costumed and noisy masked people (“devils”)  from Maramures villages and other regions, horses and children singing Carols and performing traditional and colourful winter plays.

For more info, please contact us.

The 47th edition of the Sighetu Marmatiei Winter Festival will take place on December 27. Let's meet here, in Maramures!

Maramures Christmas Calendar

In Maramures survive the best winter traditional customs still found across Europe.
If you are interested to see them, look below the list of events:

-20 December: "Christmas in Maramures". Event organised at Village Museum, Baia Mare. Traditional costumes, music, Carols, food and drink.
-24 December: "Christmas night". In all villages, children are performing Carols.
-25 December: "Folk play "Viflaimul" (religious play, with people nicely costumed), performed at 12 AM, after the Mass, in Viseu de Sus, Botiza and Ieud villages.
-27 December: Winter customs festival "Marmatia", in Sighetul Marmatiei. The oldest, greatest, most beautiful winter festival-carnival. Thousands of participants, dressed traditionally or wearing devil or animal masks. Starts at 12 AM.
-21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28 December: "Mocanita" steam train, through the snow. In every day mentioned are organised day trips (starting at 10 AM) on the Vaser Valley, from Viseu de Sus town.
For more info, you can contact amizadil@yahoo.com.

Guided tours around Maramures

If you are interested to see the Maramures's best, join Maramures Tours.

The offer include visits to the best UNESCO wooden churches, the Merry Cemetery from Sapanta, Vaser Valley logging railway, traditional wooden gates and houses, self-sufficient little farms, craft workshops, water mills and alcohol distilleries, Sighetu Marmatiei's museums, waterfalls and beautiful point of views, among other sights. 

For more information, send an email at teofilivanciuc@yahoo.com.

Vaser Valley trains and timetables

The train runs now only up to Paltin station (22 km upstream), not anymore at Faina or Valea Babii.
This year (2012), the regular trains will run until 28th of October (Thursday-Sunday, once daily, departs at 9 AM returns at 3 PM). The fares cost between 29 and 42 RON (7-9 euros).
During winter holidays, they will be special trains in 26, 29 and 31th of December, and 2th January.
Then, the 2013 season will start around 1th of May.
We can guide small groups or individuals on Vaser Valley: regular tours with the touristic train, or special trips (hiking, bear searching) running logging trains.

New: accommodation and guiding tours in Maramures

A new accommodation was opened in Sighet's area: Amizadil House, provides B&B to up to 4 guests. The website is http://www.amizadil.com. Amizadil provides guiding tours in Maramures, for small groups.

They are also specialised in “off the beaten path” tours: isolated hamlets without electricity or road access, little known artisans, water powered flour mills, fulling mills, carding mills, laundries, alcohol copper stills for distilling local brandy, ancient customs or beliefs, traditional witchcraft, virgin nature, bear and wolf tracking searching, minerals searching, etc.

They can do all the necessary arrangements: reservations, accommodation, meals, transport and contacts.

UNESCO's World Heritage List: The Maramures wooden churches

UNESCO's World Heritage List: The Maramures wooden churches

In Maramures are found eight wooden churches inscribed in 1999 on World Heritage List. They deserve a visit, even some of them are not easy to find, due to the lack of street signs. Be prepared to search a while for the key (ask for the priest -"Popa" in Romanian or the key- "Keye") and don't forget: you can't take pictures inside of Maramures UNESCO's wooden churches.
-Barsana "Jbar" Church. Not to be confused with Barsana Monastery, situated at the other end of the village!It was erected after 1711 (the moment when the timbers were felled). Beautiful paintings dated in 1806. Under restoration since 1997, so, it can not be visited at this moment. The wooden and glass icons and some panels are displayed at Barsana's Monastery Museum. See the cherubs covered by eyes.
-Budesti "Josani" Church. The log structure was firmly dated from the winter 1642-43. Under restoration since 2008. Paintings by Alexandru Ponehalschi, from 1760-1762. Other attractions: some wooden icons painted in XV century, the Pintea the Brave outlaw chain mail (XVIII century) and the flag of Francisc II Rákóczi, a Hungarian ruler (XVIII century). In the courtyard, a megalith used in 1586 for some pagan rituals!
-Desesti wooden church.. Erected in 1780, painted by Radu Munteanu in the same year. Fully restaurated and visitable.
-Ieud "Deal" Church. Built between 1611-1621, painted by Alexandru Ponehalschi in 1782 (the frescoes are under restoration now). Lovely cemetery around.
-Poienile Izei Church. Built between 1604-1632, impresive frescoes depicting the Hell and the Last Judgement datated in 1793 (by Master Gheorghe).
-Plopis Wooden Church. Built in 1811, painted in same year by Master Stefan). See the Apocalypse.
-Rogoz Wooden Church.. Erected in 1661, painted in 1785 by Radu Munteanu. Regard the "horse heads" from the outer walls, interesting carvings on wood.
-Surdesti Wooden Church. Built in 1766, painted in 1783 by master Stefan. The tower is 54 meters high and the entire church, 72 metres! See the interesting tombstones from the cemetery.