Junii Brasovului - Spring Arrival in Transylvania

Posted on Apr 01, 2010 Posted by Stefan Munteanu

Located in central Romania, was founded by the Teutonic Knights in 1211 on an ancient Dacian site and settled by the German colonists known as the Transylvanean Saxons. A very popular Romanian must-do and also a great starting point for day trips to castles (including Dracula Castle), nearby villages, fortresses, medieval fortified churches and mountains.

It’s the first Sunday after the Easter and the medieval center of Brasov is boiling. Thousands of locals and quite a few tourists fill up the narrow streets of the old town, eager to see one of the most impressive festivals of the spring, the Juni’s parade and their ancient customs, passed from one generation to the next.

The Juni (Young Men) are a group of horsemen from the Schei, the oldest part of the town, today having just a symbolic but very important role in town’s life. Each spring, they put on their best hand made parade costumes, they mount their beautifully ornately horses and they start marching the streets. Their celebration is a mix of very old pagan customs with Christian tradition and symbolises the death and resurrection myth to announce townsmen that, finally, spring arrived.

The Schei District
The first Romanian site, as during the Saxon rule of Brasov (13th-17th century) Romanians were forbidden from owning property inside the citadel walls. They settled in the southwestern Schei district and they could only enter the town at certain times and had to pay a toll at the gate for the privilege of selling their produce inside the citadel.

There are now seven groups of Juni (only men can be part of these groups): Junii Tineri (the younger unmarried men), Junii Curcani (the Turkey youths), Junii Bătrâni (the older married men), Junii Dorobanţi (the soldiers), Junii Albiori (the white young men), Junii Roşiori (the red young men) and Junii Braşovecheni (the older Brasovians). Even that their name comes from the Latin “iuvenis” meaning „young” in English, age is not the criterion, as most of them reached a respectable age. Funnily enough, Junii Tineri (The Young Youth) is the oldest group, originally being formed only by unmarried boys, while Junii Bătrâni (The Old Youth) is almost the youngest. The other groups were mainly formed after the Independence War in 1877, by fellow chivalry men.

Today, the Juni are much loved characters, being greeted by townsfolk with applause and cheers all along their parade on the streets of Brasov. In exchange, the Juni invite people to come to „the Stones” to celebrate all together the spring arrival. At the Solomon’s Stones, in a beautiful natural amphitheatre, the party is ready to begin. Here, they get of their horses and start dancing or competing in a multitude of picturesque contests. It all continues with a great feast, grilled steak and sausages being the favorite dish, accompanied by large quantities of local wine and brandy.

Be warned: this feast might not suit a faint hearted foreigner. The throng of „guests”, the smell and smoke coming from hundreds of improvised BBQs and the loud and not so harmonious music can make you dizzy in an instant.

Strada Sforii (Rope Street)
Narrowest street in Europe is around 1.3 meters (4 feet) wide and links Cerbului Street with Poarta Schei Street. The street was initially used as an access route by firefighters. Renovated in 2003.

When the party is over, or if you just want to get away from the dancing crowd, we recommend strolling on Brasov’s narrow streets. This very well preserved medieval town has much to offer to its visitors. The town’s heart is the old Council’s Square, next to the 17th century Black Church, the largest gothic church in the country. Steps away, there is Strada Sforii (Rope Street), the narrowest in Europe. Another highlight is the pedestrian Republicii Street, where one can find lots of good restaurants and live music bars. Once a citadel surrounded by defense systems, Brasov has nowadays a bastion, two towers, a hilltop fortress and a thick wall that partially surrounds the town.

To admire the great view over the city, you can hike for almost one hour and a half on the top of Tampa Mountain, a 974 m high forested ridge, rising next to the town center. If, after having partying for so long, you feel that you are not so fit anymore, talking the cable car can be a good idea. Either way, drinking a beer at the restaurant built on the top, admiring the splendid landscape below you, is an experience not to be missed. But don’t stay out to late up there, as brown bears are teeming the dense forests of Tampa, especially during evening and night time. This is really not a joke: you are in Dracula’s country, so take good care!