Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
POPLACA, Romania (AP) — Romanian children and youth spin burning tires and light fires in the Transylvanian hills in a ritual that marks the beginning of Orthodox Lent.
Dozens of young residents gathered on a hill outside the village of Poplaca, in the foothills of the Cindrel mountains on March 10, a day before the annual "Clean Monday" ritual, which is traditionally believed to ward off evil spirits before the onset of Lent.
As night fell, teenagers spin around flaming old car tires attached to metal chains, spraying burning rubber and making loud noises.
The children, some with their faces blackened from soot, jumped over fires during the festivities outside the village, about 315 kilometers (200 miles) northwest of Bucharest.
Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on April 28 this year, a week later than Western Christians. Clean Monday, also known as Pure Monday and Ash Monday, traditionally begins on the Sunday evening before, and is seen as the last opportunity for culinary excess and partying before Lent begins.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.