Urșii de paie văzuți de Patrick și Christiane Weisebeker – etnologi francezi care studiază Maramureșul și Bucovina

Two French ethnologists, doctors by profession, fell in love with Maramureș and Bukovina in 1979. They periodically return to these regions to directly observe the winter customs and traditions. In 1983 they published in France “Terre magique des Carpates” [“The Magical Land of the Carpathians”], an album about Maramureș. They study the animals from the winter customs bestiary and this year they have visited the Romanian villages from Ukraine: Crasna, Boian, Traian, Putna and Putna de Jos [Lower Putna], bordering the Romanian villages of Straja, Falcău, Vicovul de Sus [Upper Vicov] and Vicovul de Jos [Lower Vicov]. With their permission, we will present information about a custom called “malanca”, the straw bear.