Every season in Sibiu brings with it a different mood, you can feel the personality of fall through the changes that take place both in the colourful landscapes as well as in the misty foggy mornings and crisp mountain air. The way each season feels affects people differently but one way you can connect to the season and yourself deeper is through rituals. Autumn rituals in Sibiu carry with them the power of tradition passed on through the centuries and by personalizing and engaging with these timeless Transylvanian rituals, your soul forms a deeper connection to the legacy of which you are a part here in Sibiu.
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Sibiu has always carried a longstanding tradition of farming which has provided prosperity to the region as a result of the fertile land and abundance of crops, so the harvest tradition in the autumn is a very important time to gather and enjoy the hard-earned crops. Harvest celebrations start in late September and continue throughout the entire month of October until late November. In most cities and certain villages, the harvest is celebrated through feasts and festivals that last one day or weekend. You can explore such festivals for example at Fantanele and Sibiel annually at the end of October. Here, people come out in front of their houses in the middle of the village and sell various types of fruits, nuts, palms, jams or local products. These celebrations are usually accompanied by fun competitions such as who has the biggest pumpkin or cooks the best traditional dishes. Folklore singers lift the spirits of the community with classic songs.

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Other traditions include winemaking rituals which begin after the feast of the Holy Virgin Mary (September 8) or the Day of the Cross ( September 14) . Some may say that the most beautiful moments of the month include the gathering of vineyards from old winemaking villages. This tradition is grounded in ritual because of the symbolism imbued in the meaning of each grapevine. People’s belief in this region was that nature’s spirit will be pleased and will bring a rich harvest the next year. A ritual associated with the harvest of the vineyards was fasting a week beforehand while the elders would call upon the village priests to bless the vineyards. Some traditions included the grapes not being collected at all so that they would remain an offering for God. In the modern day however the process of collecting the grapes has been expedited through industrial means but winemakers have preserved the tradition of crushing the grapes with their bare feet. In Sibiu, you can enjoy the finest wine from this region at Apoldium.

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In addition to wine, herbs have an important significance in history. Herbs are symbols of wealth and they are not to be left in the field. The equinox is also a healing time for the earth’s plants which can be helped to yield a fruitful production for the next year. The gathering of herbs must be collected until the autumn equinox and is usually a tradition carried out by a woman. Most women respect this tradition as they know exactly the day when a plant must be picked to obtain the best effect from it.

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Yet still, if there is so much tradition around the harvest it begs the question of who planted their trees? The story of how the fruits and species of plants originated can be found here and while it is exciting to celebrate the abundance of crops, the rituals surrounding these celebrations become all the more significant when they are understood in the context of the heritage to which they belong. It is this heritage which also connects you to the greater story which you are part of engaging in each ritual. 

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