3. THE “LOLE” CUSTOM
Date: 28 January 2007
Location: Agnita, Sibiu County
Description:
The “Lole” custom has been practiced by the ethnic Saxons; more exactly it was a feast of the guilds. During this feast a parade of
the Saxons dressed in traditional costumes (Urzelnlaufen) was organized. The costumes are made up of jacket and trousers made out of white
materials which are sewed with black fringes, a masque out of net with a border made out of rabbit leather and a hood of the same materials.
At the back they attach a tail knitted from hempen bundle and with 2 or 3 bells. As accessories they have a whip and an instrument where
they keep the doughnuts. The organization was made in groups, each group (Kretzken) having a distinctive sign.
The participants masked and having each an identification number meet the representatives of the guilds and the fanfare at the town’s
entrance and start the parade up to the Town Hall. It is here that the representative of the “Lole” speaks about the tradition of this custom
and greets the town’s authorities. The mayor of the town answers him and wishes the “Lole” to have fun. Then the hymn of the inhabitants of
Agnita is sung (in Saxon dialect). All these actions are accompanied by bell shakes and whip cracks. After the parade the groups separate
themselves and start running in town, passing by each group member’s house, where they are served with food and drink. If they meet women or
girls that they know during the run, they surround them with whips and they spin them. The women or the girls have to guess which “Lole it is”.
If they guess they receive a doughnut. The run of the “Lole” ends at 16 pm when they stop wearing the mask, take off their costumes and gather
at one group member’s house where they continue the feast.
Organizer: Agnita Town Hall
Contacts: Pãtru Bogdan, Agnita, str. Horea, nr. 8, tel. 0040-269.51.25.03
|
