Situated at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, in the heart of Romania, Țara Făgărașului represents one of the most vibrant and significant ethnographic regions of the country, where traditional life and cultural memory continue to shape daily existence. Rich in forms of intangible cultural heritage, this area reflects the essential values protected by the 2003 UNESCO Convention: oral traditions, performing arts, seasonal rituals, traditional crafts, and a profound relationship between the community and the natural environment. The heritage of Țara Făgărașului is not only preserved in museums but lives through daily gestures – it is transmitted orally, worn in garments, expressed through song and celebration, cooked in seasonal culinary rituals, and passed down from generation to generation, especially in villages that have preserved their collective identity and cultural continuity.
One of the most representative expressions of this heritage is the “șezătoare” – a traditional community gathering that brings together storytelling, singing, embroidery, and social rituals. This exhibition celebrates the living heritage of the Boresele from Drăguș, a group of women who are true living human treasures, embodying and passing on the aesthetic and spiritual wealth of their community. The public will have the opportunity to discover the "ia" – the traditional Romanian blouse, included in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity – as well as elements of ritual gastronomy, folk music, and sacred art. Thus, Țara Făgărașului reveals itself not as a relic of the past but as a living cultural space, where tradition continues to generate meaning, beauty, and resilience in a constantly changing world.
From May 22 to 25, 2025, ICR Beijing is participating in the 4th edition of the International Cultural Fair in Ningbo, themed "The Charm of Central and Eastern European Culture and Tourism," one of the largest and most important cultural expos in China. Following the success of the ICR Beijing stand in 2023 and its strong impact on the Chinese public, marked by a large number of visitors and the appreciation of local media and national television, this year ICR Beijing proposes to organize a traditional gathering from Țara Făgărașului (șezătoare), in Ningbo and Beijing (May 26–30).
During the “Șezătoare din Țara Făgărașului” event, the public will be invited to explore a complex and profound journey into the cultural heritage of one of Romania’s richest ethnographic areas. The program brings together a series of artistic and exhibition activities designed to illustrate the living identity of Țara Făgărașului.
Exhibitions of century-old traditional blouses (ia) and contemporary reinterpretations under the title the "Heritage" will be presented, created by artist Raluca Jurcovan and Mariana Neacșu, coordinator of the Bucharest gatherings. These remarkable pieces are accompanied by a selection of traditional clothing and handcrafted items, as well as a photographic document exhibition from the village of Drăguș, visually reconstructing rural life and the local spirituality.
The event will be animated by traditional artistic moments – songs, poems, and chants – performed by the "Boresele Dimitrie Gusti" group from Drăguș, authentic guardians of local traditions. In the participatory spirit of old-time gatherings, the program also includes interactive workshops of glass icon painting and hand stitching, offering visitors the opportunity to engage directly with traditional crafts. The entire ensemble is completed by ethnographic documentary film screenings that artistically and anthropologically contextualize the rural universe of Țara Făgărașului.
Raluca Jurcovan – The coordinator of the gathering we will organize in Ningbo and Beijing, a guardian of traditions and the craft of glass icon painting. Raluca Jurcovan is an artist and researcher of traditional Romanian art, a film director, and the author of numerous documentaries. A graduate of a film university, she transformed her passion for traditional crafts into a true cultural treasure, focusing on glass icon painting and traditional sewing art. Heir to a family tradition deeply rooted in Romanian ethnographic heritage, she continues the craft of her great-grandmother, Rafira Jurcovan, a famous weaver from Drăguș, whose techniques were documented by Dimitrie Gusti and his team in 1929. Her artistic and research activity materializes through a series of exhibitions and events organized in collaboration with the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant and the Museum of Țara Făgărașului "Valer Literat." In her creations, she reinterprets old patterns, preserving the compositional and chromatic elements specific to each ethnographic region. She has participated in numerous national and international exhibitions, presenting her work in venues such as the National Theatre of Bucharest, the "Moldova" National Museum Complex in Iași, Museikon – Alba Iulia, and in international events such as "Here Coming Thyself," organized online by Museikon during the pandemic. Her contribution has also been recognized in the field of iconography, winning fifth place at the National Contest "The Orthodox Icon – Light of Faith," organized by the Romanian Patriarchate in partnership with the National Village Museum "Dimitrie Gusti." Alongside her artistic work, Raluca Jurcovan participates in the gatherings of the Șezătoare Vatra Satului community, where she promotes traditional sewing and weaving. Her works have been presented in landmark exhibitions such as “IA Aievea,” held at the ASTRA Museum in Sibiu and toured in Japan, or “Original and Revival” at the Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania.
Mariana Neacșu – Artisan and Guardian of the Traditional Art of Weaving and Folk Embroidery. Mariana Neacșu is the coordinator of the community Șezătoare Vatra Satului and organizes traditional gatherings and demonstrative exhibitions such as “Vatra Satului – The Rebirth of Heritage” (2023) and “The Unification Șezătoare” (2023). A renowned artisan in the field of traditional textile and embroidery arts, Mariana Neacșu has over a decade of experience in reviving this ancestral craft. As the founder of the Șezătoare Vatra Satului community and the Drag de Cusut workshop, she promotes traditional crafts by creating woven fabrics, altițe (embroidered shoulder pieces), towels (ștergare), and other representative elements of Romanian folk costume. She has organized and participated in numerous prestigious national and international exhibitions, including at the Făgăraș Fortress and the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant, as well as in educational and cultural institutions, thereby contributing to the preservation and transmission of Romania’s textile heritage. Through these efforts, she plays an essential role in keeping traditions alive and strengthening cultural identity for future generations.
The “Dimitrie Gusti” Group of Borese from Drăguș
This group is composed of approximately 14 borese, women aged between 74 and 46. The word boreasă is a term of endearment specific to Drăguș, a diminutive derived from “boieroaica mea” (my noble lady). The women who form the group are guardians of tradition by virtue of living in the ancestral hearth of the village and continuing to preserve elements of folk culture such as: traditional songs from Drăguș, folk dances, local customs, and especially folk art through the making of ie blouses, aprons (șurț), small woven blankets (părturici), and vests (cheptăreluțe). They are the ones who carry forward the ancient folk customs: the șezătoare (traditional communal gatherings), the Buzdugan ritual, and wedding traditions. The Borese of Drăguș actively participate in both local and national cultural events, such as the Day of the Ie, Home to the Roots, the Village Museum Day in Bucharest, the “Soul of the Village” Festival, among others. The Borese who will attend are : Racu Maria, Ana Fogoroș, Maria Gherman and Ana Bobeica.
The three ethnographic documentaries presented during the "Șezătoare from Țara Făgărașului" events in Ningbo and Beijing are:
1. The film “Țara Făgărașului – Land of the Open Skies: The Glass Icon, Support and Strength” (2016, Raluca Jurcovan) presents the glass icons from the major painting centers in central Romania and the anonymous icon painters who created them. It explores how these icons served as a source of spiritual support for Romanian peasants during times of hardship. Dedicated to all those who painted them, the film affirms the idea that glass icons—regardless of the region where they were painted or the era in which they were created—have long provided comfort to the faithful. Through their vivid and radiant colors, these icons offered the rural world a glimpse of the heavenly kingdom, reflected in a shard of glass.
2. The film “Țara Făgărașului – Land of the Open Skies: A Wonderful Image – The Făgăraș Costume” (2022, Constantin Păun, Raluca Jurcovan) presents the evolution of the traditional costume from Țara Oltului and the various influences over time, conveying a message about the preservation of national identity. As fundamental elements of both spiritual and material culture, traditional garments offer direct insight into the lifestyle, mindset, and activities of our ancestors, as well as into their creative power, their faith, and how that faith was manifested. Our forebears were not concerned only with making clothes or diversifying techniques and materials, but also with the deep symbolism embedded in them. Through motifs sewn with needle and thread or woven into fabric on traditional looms, they inscribed profound symbols into the garments—symbols through which the wearer would come to embody the entire universe. The general characteristics of the Făgăraș costume reflect the life and character of the people who live between the mountain peaks and the waters of the Olt River. Everything is made to endure. Traditional dress continues to be preserved in the various regions of Țara Făgărașului, without having undergone significant alteration.
3. The film “Heritage – An Icon Painter in Drăguș” (2015, Raluca Jurcovan) presents the journey of an icon painter into the ethnographic village of Drăguș, following in the footsteps of Dimitrie Gusti and the traditional world of the Romanian countryside. Starting from the premise that the Romanian village preserves traditions while also undergoing transformations, Dimitrie Gusti aimed to immortalize the reality of Drăguș in all its dimensions: social life, customs, occupations, traditions, and ethnography. Thus, Drăguș remains the only village in Romania whose past has been fully captured on film—a film left as a legacy for all of us. The film conveys a powerful message of responsibility: heritage is not only something to take pride in—it is an ethical, social, and defining duty for our development. In other words, we all live under a shared dome of material and spiritual meaning that must be preserved and carried forward. Only in this way can we truly evolve.
Additionally, at the ICR Beijing stand dedicated to traditional art and souvenirs, visitors will find Romanian traditional costumes, embroidered blouses (ie), hats, and small souvenirs such as headscarves, embroideries, and hand towels, all crafted by Mariana Neacșu (Drag de cusut) and the “Dimitrie Gusti” Borese group from Drăguș. The stand will be enriched with natural landscapes from Țara Făgărașului, Romania.
The Ningbo International Cultural Fair is one of the most important platforms for promoting cultural and economic dialogue between China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Held biennially in the city of Ningbo—an economic and academic hub in eastern China—the event brings together exhibitors from over 14 CEE countries, as well as other European states, offering a wide range of cultural and commercial activities. The fair attracts tens of thousands of visitors from China and abroad each year, strengthening its role as a key platform for international cultural and economic exchange.
1. Program in Ningbo (May 20–25)
May 20
Arrival in Beijing and connecting flight to Ningbo.
May 21
Preparation and setup of Romania’s booth at the exhibition.
May 22 – Day 1
Opening of the ICR Beijing Booth in Ningbo
Theme: “Șezătoare from Țara Făgărașului”
Șezătoare with the Boresele from Drăguș
“Heritage” Exhibition – traditional textiles
Screening of the documentary film “Țara Făgărașului – Land of the Open Skies: A Wonderful Image – The Făgăraș Costume”, directed by Raluca Jurcovan
Presentation of traditional embroidery and stitching collection by Mariana Neacșu
May 23 – Day 2
Șezătoare from Țara Făgărașului with Raluca Jurcovan and the Boresele from Drăguș (songs, dances, strigături, embroidery)
Interactive workshop “Drag de cusut” led by Mariana Neacșu – Introduction to Romanian traditional crafts: textiles, altițe, ștergare, and folk costume pieces
May 24 – Day 3
Șezătoare from Țara Făgărașului with Mariana Neacșu, Raluca Jurcovan, and the Boresele from Drăguș (songs, dances, strigături, embroidery)
Screening of the documentary film “Heritage – An Icon Painter in Drăguș”, directed by Raluca Jurcovan
May 25 – Day 4
Closing of the Exhibition
Șezătoare from Țara Făgărașului with the Boresele from Drăguș (songs, dances, strigături, embroidery)
Presentation: “Eternal Symbols in the Romanian Ia” – by Raluca Jurcovan
Presentation: “Romanian Crafts: From Cotton Thread to Traditional Blouse” – by Mariana Neacșu
2. Program in Beijing (May 26–31)
May 26
Return to Beijing
May 27
Preparation of the exhibition “Șezătoare from Țara Făgărașului” at the ICR Beijing headquarters
May 28
Film night: “Țara Făgărașului – Land of the Open Skies: Glass Icon Painting, Support and Power”
May 29
Opening of the exhibition “Șezătoare from Țara Făgărașului”
Featuring images and photo reproductions from the Museum of Țara Făgărașului and the personal archive of artist Raluca Jurcovan
Display of traditional crafts and folk costumes
Artistic moment performed by the Boresele from Drăguș
May 30
Embroidery workshop “Drag de cusut” with Mariana Neacșu
Screening of the documentary film “Țara Făgărașului – Land of the Open Skies: A Wonderful Image – The Făgăraș Costume”, directed by Raluca Jurcovan
May 31
Return to Bucharest
