Homorod’s Animal Fairs Are Drawing the Big Crowds

But does this mean good news for farmers and Romanian traditions? Amongst the traffic jam trying to get closer to the autumn fair were a mixture of cars and horses and carts, some with children loaded into the back. The event was clearly drawing in the crowds from all around the commune of Homorod - Brasov county. Animal fairs are traditionally held for the buying and selling of livestock and animal products. One attendee hoping to sell his horse is David Nicolae from the nearby village of ­Cata. David feels the fairs are very important to the community as they give people the chance to sell their animals, which they would not have the opportunity to do otherwise. He says the fairs are important to keeping Romanian traditions alive: “I am 53 years old and the fairs have been occurring as long as I can remember.” In the past the majority of animals for sale were cows, sheep and goats. Though these animals could be seen at the fair, they were the minority. There were also pigs, with people carrying off squealing piglets in sacks, or carting large ones in wagons. But by far, the most popular animals for sale at the fair on this day were horses. Unfortunately for David, because there are so many people selling horses, he figures his chances of offloading his horse by the end of the day are slim. “Today the sale statistics are very low because there was a big heat during the summer so people don’t have products to feed their animals. That’s why they want to sell, but there have been few people interested in buying,” says David. It also turns out many of the people attending the event are not at all interested in buying or selling animals. Increasingly people are coming to the animal fairs just to have a look around and perhaps buy something from one of the many stalls selling food or commercial products. Although some farm products, such as horse bridles, were being sold, most of what was for sale was not traditional to the fair or to Romania. “15 or 20 years ago there wasn’t any food for sale or the commercial aspect to the fair. We brought our own food from home in our sacks,” says David with an air of nostalgia, although he does not seem particularly upset that things have changed. Perhaps the commercialisation can be seen as a positive development. Although the attendance of villagers uninterested in trading animals has lessened the traditional feel of the fair, it has also given a more festive feel to the event. It has not detracted from the original intention of the fair, as the main purpose is still the trading of animals. By attracting crowds, traditional animal fairs are being kept in the public eye and therefore in the national conscience. Text: Allison Jeffares; Photos: Paul Lucas, Ana A. Negru