Sheep’s mountain climbing

“Sheep’s mountain climbing”, pastoral folklore festival, at Novaci, in Gorj county

Every year, in the middle of May, the Jiul de Sus Land hosts the well-known pastoral event “Sheep mountain climbing “, with a large participation of sheep breeders from both slopes of the mountains between Jiu and Olt. In our county, the core of these events is the village of Novaci, where, in addition to the milk measurement and the departure of the shepherds to the alpine meadows, there are parades of the folk costume, artistic programs supported by groups with mocani specific both from Gorj and from the neighbouring counties, contests, the famous donkey races as well as displays of dishes with products obtained from pastoral activities.

This year too, the local authorities, led by the first householder of the village, are making efforts so that the organization of the activities planned to take place on this occasion is impeccable.

Shepherding is a traditional activity for the Gorj submontaneous area, which contributed to the expansion of grazing territories and the creation of new transhumance roads. And in the old documents there are data related to this activity: In 1831, 107,000 sheep were inventoried in Novaci Meadow, and in 1836 the number increased to 194,000. These sheep, constituted in flocks and having their own shepherds, belonged mostly Transylvanian pastoral centres from Poiana Sibiului, Sălişte, Rod, Sebeş, Sibişel and Grădişte. The number of Novaci villagers’ sheep brought to Novaci Meadow was smaller in that period (27,000 sheep in 1831). Simultaneously with these pastoral activities, the process of penetration of the Transylvanian population towards the southern branch of the Parâng in the Novaci-Polovragi perimeter begins, a fact that would give the submontane gorge settlements a physiognomy specific to Transylvania, both in the construction of houses and in the port, traditions and customs.

Located on the banks of the Gilort, at the foot of Mount Parâng, at an altitude of 600 m, the village of Novaci enjoys a mild climate, protected from atmospheric currents, with clean and strongly ozonated air. The village is also an attractive stopping place for those who want to go to the Parâng ridges, to Rânca, but also further along the Transalpina Road (DN 67 C) to the Lotru river sprintg, from where a series of tourist routes open (actually former transhumance routes) to tourist attractions in the of Şureanu, Cindrel and Lotrului mountains.

Transalpina road that connects the villages of Novaci and Sebeş presents a special feature: in the Urdele Pass (2145 m) or The Cloud Pass as it is also known by shepherds and mountaineers, the highest point located on a road in Romania is reached not on the Transfăgărăşan road as it wrongly appears in some works where the maximum altitude point “barely” reaches the elevation of 2042 m due to the 887 m long tunnel that pierces the mountain massif from one side to the other.

An old legend of the area, which circulates among the shepherds, says that when the world was divided, the sheperds, people who are not in a hurry by nature, arrived last before God, and received the blessing to have light souls. And thus every year, on the 3rd Sunday of May, the shepherds of Novaci celebrate their day, with folk dances and songs and a mutton stew. The locals describe their village as “the land of promise, an oasis of light and beauty, sheltered at the foot of the Parâng Mountains, on the banks of the old Gilort”. In Novaci, the village at the foot of the mountain, the tradition is passed from father to son.

Contributor: Gorj County Culture Directorate