Radacinesti, Valcea, Romania

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Rădăcineşti (ethimologically: "inhabitants of the place of roots"), is a small village in Berislăveşti Place situated at 12 kilometers north-east of Călimăneşti, in Vâlcea County, southern Romania. Until 1964 the village was part of Argeş County, then transfered under Vâlcea County.

Religion: 100% Orthodox Christians

Ethnicity: 100% Romanians. The facial and physical apparence of the locals indicate traces common to the Cumans, Germans, Italians, Pechenegs, Székely, Slavs, and Tartars.

History: The village was inhabited for over 2000 years by the Dacians, Romans, Slavs, etc. A Roman fortress (castru) was built in 137AD by "Arcaşii Sirieni" a division of the Roman army. The ruins of the fortress are still visible today, with a segment which includes public baths. [Today, on top of the ruins there is a store and the village's main hall (Cǎminul Cultural) used for school graduations, wedding parties, community functions, dance club, etc.]

Situated at the periphery of Lovişte Zone, it is believed that Rădăcineşti was inhabited continuously in areas called Secături, and particularly point Făgeţel where archeologists found vestiges of pottery and other utensiles dating since the sixth century. It is also near the area thought to be one of the two places where the The Battle of Possada between Wallachia and Hungary might have taken place in the fall of 1330.

Anthropological Assessment: Ethnographically, Rădăcineşti presents several cultural influences. The dominant cultural influence is the Muntenian culture, followed by Transylvanian as well as influences from Oltenia. Transylvanian influences could be identified during funeral traditions (giving alms over the grave at the burial), as well as in terminology used by children games such as "Pituluşu" (Hide and seek) -- pointing to a possible immigration of Transylvanian families. Influences from Oltenia (south) are more dominant on the sphere of rite of marriage.

Folklore: Local superstitions include: Fear of Saint Elijah, who punishes through lightening anyone who dares to work on July 20 (Elijah's name day). There is also a typical Transylvanian belief in "strigoi" (Zombie). (Ethimologically the word "strigoi" comes from the Romanian verb "a striga" meaning to call someone's name laudly.) According to the local tradition, if a cat crosses the body of a dead person, then that person turns into a strigoi. Once this happens, within no more than six weeks since the burial, the unpacified soul of the strigoi calls for a new death in the family, to be followed by a third death and so forth. The only remedy against a strigoi is to unbury the body of the strigoi, stab the heart with a stick and burry it someplace else. This is the only way that the chain of deaths could be stopped. Christmas traditions include the following: Colindatul, Colindeţele, Iordănitorii, Pluguşorul, Sorcova, Capra, Steaua, Dalionul.
Author: Marian Gh. Simion, PhD, American Romanian Academy of Arts and Sciences, Boston USA