Crossing into Eastern Europe: Facts, Images, and People

2 May 2023

Join Carleton students as we explore the beautiful landscape that is Eastern Europe and learn about the deep, rich culture that lives in Romania and its surrounding European countries!

Stay tuned for posts from students reflecting upon their thoughts and feeling as we traverse this beautiful part of the world!

We spend the majority of our time in the Bucharest, Romania’s capital. However, we have just embarked on a trip across Romania, in the incredible cities of Brașov, Sighișoara, Târgu Mureș, Cluj-Napoca, and Sibiu.

Students on a guided tour in Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Group photo in Brașov
Inside the fortified church in Viscri, Romania

As a group, we have had the honor to engage in the traditional act of Romania mask making, an act that has been historically enacted throughout the country. We worked with Sebastian Pike at the Ethnographical Museum of Transylvania in Cluj-Napoca. The masks are used in traditional rituals or dances, among these the most famous are used during the winter season, such as the goat, bear or deer. For more information on these traditions.

The students engaged in a mask making workshop
Group with Traditional Masks