Transhumance is a very ancient tradition in Romania, now becoming extinct. (Nomadic) transhumance is defined as that livestock move to find available plants for grazing over considerable distances following set seasonal patterns trailed by a whole family of herders living in temporary or movable shelters. The few shepherds who still practice (nomadic) transhumance in Romania walk around 500 km in a year. Transhumance tradition is thousand years old, being an important occupation during the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages. Romanians' forming as a nation has been generated in large measure by pastoral traditions. Shepherds live in a different world, in another time than modern society. Unlike other modern activities, the lives of shepherds seem to be as hard as it used to be thousands of years ago. Shepherds have to take the grazing animals to new pastures every day, no matter the season or the weather. After 1st January 2007 when Romania became part of the European Union, local auth
The shepherd's wedding represented the moment when this family gave up (nomadic) transhumance for fixed sheep breeding, much more easy to practice.
Fixed sheep breeding is preferred by shepherds for its better living conditions. Now, the chief shepherd together with his family live all year round in a regular house, with all modern comfort, including television...
