The twelfth edition of Haferland Week, a cultural and ethnographic festival of the Saxon community in Romania and the diaspora, begins on Thursday in ten villages in the region known as Oatland, or Haferland in German: Archita, Saschiz, Homorod, Rupea, Crit, Roades , Mesendorf, Cloasterf, Bunesti and Viscri.This year's edition features a rich and diverse program consisting of visits to fortified churches, organ and traditional music concerts, guided tours of the Saxon households and the surroundings, shows of medieval wrestling and dances, traditional costume parades, exhibitions and lectures, the organizers said in a release.The ceremony for the 700th anniversary of the first documentary mention of the Rupea fortress, a landmark historic monument of the Transylvanian Saxon civilization, will take place on August 11 in Rupea.Other highlights of the festival are the presentation of a traditional Saxon wedding, complete with a traditional lunch (August 9, in Saschiz), the traditional Saxon ball in Crit having the HighLife band on the bill (August 10), a guided tour through an authentic Haferland village (August 10, Roades), or the presentation of a traditional Saxon household (August 11, Viscri).For children, the organizers have prepared many traditional or educational craft workshops: sewing, lace-making, wood painting, mini-loom weaving. The mockup DIY workshops for the creation of the Rupea Solar Tower or the Haferland carousel adds to the attractions readied for the kids.For the first time, the festival is a partner of the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award, a global program founded in the United Kingdom and which offers international recognition and a structured framework of non-formal education activities for young people aged 14 to 24. The program stands under the international patronage of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, and under the national patronage of HRH Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania.Thus, 21 young people accompanied by a team of instructors will participate in a four-day adventure camp in the heart of Haferland, with hikes along the Via Transilvanica, treasure hunts, workshops, culinary experiences, campfires.This year's Haferland Week takes place under the high patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Philipp von und zu Liechtenstein, a member of the Princely House of Liechtenstein and, for the first time in the history of the festival, under the auspices of the Royal Family of Romania.The M&V Schmidt Foundation and the Tabaluga Foundation / Peter Maffay Stiftung are co-organizers of the festival.
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