Drăgaica is the traditional
Midsummer fair
A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks.
Types
Variations of fairs incl ...
held annually in
Buzău,
Romania. It takes place every year between 10 and 24 June.
History
The Drăgaica fair was initially a
wool trading fair held in the mountain side of the
Buzău River
The city of Buzău (formerly spelled ''Buzeu'' or ''Buzĕu''; ) is the county seat of Buzău County, Romania, in the historical region of Muntenia. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Car ...
valley, every year, after the
sheep shearing. Eventually, the fair moved to
Buzău, as shown by a document dated 26 August 1778 issued by
Alexandru Ipsilanti
Alexandru is the Romanian form of the name Alexander. Common diminutives are Alecu, Alex, and Sandu.
Origin
Etymologically, the name is derived from the Greek "Αλέξανδρος" (Aléxandros), meaning "defending men" or "protector of men", ...
by which full jurisdiction on the organization and the tax collection rights for the fair were granted to the Buzău
bishopric.
Mihai Şuţu
Michael Drakos Soutzos ( el, Μιχαήλ Δράκος Σούτζος; ro, Mihai Draco Suțu), (1730 – 1803) was a List of rulers of Moldavia, Prince of Moldavia between 1792 and 1795. A member of the Soutzos family of Phanariotes (descended f ...
reinforced the bishopric's privileges on the collection of taxes from the fair in a 1792 letter:
In 1806, Buzău was burnt to the ground by the Ottoman army during the
Russo-Turkish War of 1806-1812, and the city's inhabitants took refuge in the villages in the nearby hills. The fair was thus suspended until 1829, when it was resumed in a rebuilt Buzău.
[Petcu, 2002, pp.34-35]
The Drăgaica fair is still being held in Buzău, once a year, for two weeks, in June.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dragaica Fair
Buzău
Tourist attractions in Buzău County
Fairs in Romania
Festivals in Romania
June events
Summer events in Romania