Paparuda - a dancing ritual to the god of rain
I can't remember how old I was when I was first told about Paparuda, but I do know I was very young. Summers in Romania tend to be very dry and that summer my cousin and I covered ourselves in leaves and branches and danced around singing and asking for rain. In the old, the ritual was performed by a young girl or woman, who was naked underneath all the leaves. We, of course, kept our shorts and tshirts on. And, as we danced, grandma throwed water upon us. Did it rain that afterwards? Sadly, I can't remember...
To this day I can't see, hear or smell the rain without singing the Paparuda song to myself. You can find below the traditional song and a more modern rendition. The lyrics are in Romanian, but let me know if you guys would like a translation.
