"The Shooting of the Rooster" in Apata, a festival over 400 years old

The Apața Festival: A Unique Tradition

Perhaps less known than other festivals in our country, the custom in Apața, a village in Brașov County, dates back to the 17th century. On the first day of Catholic Easter, the villagers gather to celebrate a kind of ritual in which a rooster is "hunted," all to commemorate a tragic event that took place during the Tatar invasion.

The Legend

Legend has it that in the early 17th century, around the 1600s, the village suffered an invasion by the Tatars. The locals hid in the fortress to give the attackers the impression that they had abandoned the village. However, as the invaders were on their way back, they heard a rooster perched on a tower of the fortress that revealed the villagers' presence. Thus, the people were discovered, and the fortress was besieged.

The Tradition

This very event led to the birth of one of the oldest traditions in Transylvania. On the first day of Catholic Easter, people gather in front of the church where, after the service, they:

• Parade through the village carrying the rooster like a condemned prisoner.
• In recent years, the rooster in question has become a fictional wooden one, allowing even animal lovers to participate in this ritual.

After parading the rooster through the village while the children sing, the rooster's trial follows. Tradition dictates that among the jurors there must be people who defend the rooster, but the verdict is always the same: execution.

Then a contest begins where everyone tries their luck at hitting the rooster, and the one who succeeds immediately becomes the hero for the following year.

The Conclusion

The festival concludes at the cultural center in Apața, where a feast is held in honor of this tradition.