Fall in Romania is an experience you don’t want to miss. The weather is mild and the rain is gentle, nature charms you with the yellow-amber-reddish-copper color of the leaves and mouth-watering foods and drinks await for you to taste them.
In Romania fall is the season most loved by locals. It’s not only that the trees are painted in spectacular colors, but it is the moment when people’s hard work from throughout the year finally pays off. They harvest corn, potatoes, sunflowers, grapes, apples or quinces.
In autumn people get ready for the harsh winter coming ahead and gather provisions. They preserve vegetables by making pickles or cooking zacusca, a vegetable spread made from eggplant or beans. From fruits they prepare jams, compotes or juices, which will later be used to bake delicacies. And let’s not forget about the activity locals look forward to the most – making wine.
Without further delay, here are 16 stunning pictures that capture everyday moments of life during the season of fall in Romania:
Nature dresses itself in a multitude of colors
People pick up vegetables from the garden
In autumn there is an explosion of mushrooms, and there is no better way to spend a warm morning than picking them up from the forest
Families gather to harvest grapes and make wine
They harvest, de-stem and squeeze grapes in a process that has become a tradition along the years
They also make palinca, a fruit brandy with an alcohol content of over 40%
On the fields villagers prepare the land for next year’s harvest
They also burn weeds they can’t use anymore
They hang vegetables to dry and spread manure on the fields
They grind corn and make polenta, the locals’ favorite staple food
Fruits and vegetables are cut using traditional instruments
Villagers make use of the animals to pick up hay
Once the hay is perfectly dry, people build haystacks
Shepherds come back home from the high mountains
Their return home is celebrated in various places across the country in a festival known as “Ravasitul Oilor” or “Coboratul oilor de la munte”
There, participants can try fresh cheese made by shepherds and watch exhibits of animals
Fall in Romania is magical and breathtaking. We hope we showed you how special fall in Romania is, with the leaves changing color and the opportunity to take part in traditional activities associated with the season of harvest.
The pictures were taken during a Photography Tour of Romania during harvest time.