de ce fanul / why the hay

De cand ma stiu am facut fan. Dar niciodata nu am crezut ca va fi atat de important pentru mine, pana cand, in 2005, am venit 10 zile la Surdesti, cu colegii de la Bucuresti.
Eram 10 studenti la doua masterate de antropologie si venisem aici sa facem primul nostru teren impreuna. Plecasem cu o lista de posibile subiecte de cercetat. Mare ne-a fost mirarea si dezamagirea cand am constatat, din prima zi, ca oamenii nu sunt pe la casele lor. Toti erau plecati pe camp. La fan.
Asadar, am hotarat sa vedem ce-i cu fanul. Am mers si noi la camp sa facem fan. Am invatat limbajul fanului si am devenit personaje (cu statut de outsideri) in povestea lui. Care ne-a fascinat. Credem ca a meritat.
I have been making hay since forever. But I never thought hay would be so important for me, till, in 2005, I came for 10 days in Surdesti, with my collegues from Bucharest.At the time, there were ten of us, students enrolled in two different masters in anthropology programs, coming to do collective fieldwork for the first time.
Before we came, we made a list with possible research topics. But on our first day in the field, we were surprised and somewhat disappointed that nobody seemed to be home. All the villagers were busy making hay.
So we decided to find out everything about hay. We joined the villagers in the fields, and we were soon initiated in the language of hay an, though still outsiders, we became characters in its narrative. We were fascinated.
Eram incojurati de fin! Puteam face linistiti o antropologie a fanului, de pe prispa casei din Surdesti.
We were surrounded by the hay. We could have made easy hay anthropology from the porch of the house from Surdesti!

peisaje si legende cu fan / hay landscapes and legends

De cand am ajuns in Surdesti, am fost impresionati de fanul de pretutindeni! Claile, sarcierii, tot fanul de pe camp, toate dau personalitate locului.
Ever since we got in Surdesti, we were first impressed by the hay that was everywhere. The haystacks in different shapes, all the hay from the field, all this part of this place.

Pana si pietrele, cu legendele lor despre fan: claile de piatra din gradina lui Coroian, mai in jos de Piatra Rosie.Legenda spune ca Sfantul Petru a vazut un om lucrand duminica la fan. Cand s-a coborat de pe claie, Sfantul pe loc a transformat claia la care lucrase in ziua aceea, in piatra.
Even the stones have their own connection with the hay: these are the petrified haystacks from Coroian's garden, close to the Red Stone.The legends claims that Saint Peter saw a man working with the hay on a Sunday. When he got down from the haystack, the Saint imediately transformed the haystack into stone.

cosul / the basket

Cosul... bun la orice. Practic de dus in spate, orice.
The basket... good for everything. It is practical to carry everything.
Dimieata - merindea pentru ziua de lucru la fan.

In the morning - the meal for the working day at the hay.

Seara, cind te intorci cu fan - merinde pentru animalele de acasa.

In the evening, when you come back from working with the hay - meal for the animals that are at home.

unelte / tools

Surdestenii prefera uneltele din lemn, pe care si le fac singuri: greble din lemn...

People from Surdesti do prefer to work with wooden tools that they are making by themselves: wooden rakes...

... furci din lemn ....
... wooden pitchforks...
(pentru furcile din lemn, a fost usor sa vad cum se fac. Trebuia doar sa trec raul, la vecinul meu!)
(For the wooden pitchforks, it was extremely easy to see how they are made. I had to cross the small river, to my neighbour).
... cute din lemn, pentru gresia care ascute coasa.
... wooden recipient for the stone who sharpens the scythe.

la firul ierbii / from the grass

Iarba. Cat vezi cu ochii. Cand vine vorba de fan, se taie cu coasa sau, mai nou, cu cositoarea.
Grass. All you can see is grass. When hay season comes, you can cut it with the scythes or with the machine.

La umbra marului, asteptand sa se usuce fanul din brazdele intoarse.
In the shadow of the apple tree, waiting for the hay to dry.
Ca sa nu stea fanul pe pamant (poate veni o ploaie orcand!), se pune in capite. Trebuie bine batuta la baza, ca sa se scurga apa.
Because rain can come at anytime, they build small haystacks, this way the hay does not stay on the ground.

cladind o claie / building a haystack

Capitele sunt aduse mai aproape de locul claii, pe hoduri. Destul de greu, mai ales la deal!
The small haystacks are brought on two wooden sticks closer to the place where the haystack will be. Not easy at all, especially up-hill.
Podina de lemn izoleaza. Fanul nu atinge pamantul si nu se strica.
The wooden platform isolates, this way the hay does not touch the ground and will be fresh.
Lumea vazuta de sus. Doar cine-i usor si indemanatic se suie pe claie.
The world seen from above. Only a light and skillful person will stay on the haystack to build it.

Doua constructii in curs de a fi incheiate: biserica si claia. Sacrul si profanul.
Two constructions are being built: the church and the haystack. Sacred and profane.

claile sunt gata! / the haystacks are finished!

"A noastra e frumusica, inaltuta si subtirica, Ionel n-o face groasa jos sa atarne pe pamant, ca o broasca" (Aristina M., 66 an, 2005).

"Ours is nice, tall and thin, Ionel doesn't make it thick to hang on the ground, as a frog" (Aristina M., 66 years old, 2005).

Clai vechi si clai noi. Dialog intre generatii.

Old and new haystacks. Dialogue between generations.

Claile pot sta pe camp pana la 2-3 ani. Forma lor protejeaza fanul si nu se strica.
The haystacks can stay on the fields up to 2-3 years. Their shape makes it possible that the hay will stay fresh.

mosuti / hay puppets

12 tineri designeri din Cluj au umplut curtea, copacii, claile din jur, cu papusi din fan. Cand m-am intors acasa, erau peste 250 de papusi peste tot. "Ce de mosuti!" spuneau surdestenii care treceau pe carare. Se intampla in vara anului 2006.

12 young designers from Cluj created hay puppets and placed them in the trees, on the house, in the house. When I got home, there were more than 250 hay puppets all over the place. "How many 'mosuti' (old men)!", the people from Surdesti were saying when they were in front of my house. This was happening in the summer of 2006.