Mitteleuropa has the tradition of the New Year’s Eve Dust Up. It involves, as always, young men, and their motives are the same the world over.

 

Der Standard reports:

Bucharest: The Romanian police on Monday morning ended the traditional Sylvester Fight in the village of Ruginoasa with a tear gas attack. In the settlement near the northeast city of Iasi every year on New Year’s Eve the young men, costumed in sheep skins and divided into groups, go at each other with truncheons, to impress the girls.

Because there were wounded in past years, the police were present with 200 men in battle uniform, as the Romanian station Realitatea reported. Many of the village dwellers let loose on the officials and destroyed their protective shields. It was not reported how many wounded there were. By this originally imaginary symbolic action, the “New Year’s Battle,” of Ruginoasa,  the “victorious” troop wins the right to woo the girls.

 

Unimpressed Maidens of Ruginoasa

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