Sooxanne Rolfe- Wilde Volk

This one-hour talk by Sooxanne Rolfe brings together a vivid exploration of European ritual culture, drawing on fieldwork across the Romanian bear dances (Jocul Ursului), Bulgaria’s Festival of Surva, Kukeri traditions, and Hungary’s Busójárás. Across these rituals, communities transform themselves into animals, spirits, and mythic figures through elaborate costumes of fur, horns, bells, straw, and carved masks. These performances form powerful seasonal rites intended to drive away evil, ensure fertility, and mark the transition into a new year.

Rooted in layered pagan, agricultural, and Christian traditions, they unfold in rural landscapes through overwhelming sensory experiences, where the pounding of drums, the clashing of bells, and the intensity of collective movement generate immersive environments of renewal and shared identity. Through storytelling, field recordings, and visual documentation, Sooxanne reveals how these embodied practices connect participants to their deep cultural histories that remain active in the present. The talk is framed through the…