ЕЛЕМЕНТИ ПОЛІТИЧНОЇ САТИРИ В СЦЕНАРІЯХ ВЕСНЯНОГО КАРНАВАЛУ В РУМУНСЬКОМУ БАНАТІ.
THE ELEMENTS OF POLITICAL SATIRE IN THE SPRING CARNIVAL PERFORMANCES OF ROMANIAN BANAT

Summary/Abstract: In Romanian territory the tradition of spring carnival festivities has relatively limited distribution. The word faşanc (also fărşanc, farşang) meaning “carnival” is the most frequentlв used by the inhabitants of the Highland Banat, namely of the Caraș-Severin County in the extreme South-West of Romania and understood by residents of entire Romanian Banat as well as the Romanian population of the Serbian Banat. Being a practice with limited geographical distribution in Romanian traditional culture, the faşanc at the same time forms the continuity between traditional Western Europe cultures, in particular of the Catholic Europe. The existence of this practice among Banat Romanians is one of consequences of complex cross-cultural, cross-confessional and interethnic relations in the region. In recent years in different settlements of Romanian Banat the carnival performances mock and put on stage in satirical way the main negative, ridiculous, abnormal and shocking events that occurred in the given community as well as in country or in the world. These events can be local scandals, plots of popular television serials, and political actions. This article is partlв based on the author’s fieldwork materials gathered during her trip to the settlements of Romanian Banat in spring of 2005. The trip was made together with Romanian ethnologist Otilia Hedeşan, todaв the prorector of the Timisoara University. The author also used the last вears’ photographic and video -materials found in Internet. The article focuses on the spring carnival festivities in the town of Moldova-Nouă and the community of Văliug in the Caraș-Severin County. The emphasis is made on examination of carnival topics and personages related in some way to political life of Romania, including the subjects inspired by corruption scandals in 2013–2014.

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