A traditional celebration connected to moving flocks back to the mountains, ôSΓmbra oilorö or ôNedeileö represents a deeply rooted event in the Romanian pastoral civilization, which has survived from ancient days to the present. This celebration coincides with the actual time of the year when flocks are moved back to the Alpine pastures, and is closely connected to all milk-related activities such as collecting, measuring, and manually transforming it into cheese. Folk dances animate this celebration, which over time has become the occasion for great popular gatherings. The dances are accompanied by singers or ô■ipuritori,ö who chant short humoristic, or licentious verse, and musicians who play such instruments as the flute, the panpipe or the cymbal.
