Romania is aging and, at the same time, it’s Transylvania region experiences depopulation once again. This time in an even more devastating way than during the Saxon emigration in medieval times. It is estimated that 4 million Romanians (20% of the general population), especially those from the rural areas, have left the country to work abroad!

The Great Romanian Exodus started on January 1, 2002, when the requirement for Schengen visa was eradicated. They had their free choice. To leave it all behind or to stay in the country. The young left, the old stayed.

Today, most villages in Transylvania resemble retirement homes filled with  people with dated interests for the European citizens long ago swept away by the globalization wave. These are the last peasants of Europe and their customs are the last remains of a traditional society on its way to disappear.