Since 2015, Szeklers looking for fun have gathered at the Saint Anne Springs (Szent Anna-feredő in Hungarian, Băile Sfânta Ana in Romanian) in Csíkszenttamás/Tomești for the region’s one-of-a-kind Rural Olympics, a one-day event packed with sports and a variety of challenges that trigger physical reaction consisting typically of rhythmical, often audible contractions of the diaphragm and other parts of the respiratory system, colloquially known as laughter.
This year the tournament featured participants from six different locations: alongside the locals (Csíkszenttamás), teams from Csíkszentdomokos/Sândominic, Csíkkarcfalva/Cârţa, Csíkdánfalva/Dăneşti, Csíkrákos/Racu, and Madéfalva/Siculeni arrived to take on the challenges of the roadshow.
The five-person teams had to show off their skills by successfully completing a series of activities that included challenges such as throwing eggs through the drop hole of a pit latrine, yoke running, haystack piling against the clock, running with a stick between their legs, a rural slalom, and the like. The result: lots of fun, good laughter, and a good day spent outdoors. Below is our photo gallery of this year’s event. Enjoy!
