The images document a celebration from the beginning of the Lent. In the village where I grew up, every year, men dressed as women are marching the streets in order to scare away the evil spirits. The manifestation is believed to be a pastoral and agrarian rite of the Thracians with Greek elements from Dionysian rituals and also slave elements from the processions of Cupalo (the Slavic god of joy).
Due to the urbanization of this once rural space (and also the proximity to the capital of Romania), the ceremony has changed a lot. The piece that has been drastically transformed is the traditional costume; it has adopted contemporary elements like the balaclava, the nightgown, and the Nike and Adidas shoes. Together with the embroidered shirt and the headdresses, they complete the look of the feast.