Onion FairTărgul cepelor

The Tărgul Cepelor is an annual farmers’ fair in early September in Asuaju de Sus, focusing on the local onion harvest. It combines a traditional market and a folk festival: farmers display and sell onions in wreaths and braids, visitors sample local foods, and there are contests (e.g., largest onion). Folk music and dances from Țara Codrului accompany the fair. The event celebrates rural Maramureș heritage: attendees wear traditional dress, and there is a processional element as villagers parade through the square with onion crops. It is a major community gathering in the region, blending agriculture with culture.

Țara Codrului (the forested region of southern Maramureș) has long grown distinctive onion varieties. Harvest-time fairs allowed villagers to trade and socialize. Over time, Tărgul Cepelor took on ceremonial features, like parades and prizes. It underscores the identity of Țara Codrului as an agrarian community with strong folk traditions. The fair also preserves old rural customs of harvest thanksgiving and community cohesion – aspects of Maramureș’s intangible heritage.