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Travel

You'll Never Forget Your First Time at One of Romania's Glamorous Fairgrounds

I first took photographs at a Romanian fairground in 2008, in the city of Rosiorii de Vede. I hung out with the people who make their living from following the fair: merchants, grill masters, and craftsmen, all of whom were covered in a mixture of...

I first took photographs at a Romanian fairground in 2008, in the city of Rosiorii de Vede. I hung out with the kinds of people who draw their living from following the fair: merchants, grill masters, and craftsmen, all of whom were unavoidably covered in a weird mixture of glitter and grime. I also watched the crowds arrive, dressed to impress—many in their Sunday best, girls in bright colors and high heels. When I saw these clashing identities, I quickly understood that the fairground was a place where I could witness firsthand the modernizing of Romanian traditions and rural culture. Since then, I've been to many others across the country—in Fieni, in Lapusani, in Bogdan-Voda, in Calarasi, in Pietrari, in Galicea, and many other places. It never ceases to amaze me how much can change while basically remaining completely the same.

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See more of Ioana's work here and here.

Click through for more of photographs from Romanian Fairgrounds.