קובץ:Paparuda-1905.jpg

The Graphic September 9, 1905
Drawn by Frédéric de Haenen from a sketch by Rook Carnegie

In times off severe drought, writes our correspondent, the Roumanian peasantry have recourse to a peculiar custom, the origin of which is unknowm, but is doubless some heathen rite. Gypsy girls, clad only in a short skirt, of corn, vine and small branches run through the villages, whilst the peasantry deluge them with water. The most curious part about the rite is that it is done in all seriousness, the onlookers dutifully crossing themselves as the Babarouda, as they are termed rush by, the recipients of douches from buckets or the wooden vessels so dear to the Roumanian peasant. The girls afterwards go round and collect as a reward for their trouble. As to the effiacy of these rain-makers, no reliable records are kept.

RAIN GIRL The Baradouda or Paparuda. Roumanian custom of the Thursday following Easter. Rite of invocation RAIN GIRL La Baradouda or Paparuda. Roumanian custom of the Thursday following Easter. Rite of invocation of rain (peasants throw water on a young woman). Illustration by Frederic de HAENEN (1853-1928) for the English magazine The Graphic of September 9, 1905.