The Blajini
According to Romanian folklore the Earth is a disc. Humans live on one side and the other side is a mirror image of our world populated by the Blajini. The Blajini (gentle ones) are small creatures with heads like rats who don’t understand the ways of human beings. They live peacefully in paradise on the other side of the disc. They once lived alongside humans but somehow when Moses parted the Red Sea they ended up on the wrong side of the returning water.
Throughout the year, the Blajini fast, which frees up resources for humans. Each Spring, to thank the Blajini, Romanians throw red Easter egg shells into streams. The egg shells are carried on the current through the Apa Sâmbetei (World Ocean) to the river along which the Blajini’s live. When the Blajini see the red egg shells they know it’s time for their annual feast. Apa Sambetei
