Roumanie, Carpates, Maramures... Loin de l’Occident et de son mépris du monde, le voyage vers l’Orient révèle une célébration de la vie et de la mort. Dans un curieux mélange, les fêtes d’hiver marquent un temps très particulier fait d’ombre et de lumière. Ici, Noël est un être à deux têtes : l’une d’ange, l’autre de diable...

In the Maramures area, north of Rumania, country folks live according to the Orthodox feast calendar rhythm. It’s winter, the activities in the village have slowed down, the cattle are back in the shelter... villagers are involving in Christmas celebration. In the countryside, traditions linked to Christmas are not alike those we know. They are deeply marked for fervent orthodoxy, but at the same time, they have a strong sense of the pagan rites inherited from rural culture. The atmosphere is filled with songs, celebrations, and rites as old as the hills... when men were not even really men... It’s Rumanian Christmas, the time of “Viflaim”, a pagan and mystic carnival.