Amalia first wore the bear fur costume when she was 4 years old loves the team atmosphere in the bear pack and feels it’s important for the centuries old tradition to live on Razvan first wore the bear fur costume when he was 9 years-old likes the feeling he gets from wearing it and loves to dance Catalina first wore the bear fur costume when she was 15 years-old feels joy when wearing the costume and is proud to be a part of the centuries tradition Eduard first wore the bear fur costume when he was 6 years-old loves the outfit and making his grandparents and father proud that he continues in their footsteps by being a member of a bear pack Mitica first wore the bear fur costume when he was 6 years-old and says he cannot imagine a greater pleasure than dancing in a bear pack during the holiday season Madalin first wore the bear fur costume when he was 4 years-old and feels proud to continue a tradition that goes back in his family for generations Maria first wore the bear fur costume when she was 5 years old and feels a connection to her departed father who introduced her to the tradition 17 years ago She feels the bear dance chases the bad spirits away and liberates her soul Costi first wore the bear fur costume when he was 3 years-old loves to dance and hear the pounding sound of drums Denisa first wore the bear fur costume when she was 10 years-old loves to dance along with her fellow pack members Sergiu first wore the bear fur costume when he was 7 years-old says he only feels whole when he wears the outfit and loves the adrenaline rush he gets from hearing the music and dancing with the pack Marian first wore the bear fur costume when he was 6 years-old never missed a festival since and hopes his children will take the unique tradition into the future Marian says he would give up anything in live but not the dancing bear tradition Andra first wore the bear fur costume when she was 6 years-old gets an adrenaline rush when wearing the outfit and feels the tradition connects the generations and also brings young people together in a meaningful way David first wore the bear fur costume when he was 5 years-old and is proud to be a part of a centuries old tradition Stefania first wore the bear fur costume when she was 17 years-old and loves to dance who first wore the bear fur costume when he was 8 years-old it is the spirit animal for those in this area” Amalia first wore the bear fur costume when she was 4 years-old Razvan first wore the bear fur costume when he was 9 years old starts in the days before Christmas and ends with a spectacular finale in Comanesti on Dec Some of the “bears” jokingly growl or mock an attack on spectators which can weigh as much as 50 kilograms (110 pounds) are passed on from generation to generation The packs carefully guard the methods they use to keep the furs in good condition and ready to wear the next year One of the more established groups is the Sipoteni Bear Pack who was 8 years old when he first danced dressed as a bear when Romania was still a communist dictatorship with the “bears” only visiting private homes around Christmas Catalina first wore the bear fur costume when she was 15 years old Locals say the custom dates to before Christianity when it was believed that wild animals guarded people from misfortune and danger went to people’s homes and knocked on their doors for luck and a happy new year members of the Sipoteni Bear Pack shared with the The Associated Press some of their reasons for making sure the ritual continues The bear frees our souls,” said one participant who joined the Sipoteni Bear Pack as a 5-year-old and is now 22 “I also connect to my departed father who introduced me to the tradition 17 years ago.” Residents are happy that the tradition lived on as the region lost much of its population starting in the 1990s when many people left to look for jobs in Western Europe after the fall of communism returns every year from abroad to dance with the pack she has belonged to since age 6 “I hope our children will make this unique custom last forever,” she said Eduard first wore the bear fur costume when he was 6 years old Madalin first wore the bear fur costume when he was 4 years old and feels proud to continue a tradition that goes back in his family for generations Costi first wore the bear fur costume when he was 3 years old Andra first wore the bear fur costume when she was 6 years old Denisa first wore the bear fur costume when she was 10 years old and loves to dance along with her fellow pack members Sergiu first wore the bear fur costume when he was 7 years old says he only feels whole when he wears the outfit and loves the adrenaline rush he gets from hearing the music and dancing with the pack Marian first wore the bear fur costume when he was 6 years old who first wore the bear fur costume when he was 8 years old David first wore the bear fur costume when he was 5 years old and is proud to be a part of a centuries old tradition Stefania first wore the bear fur costume when she was 17 years old and loves to dance your new go-to podcast to spice up your weekday mornings with relevant news and behind-the-scenes from Brussels and beyond From the economy to the climate and the EU's role in world affairs this talk show sheds light on European affairs and the issues that impact on our daily lives as Europeans Tune in to understand the ins and outs of European politics Dare to imagine the future with business and tech visionaries Deep dive conversations with business leaders Euronews Tech Talks goes beyond discussions to explore the impact of new technologies on our lives the podcast provides valuable insights into the intersection of technology and society Europe's water is under increasing pressure floods are taking their toll on our drinking water Join us on a journey around Europe to see why protecting ecosystems matters and to discover some of the best water solutions an animated explainer series and live debate - find out why Water Matters We give you the latest climate facts from the world’s leading source analyse the trends and explain how our planet is changing We meet the experts on the front line of climate change who explore new strategies to mitigate and adapt A small industrial town in northeast Romania may seem like an unlikely tourist destination but Comanesti is where huge numbers of visitors from as far away as Japan choose to spend part of the winter holiday season They converge here to see an annual event that grew out of a millennia-old tradition in the Moldavia region: Bearskin-clad people of all ages marching and dancing to the deafening sound of drums in several rows of gaping jaws and claws starts in the days before Christmas and ends with a spectacular finale in Comanesti on 30 December Back then, he recalled, it was a much more low-key spectacle, with the “bears” only visiting private homes around Christmas The bear frees our souls," said one participant "I also connect to my departed father who introduced me to the tradition 17 years ago.” the hydrogen-filled German airship Hindenburg caught fire and crashed while attempting to dock at Lakehurst New Jersey; 35 of the 97 people on board and one crew member on the ground were killed President Chester Alan Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act which barred Chinese laborers from immigrating to the U.S (The act would remain in effect until 1943.) the Eiffel Tower opened to the public as part of the Paris World's Fair the Works Progress Administration was established under an executive order signed by President Franklin D medical student Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile during a track meet in Oxford former Arkansas state worker Paula Jones filed a suit against President Bill Clinton alleging he'd sexually harassed her in 1991 (Jones reached a settlement with Clinton in November 1998.) the Channel Tunnel connecting England and France beneath the English Channel was officially opened in a ceremony attended by Queen Elizabeth II and French president François Mitterrand Bush apologized for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison calling it "a stain on our country's honor and reputation," but rejected calls for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation Today's Birthdays: Rock musician Bob Seger is 80 Country musician Jimmie Dale Gilmore is 80 Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is 72 Actor Gabourey Sidibe (GA'-bah-ray SIH'-duh-bay) is 42 Superkombat returned to the promotion’s home in Romania for Superkombat Comanesti The record attendance reached an astounding 34,000 people The crowd was the biggest in Europe since a K-1 event in Amsterdam in 2007 In the main event of the evening, Jorge Loren attempted to continue his rise up the light heavyweight rankings when he took on popular Romanian kickboxer Ionut Iftimoaie for the cruiserweight title. Loren picked up a decision victory in his most recent outing against Artur Gorlov at Enfusion Live 40 Iftimoaie returned to the ring for the final bout of his professional career featherweights collided when Romanian kickboxer Cristi Spectu faced the United Kingdom’s Mo Abdurahman The Superkombat New Heroes event streamed live at 1 p.m. ET on Fight Box Holzindustrie Schweighofer will become HS Timber Group according to a statement released by the organization the Austrian wood  company has been active in Romania since 2002 The company was founded by the Schweighofer family some 400 years ago when Franz and Maria Schweighofer took over a family owned sawmill in Lower Austria expanding into the Czech Republic after the The Velvet Revolution which saw the overthrow of the communist government In 1998 Holzindustrie Schweighofer merged with Enso Timber to become the third largest saw milling company worldwide Holzindustrie Schweighofer had its own share of controversy in Romania being accused of processing illegally logged wood Hornbach or Brico Depot Romania have announced to reduce or completely cease sourcing their wood materials from Holzindustrie Schweighofer The group has since released statements indicating that it has took it upon itself to fight against illegal logging and to adopt a sustainable plan for the wood industry a system that tracks log transports by GPS from the loading area through to the processing facilities   Foto: Sebes Sawmill (Holzindustrie Schweighofer) We use cookies for keeping our website reliable and secure providing social media features and to analyse how our website is used Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser Romanian-based kickboxing promotion, Superkombat Fighting Championship, better known as Superkombat, held a historic event this past weekend in Comănești, Romania. On Saturday, Aug. 6, the promotion brought back one of the country’s most popular fighters, Ionuţ Iftimoaie, for the final fight of his kickboxing career at Superkombat World Grand Prix 2016: Comănești The fight was an exciting back-and-forth affair Loren started off the first round quickly by landing a series of strong kicks and punches however the boxing ability and shear toughness of Iftimoaie pulled him through his first round of fighting in over three years Iftimoaie became the aggressor in the second frame with his jab and powerful hooks inside the boxing range the fighters exchanged heavy blows in tight with Loren slowing down from the relentless punching to the body from Iftimoaie The Romanian television star continued his heavy pressure from the beginning of the third round and well into the final frame of his kickboxing career but Iftimoaie poured out every ounce of energy he had left as the seconds ticked off the clock The fighters traded blows until the referee separated them as the final horn sounded Iftimoaie turned on the heat in the final two frames to earn the Superkombat and WKN Super Diamond cruiserweight titles Despite the furious action in the ring, the biggest story of the event wasn’t the fight itself. Instead, it was the record setting attendance that garnered an astounding 34,000 people in Comănești The previous record was set over nine years ago at the Amsterdam Arena in the Netherlands during the K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Amsterdam The record attendance eclipses the previous record for a kickboxing event in Europe by nearly 9,000 The next biggest attendance was another K-1 World Grand Prix event held in 2008 with an attendance of 20,000 For comparison purposes, the event featured 10,000 more audience members than the open air event, M-1 Challenge 49: Battle in the Mountains which broke a Russian combat sports attendance record for an outdoor audience of 23,255 in Ingushetia one of the world’s largest kickboxing promotions made its first trip to Amsterdam this past December with its two biggest hometown draws The reported attendance for the event was 8,000 The largest ever audience for a kickboxing event was the combined combat sports event A reported 91,107 packed the Tokyo National stadium for the first of many New Year’s Eve combat sports events to feature massive crowds over the past decade The popularity of the sport has fallen drastically since the loss of Pride Fighting Championships and the fallout of K-1’s sale The record attendance in Romania has many kickboxing fans hopeful for the sport’s future in Europe and around the world Iftimoaie was the biggest draw for the Romanian fans on Saturday night but the future is bright with more and more promotions making positive gains over the past two years The new record attendance may remain intact as other promotions hold events in Europe however one of the leading Chinese kickboxing events is promising its Glory of Heroes 5 event scheduled for Oct 1 will have a attendance of 60,000 fans at the Henan Olympic Center in Zhangzhou Whether the attendance record will ever be matched again the promotion can certainly call this a win for not only Superkombat’s future