CBRN event in Romania on Wed 31st December 2025

The Romanian riot police used tear gas and clashed with groups of young men from a village who wanted to celebrate New Years by participating in a centuries old local folk tradition of fighting with sticks while dressed in animal furs and intimidating masks. The “Ciomăgeală” takes place every year in the village of Ruginoasa” in Iași County on the morning of December 31st. The centuries-old custom is centered around two groups of masked young men from the village’s “deal” (hill/uphill) and “vale” (valley/downhill) sides symbolically clash with sticks (ciomege) at dawn. It’s meant to be a ritual fight for bragging rights, but it has historically turned violent. 200 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were deployed this year to monitor and prevent real violence. Some participants tried to bypass police cordons and take an unauthorized route to confront the rival group directly. To stop the escalation and avoid physical contact between the two sides, gendarmes used tear gas (gaze lacrimogene) to disperse the crowd and force compliance. The intervention prevented a full-scale fight, and the event ended symbolically (with groups presenting greetings at the town hall) without major injuries. In 2011, several participants were severely injuries injured, with one man paralysed from the waist down and another losing his life. Authorities now treat it as high-risk, enforcing rules to keep it symbolic and safe. Any attempt to carry out real violence triggers intervention these days.