ABSTRACT. Mellish claims that the Transylvanian Calusari is only found in its old form in the Banat mountains and Hunedoara county (it is performed between Christmas and the New Year, and is known by the name Calutul or Calusarul). Giurchescu writes that the calusari wear a special costume consisting of a white embroidered shirt, white trousers tucked into knee-high, richly embroidered socks, bells tied under the knees, and opinci with metal spurs called pinteni. Calus is deeply rooted in Romania's ancient cultural strata.