New TDS Chapter: in Russia

It pleases us to announce  the establishment of a TSD chapter in Russia  (following the translation of Bram Stoker's   "Dracula").

The president is a professor of English in Moscow  -  Mrs. Ekaterina Buley, who sampled a society tour, liked it, joined the TSD and applied for the incorporation of a chapter in Russia.  "Approved", said the Count.   Ekaterina is the one who translated a website of ours into Russian (www.transylvaniatour.com).  As a result,  the first 8  Russian romantics will join this year's society "Halloween in Transylvania"  -  alongside Americans, Greeks, Romanians etc.

The TSD members traveling to Moscow, should use this new Chapter as their lighthouse for cultural and  tourist orientation  (Ekaterina is well-connected to a major Travel Agency there - "Vostok" - so you can avail of decent prices and services.).

Here are Ekaterina's coordinates in Moscow:

 E-mail:  albulej@yandex.ru

Cell-phone:  007 907 771  1081

 

HALLOWEEN  in  TRANSYLVANIA  2007

A full description of this year's,  society Halloween is posted in both our websites:

www.mysteriousjourneys.com  and  www.transylvaniatour.com ,   under "Dracula tours". 

Unlike the years before, the Miss Transylvania contest of October 30 will be restricted to the willing ladies participating in this tour, only.  Everything comes at a price, though:  the elected Miss needs to accept her conversion into Countess Dracula during the Halloween party: for just one year.

OBITUARY

The Transylvanian Society of Dracula (Romania) mourns the demise of one of its founder-members,

Prof. Dr. Virgil Candea  (80), Fellow of the Romanian Academy, historian of great repute and promoter of cultural Romania and of the dialogue with other cultures.  Prof.  Candea, the historian, was also a graduate of the Institute of Theology. Between 1998 - 2002 he held the position of vice-president of the Romanian Academy of Science.  Prof. Candea will continue to advise the TSD from Beyond, through his 300 books of very high scholarly value, including accounts of Romanian artistic and cultural assets held abroad and a "History of Transylvania" in English, published in 1982 in New York  (written together with Acad. Cornelia Bodea).

THE   TSD   CONFERENCE  in  MAY  2008

The Transylvanian Society of Dracula holds its next annual conference in Romania between  May 23-25,  2008,   on  "THE  VAMPIRE  and  THE  DEVIL"  - a debate involving compared folklore, religions, literature and cultural anthropology,  tracing the destiny, the evolution of the vampire in the Age of Christianity, Enlightment, Cartesianism and post-industrialism.             

A tiny scene in the grand fresco of   "The Last Judgment"   on the outer wall of Voronet monastery  (Bucovina, Romania),  made almost 500 years a, shows an Angel and a Devil cooperating in punishing an evil man, upon his death  -  a rare instance in which the contraries agree, for once, on a joint course of action  Has our perception of the role of Evil changed ever since?  Did the devil manage to replace the Vampire, or has the vampire prevailed, acquiring devilish qualities?

Abstracts of intended papers should be sent for the approval of the Organizing Committee till  April 10,  2008  -  on  cdt@rdsmail.ro   or   np@transylvaniatour.com , accompanied by a brief  curriculum vitae of the speaker.  For pressing questions, please call the TSD president  on 0040 722 599 099.  We count on the contribution of the learned clergy, of folklorists,  of experts in compared religions, literature, anthropology and esoterism.

Information and bookings:  the Logistics  -  "Company of Mysterious Journeys"  2Av. Darian st., suite 10,

Bucharest 1, Romania. 

E-mails:  cdt@rdsmail.ro  and  company@mysteriousjourneys.com                

The TSD will update you on the conference  in the TSD page in www.transylvaniatour.com  and in the "Latest News  of  www.mysteriousjourneys.com