Romania joined the Schengen zone, and the first one to cross the newly open border between Romania and Hungary was a dog.
Everyone thinks this is a cute news story.
Except folklorists, who are looking like 
@marquisedewhat@ohai.social@TarkabarkaHolgy what’s the interpretation from folklore?
@marquisedewhat @TarkabarkaHolgy I'm also curious
@marquisedewhat @TarkabarkaHolgy Romania struck a deal with the devil: If he manages to open the border, the first soul to cross it will be his. In good tradition, Romania sent a dog to cross first. (Could have also been a sheep or a raven).
@belchion @marquisedewhat Yep! It's a pan-European legend motif that a newly built bridge or doorway is crossed by an animal first so the devil (which helped build them) can take it. :D
@juergen_hubert probably knows more
@TarkabarkaHolgy @belchion @marquisedewhat The most well-known examples of this are Aachen Cathedral (wolf) and Regensburg Bridge (dog).
@juergen_hubert @TarkabarkaHolgy @belchion @marquisedewhat *crashes through to ruin the fun* I saw the video of the real ceremony and the real deal was actually super cute and wholesome complete with fireworks and playing our EU anthem. 
@juergen_hubert @TarkabarkaHolgy @belchion @marquisedewhat Greek tradition tends to say that you have to offer a sacrifice during the construction of a bridge in order for the bridge not to collapse. The bridge of Arta is famous for a song that describes such a sacrifice.
@jbqueru @TarkabarkaHolgy @belchion @marquisedewhat There are also a lot of German folk tales claiming that an out-of-wedlock child must be walled into the foundations of a major building alive in order to protect the building from harm.
@lienrag @jbqueru @TarkabarkaHolgy @belchion @marquisedewhat
...yes, German folk tales are prone to turning on you in that way. 
@TarkabarkaHolgy @juergen_hubert @belchion @jbqueru Wonder how the Freemasons have interpreted these kinds of classical tales throughout the years.
@marquisedewhat @TarkabarkaHolgy @belchion @jbqueru I dunno, though German folk tales _about_ Freemasons are full of human sacrifices.
@TarkabarkaHolgy @belchion @marquisedewhat @juergen_hubert Ooooh I did not know! Thanks for explaining!
@TarkabarkaHolgy @belchion @marquisedewhat @juergen_hubert
I read this some hours ago and I'm still giggling.
"Aww such a cute tradition 
"
Haha made my day
@TarkabarkaHolgy @belchion @marquisedewhat @juergen_hubert
I first encountered it in James Joyce's book for children, The Cat and the Devil... I hadn't seen it otherwise in far-western Europe.