2. •FOR THE ROMANIANS CHRISTMAS
IS A AN OCCASION OF gREAT
CElEbRATION. THE wINTER
HOlYDAYS bEgIN ON THE 24TH
OF
DECEMbER wITH CAROlS ,
DECORATION OF THE CHRISTMAS
TREE AND pREpARATIONS FOR
CHRISTMAS DINNER ON THE 25TH
.
•gROUpS OF All AgES , DRESSED
IN TRADITIONAl COSTUMES, STOp
AT EACH HOUSE AND SINg
CAROlS. THEY ARE REwARDED
wITH ApplES, NUTS AND SwEETS.
THEY COME AT NIgHT AS THIS IS
A RITUAl TO wAkE Up THE HOSTS
TO ANNOUNCE THE bIRTH OF
CHRIST. !
3. TRADITION SAYS THAT THE
CHRISTMAS TREE MUST bE
DECORATED ON CHRISTMAS
EvE, DECEMbER 24. AN
ANgEl OR STAR IS plACED
ON TOp OF THE TREE,
REpRESENTINg ANgElS OR
THE STAR OF bETHlEHEM.
THE CHIlDREN ARE THE
ONES wHO DECORATE IT
SINgINg CAROlS AD HOpINg
THAT SANTA ClAUS wIll
bRINg THEM lOTS OF gIFTS!
4. The RiTual of slaughTeRing The
pig, called “ignaT” ,aRound
chRisTmas, RemembeRs The
animal sacRifices pRacTiced by
The ancienT people (egypTians,
gReeks, Romans) in peRiods of
TRansiTion fRom one yeaR To
anoTheR oR fRom season To
season. by This sacRifice, The
old dies and a new life
blossoms, ThaT of The new yeaR.
The family paRTicipaTes aT This
sacRifice and pRepaRes all
soRTs of meaT pRoducTs:
sausages, ham, and so on.
chRisTmas is pReceded by 6
weeks duRing which we don’T
consume animal pRoducTs so The
meaT will be seRved only afTeR
aTTending chRisTmas mass on
chRisTmas moRning !
5. on The moRning of decembeR
25Th eveRyone aTTends holy
mass and Then chRisTmas
dinneR .
gRadually begin To emeRge
The childRen wiTh The "sTaR".
They pReach ThaT Jesus was
boRn and Talk abouT The ThRee
magi. The woRship of The magi
and whaT They gave To The holy
infanT geneRaTed The cusTom of
chRisTmas gifTs. This inspiRed
sanTa claus as a myThical
chaRacTeR who shaRes
chRisTmas gifTs To childRen.
They find pResenTs undeR The
chRisTmas TRee on chRisTmas
eve and aRe Told ThaT sanTa
came while They weRe sleeping.
The “sTaR” is a song of The
childRen, They aRe inviTed in
eveRy house and given sweeTs
oR monney.
6. The game of The “goaT” is an
ancienT cusTom,
RepResenTaTive oveR cenTuRies
of populaR spiRiTualiTy and
TRadiTions belonging To The
Romanian winTeR. iT is kepT
Today in mosT Romanian
seTTlemenTs, specialy in The
villages of moldova. iT is a
mask accompanied
by a noisy gRoup of men wiTh
musical insTRumenTs. iT is
played To bRing good foRTune
and abundance. finally The "
goaT "is killed, simbolysing
The yeaR ThaT ends and
symbolically buRied.
7. “Plugusorul” is an ancient
agrarian custom that is
Practiced today, esPecially in
moldova. dressed in warm
clothes with hats decorated
with colored ribbons and
holding in their hands whiPs
and bells, boys and men start
to carol relatives and
neighbors. some carry with
them a “buhai”, a sPecific
musical instrument made from a
wooden barrel and sheePskin,
through which it is Pulled a
strand of horse hair, it
Produces a hollow sound,
similar of an ox. after the
necessary greetings,
housewives reward them with
aPPles, Pretzels, nuts or
money.
this is one of the oldest
traditions of the romanian
PeoPle.
8. the masks of moldova games
are archaic customs,
agricultural and Pastoral
tradition of thousands of
years, taking Place on the
occasion of new year.
strong, violent,
unPredictable and sometimes
cruel, the bear is a revered
animal in ancient times,
considered as the forest
sPirit, a suPreme master of
cosmic energy and a symbol
of fecundity.
the dance with masks
symbolizes the death and
resurrection of nature. this
has the role to banish
demons from houses and
households.
9. christmas beliefs
•in bucovina, on christmas eve Put
bread on the table and a glass of
water, it is believed that the souls of
the dead come to their homes that
night, taste the bread and wet the
mouth with water.
•it is believed that at midnight,
towards christmas, the water turns
into wine, and the beasts can talk.
•to dream of green wheat in the
christmas eve is a good sign that the
coming year is to be rich.
•the carols gained a Precise
destination as a form of good magic,
influencing in a Positive way, the lives
of PeoPle and nature.
•it is believed that the first four
days, from december 24, corresPond to
the four seasons in order: first day of
sPring , the second is summer, third and
fourth autumn and winter showing how
