Romanian Christmas traditions include caroling from house to house, where children carry a decorated wooden star and sing songs in exchange for gifts. Families decorate their homes and celebrate with meals including cabbage rolls, pork, and wine. On New Year's Eve, villagers go house to house with a plow symbolizing prosperity. The annual sacrificing of a pig is an important family gathering where the meat is divided and eaten happily.

1. By Teslaru Stefan

2. Christmas traditions
 On the first day of Christmas , many
carolers walk through the streets
, holding a star made of cardboard and
paper, with biblical scenes painted on
it .
 Tradition in Romania requires that
children go from house to house
, singing carols and reciting poems and
legends, throughout the Christmas.
 The leader carries with him a wooden
star , covered with foil and decorated
with bells and colored ribbons.

3. Christian carols
 Carol’s tradition embedded in it not only the song and
ritual gesture, but numerous messages and symbols of
an ancient Romanian spirituality. He is sometimes held
in association with the celebration of the biggest
Christian event which is the birth of our lord Jesus
Christ. On Christmas Eve, at dusk, in all villages in the
country, carols begins. Children with star herald
Christmas, and are greeted with joy by hosts rewarding
them with apples, nuts and coils.
 Advent is over and everyone can enjoy the food ritual:
preparations of pork, cabbage rolls, coils and cakes,
cookies and wine.

4. Decorating the Christmas Tree
 Every year, starting on December 6, starts the winter
season. In Brasov, every winter was installed a huge tree
that was decorated by the authorities. This tree is the
main attraction during the holidays, thanks to its huge
measurements, but also because decorations.

5. Decorating classrooms
 Our high school has a tradition around the holidays.
 This tradition is to decorate classrooms, as a
contest, and what is very important, all classes are
involved, and the result is amazing.
 Students show incredible creativity and teamwork.
 At the end of the contest is declared the winner class
that receives as a reward for their efforts, a chocolate
cake.

6. Pictures from the contest

7. Cabbage rolls
 Preparation :
Peel onion, cut into small
pieces and put to cook in
oil.When onion becomes
glassy add a teaspoon of
paprika and mix . When onion
is cooked enough ,add rice and
cook about 2 more minutes.
Put ground pork in a bowl, add
salt and pepper to taste and
stir.

8.  Over this mixture add onion
and rice tempered and
cooled in advance, stirring
mixture until smooth.
Stretch leaf on wood, put a
tablespoon of filling on the
leaf and then wrap the
cabbage roll. Put them to
boil on medium heat about
2 hours.

9. New Year Eve
 On December 31, the villagers go
from house to house to plow
, wishing them a "prosperous new
year“.
 On January 1, children throw
wheat above the neighbors
threshold , wishing them
prosperity and "good seed".

10. New Year’s Eve Traditions
 Carol “Plugusorul” presents a
historical fact myth , about
Emperor Trajan which extends to
a maximum Dacia’s agriculture
, which had to become granary of
the Roman Empire.
 Plow is a general
custom, practiced by romanians
on the occasion of New Year.
(Plugusorul)

11. The annual sacrifice of the pig
 Today, the sacrificing of the pig
is an opportunity to gather the
familly.
 Men stab and cut the pig, then
they scorch it with straws
raised during the year.
 After the man make the sign of
the cross with a knife on the
top of the pig, his wife divides
the meat in categories.

12.  The meat is chosen for
sausages, for grill, legs are
used for jelly and so on.
 To be eaten with
pleasure, everybody must
be happy, and cheer with
wine around the pig.

13.  Plugusorul as Sorcova is recited
from house to house on New
Year's Eve evening , or until the
morning of the first day of the
new year.
 It was practiced by children and
adolescents, as now. But it is
said that long ago, it was
practiced only by adult males. (Sorcova)

14.  “ The Goat “ originally
was, of course, a serious
ceremony, a religious
element. In the agrarian
holiday game became a
ritual meant to bring
fruitfulness the following
year, yields success - invoked
and evoked by the beans
, thrown by the host over the
“goats” cortege.