Christmas customs in Maramures

County
Maramures is a wonderful region in Northern Romania where
winters are rich in snow and local culture is unique and has
been preserved for centuries.

Christmas traditions are very much alive in Maramures, where

customs are still well perserved, not only in the villages, but in
towns as well. Starting from the youngest child to the oldest
person, everybody attends Christmas preparations.
The holiday has three steps: first is the preparation time, the
one where the people clean their houses, the yard and the
graves. The second step is the Christmas Eve and the days
after it until the last day of December, followed by the last
stage which is the New Year (named also as the Little
Christmas) and the Epiphany (Boboteaza).

The period preceding Christmas begins with the slaughtering

of the pig, which takes place on Ignat day or St. Ignatius
(December 20th). In the villages of Maramureş, the blood of
the animal is used to mark children, in order to make them
healthier and stronger. Then, the preparations for caroling
begin, followed by the household cleaning, decorating the
Christmas tree and cooking traditional dishes.
On Christmas Eve they whitewash the trees and bind them
with straws to have fruits in abundance. On this day, children
need to eat pumpkin, to be ruddy and plump all year round.
The Christmas tree is decorated with willow twigs, colored
paper and garlands on which beans are strung.
On the evening of December 24th, children and young people
start caroling. In Maramureş, the ritual aims to bring about
fruitful crops, fulfillment in marriage and raising young
children. The children go from house to house with The Star
(,,Steaua" in Romanian, a singing procession) or the Goat
("Capra", a dancing tradition, with masks), in exchange for
good wishes, apples, nuts, ,,colaci" (round breads common in
Eastern Europe) and money. The carolers start from the
priest's house and do not stop until they cross the threshold of
every household, mimicking the itinerary of the heralding
Magi.
The houses must be lit all throughout Christmas Eve and the
gates must stay open to show the carolers that they are
welcomed by the hosts. A very old custom preserved in this
area is that of ,,theBrondoşi" practiced in Cavnic town. Troops
of 7 to 15 boys get dressed in traditional costumes, adorned
with small bells and cowbells and on their faces they wear
sheepskin masks. The elders say that the embrace of the
,,brondoşi" keeps evil spirits away and brings good luck the
following year.
On Christmas Eve, on the Iza Valley they perform “the
Viflaim”, a play enacting the birth of Jesus.