CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS

ROMANIA
Romanians spend the Christmas holiday in a special way, which is closely connected with
traditions and customs which are deeply rooted in centuries-old history, elements of the
rituals performed today remind us of the Neolithic age. A very long time ago, in south-
east of Europe, Christmas was a solstice celebration and the inhabitants of the area
celebrated the solar deity bearing a similar name. The denomination “Mos” indicates the
worshipped character’s old age, a character that must die in order to be reborn at the
same time with the New Year. In many European countries, Christmas and the New Year
were jointly celebrated on December 25th, and the custom was preserved in Romanian
Principalities until the end of the 19th century. The memory of those days continues to
be alive in the collective memory of several dwelling places from Banat (Western
Romania) and Transylvania (Central Romania), since The New Year is also known as Little
Christmas. In Romanian Culture, Santa Claus, Mos Ajun’s elder brother, identified as
Saturn, the Roman god and as Mithra, the Iranian God, is an ambivalent character, having
miraculous powers typical for the heroes of folk tales, as well as shortcomings typical for
the mortals. As an apocryphal character, Santa Claus was born “before all the saints”,
being “the shepherds’ leader from the village where Jesus was born“. Santa Claus
appears in big houses and stables full of cattle, as a rich, elderly man, an old shepherd
with a beard of snow.
 THE COLINDA
The Colinda caroling ceremony: "During the first hours after dark on
Christmas' Eve is the time for children to go caroling and the adults
stay home to greet them. As they go caroling from house to house, the
children receive treats like candy, fruit, baked treats and sometimes
even money in appreciation of their performance and as a sign of
holiday good will."
 BUHAIU
Buhaiu: a "bull-roarer" is a piece of wood with a string through it [when pulled] produces a
deep sound like the lowing of a bullock
Sorcova: paper flowers from the slavonic for 'bough'
Capra/Brezaia/Turca: carol-singers are sometimes accompanied by bogeys known as
brezaia, capra or turca—that is, men with the head of a goat or bull and a long beak which
claps now and again, when pulled by a string. They go from house to house, and dance and
recite verses, mostly of a satirical turn
The ritual sequences commencing the celebration of Christmas begin
on December 20th, also known as the “Ignat’s day”, a day when a
pig is sacrificed so that ritual food can be prepared for the Christmas
feast out of its meat. Next comes Christmas Eve when the carolling
begins, children being the first to perform this ritual, clustered in
groups that will open with the carol “Oh, What Wondrous Tidings”
(“O, ce veste minunata”), “Three Wise Men coming from the East”
( “Trei Crai de la rasarit”), usually known as the ‘star songs’.