CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS IN ROMANIA

1
CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS IN ROMANIA
2
SAINT IGNATIUS

• In Romania winter celebrations take place from
  the 20th of December to the 7th of January.
• Christmas begins with the tradition of Saint
  Ignatius Day.
• St. Ignatius is celebrated on the 20th of
  December when people prepare different products
  made of pork and invite the neighbours to a meal
  to share the traditional sarmale (meatballs in
  sour cabbage leaves), the sausages and other
  delicious dishes.
• There is also the old ritual of sacrificing the
  pig which celebrates the agrarian spirit.

3
Christmas carols

• On the 24th of December children go carol
  singing. They sing Good morning Christmas and
  they are rewarded with apples, buns, sweets or
  money.

4

• The rules of singing carols are well-set. On
  Christmas Eve only the children the symbols of
  purity are allowed to go from house to house
  with bells and whips to sing. The carols are
  religious verses about Christs birth entitled
  The Star, In the city of Viflaim or The
  three Eastern Kings

5

• On Christmas Eve the whole family help to
  decorate the fir tree with globes, tinsel and
  candy. The children put some milk in a glass and
  cookies on a plate for Santa Claus who will put
  the presents under the Christmas tree during the
  night.

6

• On Christmas Day, while the family is gathered
  around the table, groups of people dressed in
  traditional costumes go from house to house and
  perform ritual dances with masks. They are called
  The Goat and The Bear and they are supposed
  to banish all evil from the community.

7
Christs Epiphany

• On the 6th of January Romanians celebrate the
  Epiphany. The archbishop throws a cross into the
  waters of the Black Sea and some brave men dive
  in to retrieve it. This marks the end of the
  winter celebrations.