Hi Gene. I'm glad that I could tell you some interesting things. Shelia, I have seen some riuals at my gradparents some years ago LOL, but I had never blood on my forehead. Maybe that is a tradition on other sides of my country; as I found this on many stories I decided to write it there so. Some rituals I have to confess that I have never seen, just heard from people from mountine vilages! As Romania has many parts I wanted to present you something lets say general. Judy, glad to see you too. I can assure you it is not depressing. The only thing I never liked it was the moment when the pig is brought out of his cottage and its not alowed to go where it would like to. And than Its screaming pretty ugly (like Kaspersky antivirus LOL) But usualy the one who kill the pig is a, lets say, very skilled person - surgen - and he knows how to kill him fast and painless. And one more thing; as I saied I have seen this kind of procedure at my grandparents and as far as I could see there that was more something done in order to have what to cook than a ritual. We kill animals to cook as anybody else. Only here many people rise their own animals and prepare them as their taste want and not just buy the meat from the supermarket made as some buchery does. I can assure you everybody who came here and taste our home made food is delighted. That is mainly true for the villages as in towns there are very few possibilities to rise and kill pigs or other animals. And that is why everybody who has relatives in villages they try to spend their Christmas there. I'm sory that in my family there is no such possibility. We are city people after my grandparents has passed away. Hope I haven't done too many mistakes as this time I haven't checked my spelling.