The old name of December is "Undrea". This comes from St. Andrew�s
celebration (November 30th), which announces the beginning of the
month. In the old language, "Andrew" (Romanian: Andrei) became in time"Andrea" and then "Undrea".
Naming a month of the year after a feast of the previous month reminds
of an ancient cycle of celebrations from the end of the autumn and the
beginning of the winter, when the Dacian New Year was probably
celebrated.
December is the month of snow, when the peasants' economic activity
reduces, leaving the place for the ritual and spiritual preparations.
The celebrations of this month are:
December 4: St. Varvara
St. Varvara is the miners' patron. In order to celebrate her, they
don�t enter the mine on this day, but party instead. It is said that
the saint likes parties and jokes.
Some say that St. Varvara is St. Nicholas' mother or sister.
Other beliefs say that the saint is one of the three stars situated
near the moon. These stars are guarding the world from Antihart, who
wants to eat it.
December 4-5: "Bubat' Days"
Women are forbidden to sew, to weave or wash clothes these ways. It is
believed that by doing this, their children will be protected from
chicken-pox (in Romanian "buba" means blain). In order to immunize
them, mothers put honey on their face and then wash them with the water
in which the icon was washed first. Also, children aren't allowed to
eat corn, bean or pumpkin seeds on these days.
In some areas, women bake two pies, one with honey and one with jam. The first is doled and the last is put at the eaves.
December 6: St. Nicholas
Folk tradition says that St. Nicholas is the second sanctified man. He
sits on God's left side (St. Michael is on the right) and guards the
Sun.
Legend goes that the Sun, bored of walking always on the same road and
disgusted of the human sins, continuously tries to escape. St. Nicholas
doesn�t guard the Sun alone. He is helped by St. Toader. St. Toader
catches the Sun in spring (when it is his celebration) and St. Nicholas
catches it in the winter. The Sun always tries to escape because he
knows that St. Nicholas is old and he doesn�t have a horse.
Other beliefs present St. Nicholas as the patron of those who travel on
water. He was a seaman, the only one who didn�t drown during a strong
storm. His prayers to God brought the others back to life. St. Nicholas
also stopped the torrents from the times of Noah.
In Romanian peasant�s life, St. Nicholas plays a very important role. A
legend goes that St. Casian (celebrated on February 29) complained to
God that he isn�t so important. Meantime, St. Nicholas arrived, all wet
and tired, after having helped the entire night to the rescue of some
people. Then God told to St. Casian that the important saints work hard
and also told to leave and return after another 4 years.
For the peasant, the winter starts on St. Nicholas� day. It is said
that when the saint shakes his beard, it starts snowing on earth.
The custom of receiving gift on St. Nicholas� day (especially candies)
doesn�t have its roots in the folk Romanian tradition, but in the urban
culture, thus anticipating the coming of Santa Claus.
St. Nicholas is also the one who helps the poor girls.
December 12: St. Spiridon
St. Spridon is a miracle maker. It is said that on this time of the
year, the day increases as much as a rooster jumps from the fence.
He is the shoemakers� patron. In order to prove the existence of the
Holy Trinity, he squeezed a brick until the fire rose to the sky, the
water fell on earth and the clay remained in his fist.
A legend goes that, while walking on earth accompanied by St. Peter,
St. Spiridon saw a devil riding a woman in a bush. To punish them, he
beheaded them with his sword. Because St. Peter chewed him out for
having being to rough, St. Spiridon clued their heads, but each at the
wrong body. That is the reason for which it is said that women have
sometimes devil heads.
December 20: the �Ignat�
The legend goes that Ignat was a man who, wanting to butcher his pig in
a year, fatally hit his father with the hatchet and killed him.
Wretched, he left away. One day he met a priest in his roads. This
priest advised him to make himself a boat and use it for helping people
cross the river, without receiving money in return. He also told him to
burry a bush coal in the ground and wait until it blooms. Ignat
listened to the priest. The years passed by and Ignat got married.
One night, he heard cries for help coming from the other bank. He
watched, but didn�t see anything. The cries were heard again. Ignat
crossed the river once again, but without results. The third time he
saw two old men. He received them in his house and related them his
first sin (the killing of his father) and the other two (he thought
that people died on that night because he couldn�t help them). The old
men (God and St. Peter) saw the poverty from Ignat�s house. They saw
the children who were starving and their mother telling them the lie
that she had put something to bake in the oven. One of the old men told
her to look in the oven and she found a big bread. Seeing this and
seeing also how two candles lighted by their own in the front of them,
Ignat realized who these two men were, kneeled and kissed their feet.
God asked him to come with them, assuring him that He will take care of
the children. The bush from the garden bloomed, as a sign that Ignat�s
sin had been forgiven. Ignat traveled the world for many years,
accompanying the two men. One day they encountered a carriage of some
rich boyars. God told him that those were his sons and let them go with
them.
As on all major celebrations, working isn�t allowed on Ignat�s day.
Women who don�t follow this rule are punished by Inatoarea, a character
similar to Joimarita.
The pig is killed on this day. The people who don�t have a pig must at
least kill and cook a hen, because it is recommended to see blood.
The ritual of killing the pig is an ancient remain of the belief that
sacrifices must be done at the change of the year. People are afraid
that otherwise the Sun won�t rise again. In the old times, the pig
symbolized the spirit of the corn and of the vegetation.
The Ignat�s day is especially dedicated to killing the pig. Pigs that aren�t killed on this day won�t grow fatter anymore.
The killing of the this animal is done in a certain moment of the day, especially in the morning.
It is believed that in the night before, the pig dreams his death or dreams himself wearing red beads at the neck.
Merciful people should not assist at the killing of the pig, otherwise
the animal dies slowly and its meat isn�t good anymore. When the pig is
killed, some peasant say: �Ignat, Ignat, fat pig�.
After having killed the pig, its head is weighed. It is said that the
body is ten times heavier. People draw a cross on their children�s
forehead, using pig blood, in order to protect them from the illness.
It is said that the lard from a black pig is good for making spells.
The people who have helped at killing the animal receive the �pig�s alms�.
December 24: Christmas Eve
On Christmas Eve, groups of children or men go to the other village
houses and sing traditional carols named �colinde�. These carols have
kept until our days the oldest form of the Romanian folk poetry. These
songs communicate wishes of health, good harvests, handsome young men
and beautiful working girls, marriages, success in various occupations
� the major problems of the peasant�s life.
The name of �colinda� comes from the Latin �calendae�. At Romans, the
�calendae� were the first days of each month. Calendae Ianuarii marked
the beginning of the new administrative year. On this occasion, wishes
were sent, gifts were given and the future was predicted. In the
Eastern Roman Empire especially, people disguised themselves.
Not everyone can sing carols. Usually only children, lads and younger men are accepted.
People go to sing carols in bands (�ceata�), which are formed long time
before Christmas Eve. The bands have a well established leader and they
meet in a house to repeat the carols. The bands play a very important
role in transmitting the old customs from generation to generation. It
is said that a young man, once entered a band, becomes a man. On the
other hand, in some places it is believed that the man who entered a
band is abandoned by his guarding angel for 6 weeks. During all this
time, he is not allowed to enter the church and if he died, he would be
considered a pagan.
The band is formed of 2-3 up up to dozens of carol singers and
represents the collectivity. The band goes from house to house (but not
to the mournful ones) and transmits wishes of well being. The master of
the house is always asked if he receives the carol (�colinda�). Those
who don�t receive it are mocked at. The carol is first sung at the door
or at the window, announcing the celebration. Then, inside the house,
the great carol, named �the householder�s carol� is sung. The carol
singers receive drinks and food: decorated ring biscuits, smoke-dried
meet, sausages, eau-de-vie or wine.
In some regions, the carols are accompanied by a
musical instrument (flute, bagpipe, clarinet or violin).
Considering that a period in which the spirits of the dead are believed
to come down on earth follows, food for the dead is also placed on the
table prepared on Christmas Eve� grinded nuts cakes, doused in sugar
syrup; �coliva� (corn boiled with honey) or boiled plums. All this food
is doled on Christmas morning.
December 25: Christmas
Christmas has both Christian and pagan origins. On Christmas day, the
born of Jesus Christ is celebrated, but also on December 25 the Romans
celebrated the birth of god Mithra, celebration imported from the
orient by the Roman soldiers (this celebration was called �Natalis
Solis Invicti�). Also in this period, during December 17 and December
23, the Roman �Saturnalii� were celebrated.
Scholars say that only the fires lit on December 25th and the round
form of the bread have remained today from the ancient solar cult.
Christmas marks the beginning of an entire folk cycle, dominated by
ancient customs and celebrations. This 12 days cycle (December 25 �
January 6) symbolizes the 12 months of the year. During this period the
year grows up, gets older and finally dies. In the folk tradition, the
saints also have the same characteristics: at the beginning of the
year, the young saints are celebrated; the mature saints follow and
then, at the end of the year, people celebrate the old saints. Not only
the year grows older, but the saints also.
The 12 years folk cycle is symmetrical and contains two periods: the
one between December 25 and the New Year midnight and the one between
the New Year midnight and �Boboteaza� (or baptism, on January 6). The
first part of the cycle begins on Christmas day and is an evil period.
On these days, the time degrades, the night grows, the spirits of the
dead go around on earth and the ancestors are invocated. Remains of
ancient orgiastic rituals can be found in some regions. The idea that
the spirits of the dead come on earth has its origins in an old belief.
According to this, before the beginning of a new year, the natural
order of things is annulled and the time and space go back to the
initial chaos state. That�s why all the rituals from these 12 days are
meant to symbolically restore the world.
Cakes and round jumbles are put
on the Christmas table. These are also offered to the carol singers, to
the priest and to godfathers and some are doled for the dead. Sometimes
this food is given together with pork and wine bottles.
The custom of decorating the tree and the custom of giving gifts
haven�t folk origins. They were taken later (the end of the 19th
century), from the Occident.
According to the Romanian tradition, Christmas (Rom.: Craciun) is a
white bearded old man, shepherd and brother of �Ajun� (Christmas Eve).
He rides a white gimp horse.
A legend presents Craciun as a rich man whom Virgin Mary asked to help
her when the time for birth came and she was in front of his house.
Craciun refused, but his wife, Craciuneasa, a good woman, called Virgin
Mary in the stable and helped her to give birth to Jesus.
When she returned to the house, Craciun saw the blood on his wife�s
hands. He punished her for not having listened to him, by cutting her
hands from the elbows. Virgin Mary told Craciuneasa to put her hands in
the water where the baby child had been washed. This way the woman got
new golden hands. Craciun, impressed by the miracle happened in front
of his eyes, became a Christian, thus being the first saint (the second
one is Saint Nicholas).
Other beliefs tell that Santa Close (Romanian: Mos Craciun) is an
ancient local god, who dies and revives on the solstice. He is
symbolized by the wood which is burnt during the celebration and by the
sacrifice of the pig.
December 27: St. Stephen
There are no special customs in order to celebrate the third day of
Christmas. Though, this day is celebrated because there are many people
who have St. Stephen�s name. He was the first saint who confessed his
faith in Jesus Christ.
December 31 / January 1: New Year (the Little Christmas)
In the past, New Year was first celebrated in the autumn and then in
the spring. It was believed that in the days which constitute the
passing from one year to another (the equinoxes, moments which marked
the equality of day with the night), the forces of nature could
influence the people�s life.
The beginning of the new year was also correlated to the beginning of a
new vegetation cycle, thus explaining its celebration on March 1.
The year symbolizes the Sun (the solar cult replaced the old fecundity
one, dating from Bronze Age). The year is called Old Year before its
death at midnight and New Year after it revives.
Dacians also celebrated the New Year on March 1st. By an administrative
law, the Romans moved it to January 1st, because the beginning of the
new year marked at them the appointment of the new consuls.
In the Romanian folklore, the passing from one year to another is
marked by a 12 days cycle (December 25 � January 6), occasion for the
most exuberant folk rituals.
The 12 days symbolize the 12 months of the year. During this period the
year grows up, gets older and finally dies. In the folk tradition, the
saints also have the same characteristics: at the beginning of the
year, the young saints are celebrated; the mature saints follow and
then, at the end of the year, people celebrate the old saints. Not only
the year grows older, but the saints also.
The 12 years folk cycle is symmetrical and contains two periods: the
one between December 25 and the New Year midnight and the one between
the New Year midnight and �Boboteaza� (or baptism, on January 6). The
first part of the cycle begins on Christmas day and is an evil period.
On these days, the time degrades, the night grows, the spirits of the
dead go around on earth and the ancestors are invocated.
Remains of ancient orgiastic rituals can be found in some regions. The
second period is characterized by divination and casting out of evil
spirits rituals. The idea that the spirits of the dead come on earth
has its origins in an old belief. According to this, before the
beginning of a new year, the natural order of things is annulled and
the time and space go back to the initial chaos state. That�s why all
the rituals from these 12 days are meant to symbolically restore the
world.
The New Year night, which marks the middle, the passing between the two
periods, is very important for the Romanian peasants. This night marks
the moment in which the Old Year is buried, by ritually putting out a
light (a fire) and a New Year is born, symbolized by relighting the
fire.
In the night between the years, the peasants don�t sleep. It is
believed that the one who sleeps will be lazy the next year. This is
the night when purification and casting out evil spirits rituals are
done. In order to achieve this, the cattle is passed through fire, wood
pitch or bad smelling products are burnt, people jump over the fire,
splutter them with water or bath themselves in the river. The door
stills, the animals and all family are dabbed with garlic and big noise
is done in order to scare the malefic spirits.
Young men, grouped in bands, go with the �Plugusor� or �Buhai� or practice
mask
plays. Some people believe that the mask plays from the New Year�s Eve
symbolize the ancestors� spirits. The mimic plays, with animal masks or
with disguised characters, are the oldest creations of the folk theater.
In the New Year�s night, girls try to dream their husbands, by putting basil under their tongue before going to sleep.
The old men, sitting by the fire, try to see in the onion leaves, in
the burnt oak and beech woods and in the weather how the following year
will be.
In order to do this, they take 12 onion leaves and fill half of each
one with salt. Each leaf is given the name of a month. In the next
morning, of St. Vasile�s day, the onion leaves are �read�. If water is
in the leaf, the related month will be rainy. If the salt is intact,
the month will be dry and if the salt is half dry and half wet, the
relative month will be capricious.
Another way of predicting the future is by guessing it in the coals
made of a single wood. These are put on the hearth and each one takes
the name of a cereal. In the next morning, their state is verified. The
cereal corresponding to the coal which became ashes will grow well in
the next year. If the coal is intact, that cereal will not grow and if
the coal is half made ashes, the bread will be scarce.
The people also predict the future by observing the weather. If there�s
a full moon on that night, the following year will be rich.
People believe that treasures can be seen burning on that night, but
only those which are seen after midnight can be dug out safely.
The
sky opens in that night, but only good people can see this.
The beasts talk one to each other, but people must not listen to them because they would be in danger of death.
Also on this evening, the children, gathered around the trees which
didn�t given fruits, symbolically threaten them with cutting if they
won�t fruit the next year.
Plugusorul (The Small Plough)
�Plugusorul� is one of the oldest and most beautiful Romanian
traditions. It is an old agrarian custom which symbolizes the main
occupation of the peasants.
On New Year�s Eve or even on New Year�s day, groups of men, having
whips, bells and a plough or a �buhai�, go to the village houses,
wishing agricultural wealth to the peasants. This custom is called the
�plugusor� (a small plough). The whips are made of hemp and they are
thick, in order to be heard as far as possible.
A real plough was used in the past. It was decorated with fir branches,
laces and colored paper. The plough was pulled by two or four oxes,
also decorated. Recently, a miniature plough has begun to be used, as a
symbol.
The �buhai� (an old Romanian word for �ox�) was a wooden jar, which had
a very flat goat or sheep skin on its mouth. Through the middle of the
skin some horse hairs were passed. They were wetted and pulled with the
hand, thus producing a noise resembling to the bellow of an ox. The
�plugusor� and �the buhai� are scarcely used together.
When a real plough is used, a list is made in the householder�s courtyard .
The carol singers recite the ploughing carol. They are accompanied by whip snaps, by �buhai� noises and by shouts.
The �plugusor� carol is finished by giving the same gifts as in the case of the carols � nuts, apples, pears, money etc.
The Mask Plays
The most important objects of these plays is the animal head, having a
wooden mobile beak and worn by a man accompanied by masked people.
The masks
are made of wood or goat, sheep or hare skin. The man who wears the
animal head hides under a carpet or a table cloth and moves the head by
using a rope. He leans on a stick on which the animal head, having two
horns decorated with bells and trumpery, is put. The men dance,
accompanied by
flute or bagpipe. After the New Year has passed, the represented animal was symbolically shot and buried.
The play is called �turca�, �bourita� (ox) or �cerb� (deer). In
Walachia, it is called �brezaia� and the represented animal is a goat,
a fox, a stork or a crane.
In Moldavia, the goat, the camel or the little deer have smaller and
less decorated horns and are accompanied by other animal masks (wolf,
fox, bear, horse, rooster, peacock, crane etc.) and by disguised
people, accompanied by flute or violin.
Vasilca
Gypsies used to name �Vasilca� the domesticated bears which they
carried with them through the villages. They gave the same name to the
pigs. This is the origin of the custom: �Vasilca� was a pig head,
variously decorated. Flowers, laces or green goods were used in this
purpose. On New Year�s Eve or on New Year�s day, they went with
�Vasilca�.
In the past, when Gypsies were still slaves, they asked the boyar the
head of the pig sacrificed on Christmas. This was decorated and taken
to the village houses. The men gave them money.
Today, the pig head is decorated with ear rings, beads, money,
artificial flowers, lace, silken kerchiefs and a mirror. The Gypsies
transmit to the people the wish that the fat pig would bring them a
wealthy new year. Instead, the householder offers them biscuits, wine,
pork or money.
The �Vergel�
The �Vergel� has three main forms.
The purpose of the first form, celebrated in the mountain villages from
Moldavia and Bucovina, is to predict the luck for the following year,
to know better the people and even to become relatives. The
participants are the parents who have girls for marrying.
The one who does the �Vergel� gathers all the things needed. A wine jar
is always among that. On New Year�s Eve, at 11 o� clock in the evening,
the man announces the gathering. The owner of the house puts a water
bowl on the clean table cloth. Those who want to know their future
throw a small object in the water (button, ring, key, ear ring, knife
etc.). They must recognize this object when it will be taken out. A
man, called �vergelator�, hits the bowl with a green branch and says
various things. After each wish, a child takes an object out of the
water. The predicted things will become reality for the owner of the
object. The �vergelator� also names a celebration or a saint to protect
that man.
After the wishes have finished, wine is put instead of water. Legends and jokes are told and the people dance until morning.
The second form of the �Vergel�, found all over the country, is meant
to find the future husbands. That�s why only girls participate. On New
Year�s Eve, they gather in a house. The leader of the celebration,
called �ursitoare�, puts various objects on the table � bread, water,
pepper, stone, coal, salt, knife, brush, comb, ring � and several
bowls, placed up side down. On turns, each girl gets out of the room
and the �ursitoare� hides the objects under the bowls. Then the girl
enters and chooses a bowl. The bread means that her husband will be as
good as fresh bread, healthy and pleasant. The water means that the
future husband will be good if the girl will treat him well. The pepper
symbolizes an angry, but loving man. If the girl chooses the stone, she
will not marry. The coal represents a handsome, but blackish man. The
salt means that the future husband will make her life pleasant. The
knife symbolizes an impulsive and ironical man. If the girl chooses the
brush, she�ll marry an old man from beyond the forest. The comb means a
tough, but good man. The ring symbolizes the engagement with a man from
her own village.
The purpose of the third form of the �Vergel� is to party. The
participants are the lads, but girls accompanied by their parents are
also invited. The girls and their mothers bring cakes, pies, nuts,
apples, fried chickens. When they enter the house, make a toast. Then
the people dance until morning.