Romania - Special Edition
Christmas in Romania
Romance, passion, color and verve laces the
Celebration of Christmas in Romania whilst making it the most desired address for the revelers to experience the gleam of the day. Romania with its rich heritage, with its majestic castles, with its medieval towns and immaculate natural backdrop is the ideal place to be during the Christmas time. Christmas in Romania apart from being a day of sheer religious fervor is the time to enjoy each others company.
Although the celebrations of a massive Christmas bash starts long back for the Romanians, yet it is with the grand feast followed by the midnight mass that Christmas in Romania appears with all its promise and dream. Decoration definitely is a major part of the Christmas celebration. Neatly decorated homes streets, pubs and restaurants with warm and bright color and with fir tree branches adds to the color of the celebration whilst enhancing the yuletide dash. Christmas in Romania is full of fun and merriment and is a great time for the children. One of the age-old traditions of Romania is that the children travel from house to house, singing carols and reciting poetry and legends.
“Steaua” which is a large wooden star duly decorated with paper and ribbons are being carried by the leader and are an ethnic ritual to ensure goodtime.
Christmas in Romania is a fiesta of lights.
Santa Claus,
Christmas trees, midnight masses traditional recipes like the force-meal rolls in vine leaves, different sausages, the
Christmas Carols amplify the yuletide spirit in Romania whilst enticing the Romanians to dream of a more colorful future.
Romanian folklores abound with Christmas carols. They are not just simple songs but a type of invocation in verse. Lads and children sing it in the evening of Winters Holidays. They have religions origin but are believed to be the medium in snow through which we can go to the evergreen Heaven once a year and catch the glimpse of God for an instant so that we have enough power and courage to surpass the life's obstacles. Christmas carols lend a religious mood to the festival and carol singers and children walk in the snow-bound Romanian streets of villages and towns holding a board and paper Star with biblical scenes or
Virgin Mary and
Baby Jesus painted in water colors.
Christmas in Romania is a great fun time with lots of unique customs and traditions. Romanians decorate their houses, go shopping, bake cookies and cakes, send Christmas cards, and decorate the Christmas tree during Christmas. Children go out skiing or sledding. They like to make snowballs and snowmen, but mostly they like to wait for Santa Claus to give them presents.
Christmas in Romania is known as Craciun and
Santa Claus is called Mos Craciun.
Carols form an important part of Christmas in Romania. Romanian carols are a sort of invocation in verse sung by children and lads, on the evening of Winters Holidays. According to custom, the leader carries a large wooden star called a Steaua, which is covered with shiny paper and decorated with bells and colored ribbon. A picture of the Holy Family is pasted in the star's center, and the entire creation is attached to a long pole. A lighted candle is placed inside to give the effect of a heavenly lantern.
The Christmas tree is decorated on Christmas Eve with walnuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts, candies, apples and chocolates wrapped in colored paper. A special cake, the delicious Turta, is made for
Nasterea Domnului Isus, or
Christmas Eve. It is composed of thin layers of rolled dough that represents the swaddling clothes of the Christ Child.
Some traditional foods of Christmas in Romania that are a must have during this season are:
Ciorba de perisoare - a slightly sour vegetable soup made with fermented bran and pork meatballs.
Sarmale - Sour cabbage leaves stuffed with ground pork and served with polenta.
Roast pork - pork garnished with pickled vegetables or mixed salads.
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