Christmas in Romania

Christmas in Romania (Romanian: Crăciunul în România) is a major

annual celebration, celebrated on 24/25 of December, as in most countries of the
Christian world. The observance of Christmas was introduced once with the
Christianization of Romania but it was then interrupted during
the Communist period (1948—1989), as concepts as religion, Jesus Christ or
the Church were banned. In the post-communist Romania, Christmas started
being celebrated again more festively.
The Christmas and holiday
season starts officially on November 30,
on Saint Andrew's day and ends on January
7, with the celebration of Saint John. Other
major holidays in this period are Great
Union Day, Saint Nicholas' Day, Saint
Ignatius' Day, Christmas Eve (Ajunul
Craciunului in Romanian), Christmas
Day (Craciun in Romanian), Saint Stephen's
day, New Year's Eve (Revelion in
Romanian), and the Epiphany.
The seven-week Advent season in
anticipation of Jesus Christ's birth is
obligatory for all Eastern
Christian Romanians. It starts on November
14 yearly and ends up on Christmas
Day.[1] November 14, the first day of advent is traditionally called Lăsata
secului(literally the day the abstinence begins). Any kind of products obtained
from animal sources are prohibited.[2] Also, on Wednesdays and on
Fridays, oil among other products is not to be eaten.[1] Some special days (for
example Saint Ignatius Day or Great Union Day) occur during the period when
Christians are allowed to eat fish or dairy.[1] The Christmas Eve should be a day
of total abstinence to thank God for sending The Savior.[3] All said, there are
forty days of advent (seven to nine of them being exceptions), this being the
second abstinence period as length during the Romanian religious year, after
the Easter advent.[4]
During this season, the Christmas holiday season in Romania starts
with Saint Andrew's feast day on November 30.[5] Customs say everyone should
hang plenty of garlic and a crucifix next to all doors and windows on the
mansion, to keep evil spirits, geani,[clarification needed] and spells away from their
home.[6] Strigoi or vampires (such as geani) may appear during the night
between November 29 and November 30 as this night is popularly known
as Noaptea lupului (Night of the wolf).[6]
The next day, December 1, is the Great Union Day (Ziua Marii Uniri),
the National Day of Romania.[7] It is celebrated by all Romanians.
In Bucharest and Alba Iulia Romanian Armed Forces have parades, showing
their Land and Air vehicles and performing the Romanian national anthem
"Deșteaptă-te, române!", written especially for the Union back in 1918.[8] People
are given free Mici and Fasole cu cârnaţi while they party into the night.[citation
needed]
Free music concerts and street festivals are organised annually in every
Romanian city. There are also numerous Television specials, most notably ones
broadcast by Pro TV,[9] which bring famous or important Romanians into the
spotlight.[10] The day usually ends with fireworks.

Children exchanging gifts during Secret Santa, a Romanian custom for Saint Nicholas Day.

At the beginning of December, the Christmas lights are turned on all over
the streets. The same night, Moş Nicolaecomes and gives children
presents.[11] Children receive their gifts early in the morning of December 6 or
late at night on December 5; traditionally, the gifts are put in their laced up
boots.[12] Children are usually given sweets or books; if they have been naughty,
they get wooden sticks.[12]
On December 20, Saint Ignatius Day, Romanians start last preparations for
Christmas. On this date, they cut pigs for the Christmas Eve supper.[13] Around
this date, people usually buy their Christmas trees from public
markets or supermarkets.
On December 24, it is Noaptea de ajun, the day children usually start caroling
their neighbours.[14] On the same date, women bake traditional cookies to give
children for their caroling. By that time, the Christmas tree must usually be
already decorated.
Christmas music
Music is an important part of Christmas celebration all over Romania.
There is a special genre of music, related to Christmas carols but with
more traditional / Christian lyrics. These are named colindă. Although the text of
all colinde is concerned with the events of the Nativity, certain elements of the
folk rituals performed around Christmas are probably pre-Christian in origin,
having their roots in the Roman Saturnalia and pagan rituals related to the winter
solstice and soil fertility. Colinde are performed in all parts
of Romania (including Moldova), with regional variations in terms of number of
participants, exact timing of different melodies and lyrics.
In traditional Romanian rural society, preparations for colinde started well
in advance (sometimes weeks) before Christmas. The village youth (usually
boys) would begin to form groups in different places and designate a leader in
order to practice singing in unison. These groups are called cete de colindători,
and their numbers vary from region to region.
Then, starting on Christmas Eve, the groups would go to different houses
and begin singing. In some villages, they go first to the mayor's house, followed
by the teacher's house, whereas in other parts there is no pre-established order.
The families would then invite them into the house, and give them different
small gifts such as nuts, dried fruits and pretzels. There are also adaptations
from international hit carols into Romanian, for example "Noapte de vis" (from
"Silent Night") or "O, brad frumos!" (from "O Tannenbaum").
Examples of colinde with religious subject are "Astăzi s-a născut Hristos"
(Today Christ Was Born), "O, ce veste minunată!" (Oh, What Wonderful
News!), "Trei păstori" (Three Shepherds), "Trei crai de la rărărit", "Steaua"
(The Star) or "Sus la poarta Raiului" (Up at Heaven's Gate). The first two ones
talk about the Nativity of Jesus. The first one indicates people to pray for Jesus
and thank him for being born while the other one informs us how Christ was
born and praises Mary. The other ones tell the stories of the Three
shepherds, Three Magi and of the Christmas star. The latter one, "Sus la poarta
Raiului" is a portrait of the Manger during Jesus' nativity.
Apart from the religious songs, there are also many other
original colinde about subjects like Joy, Prosperity or Caroling itself. For
example "Moş Crăciun cu plete dalbe" (White-Haired Santa Claus), "Colindiţa",
"Pluguşorul" or "Scoală gazdă" (Awaken, Host). The first one talks us about
Moş Crăciun (literary Old Father Christmas, who is in fact Santa Claus) and his
act of bringing nice children presents on Christmas day. The third and fourth
ones are about specific Romanian customs to provide and maintain health or
prosperity. They count some reasons for Caroling. The last one tells the story of
a family where the mother wasn't able to cook colăcuț (special Christmas
pastry). They ask the host to whom they perform the colind to give them a
colăcuț, claiming their mother didn't have the tools and ingredients to make it.
As we can figure out, the song was originally performed after New Year, as they
claim that "When the oven started working, the New Year had already arrived!
[sic]"

Christmas market in Sibiu, Transylvania.

Many folklore musicians covered, re-mastered or did renditions to those

songs, some of them being well-known artists such as Maria Tănase. Beyond
traditional music, mainstream artists have also involved themselves in Christmas
culture. One example is Madrigal choir who covered over 20 carols. Ştefan
Hruşcă is another Christmas music alumni who kicks off Christmas nationwide
tours in late November yearly. He had also covered hundreds of songs and put
them on at least three Christmas albums. Rock & Rollsinger-songwriter and
actor Ştefan Bănică, Jr. has a now-traditional concert series to honor Christmas,
ever since 2002. They are called Împreună de Crăciun / Concert extraordinar de
Craciun and take place at Sala Palatului in Bucharest. He also released a
Christmas album including top ten smash hit "Doar o dată e Crăciunul"
(Christmas Is Only Once).
Singer Paula Seling also has two Christmas compilations — "Colinde şi
cântece sfinte" (out 1998), "Albumul de Craciun" (out 2002), "De Sărbători"
(out 2006) and more lately "A mai trecut un an" (Another Year Over) (out 2010).
She released three music videos to promote the albums for the songs "O, ce
veste minunată!", "Trei păstori" and "A mai trecut un an".
R&B singer Andra also released a Christmas album in 2007, entitled "Vis
de iarnă" (Winter Dream). The title single benefited of a music video in which
Andra is travelling to home to gather with her family for Christmas.
Singer Elena Gheorghe also covered the song "Silent Night, and alonside
band Mandinga released a Christmas album "De Craciun".
 Pop music duo André also released a Christmas EP in late 2000. It is
entitled "Noapte de Vis" and it contains both Christmas-related song and other
songs. The title single is also known as "Moşule, ce tânăr eşti!" (How you are,
Santa!) was described more as a dance-pop club hit than as a Christmas
song even peaking at number-one on the Romanian Top 100.
In late 2009, Bănică, Jr starred in a Christmas movie — "Ho, Ho, Ho!".
Its soundtrack was released the same year and it featured Christmas-related
songs, including a Top 100 single "Ho, Ho, Ho!". It was released
under MediaPro Music. Label fellow Horia Brenciu also had some Christmas
hits in the Airplay Chart, as for example "Noapte de Crăciun". Also in 2009,
worldwide house sensation Inna released an A Side / B side digital
singlecontaining a cover of "O, ce veste minunată!" and an original recording, "I
Need You for Christmas". The latter one became the only Romanian Christmas
songs to break the borders as it entered the Russian Airplay Chart and the UK
Singles Chart as well as the Romanian Top 100. In 2011 LaLa Band premiered a
Christmas album on December 1.
A lot of compilations have been released for Christmas in Romania, for
example the "I Need You for Christmas" series. Radio station Magic FM only
broadcasts Christmas songs exclusively from December 5 to January 5 starting
2008. They name themselves "Santa Claus' Radio Station".
Starting in 2010, a special Airplay Chart started being shown yearly - Holiday
Airplay Chart. Moreover, as a result to season's conjunction, Mariah
Carey scored four entries the same week in December 2010 on the Romanian
Top 100 with "Silent Night", "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", "All I Want for
Christmas Is You" and "Oh Santa!" all charted simultaneously (the record was
previously held by Michael Jackson after his death in 2009 but it was once again
broken in 2011 by Rihanna (with five entries). Christmas albums are also
record-breakers. In 2010 Carey's album "Merry Christmas II You" broke all
records by selling over 10,000 albums in one week. The record was then broken
by Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" just to be broken once again by another
Christmas album in 2011 when Justin Bieber's "Under the Mistletoe" sold over
12,000 units in one week. It was later on broken by yet another Christmas album
by Michael Bublé simply entitled "Christmas" album that sold over 15,000
copies in a singular week. By now it is one of this year's biggest-selling albums
with over 30,000 units sold in less than a month and a half.

Christmas food
During Christmas, Romanians bake or buy various special dishes,
including desserts and sweets. Romanians most usually bake Cozonac
(spongecake), a kind of Panetone made of flour, yolks, yeast and many other
ingredients, flavors, condiments and additions. There are several types of
spongecakes, with hundreds of recipes. You can either knead it for hours to be
ready in 6 hours, or you can let it rise for 12 hours to avoid kneading it. You can
fill the spongecake with walnuts, cocoa, raisins, Turkish delight and in
Transylvania: poppy seed paste (cozonac cu mac). Plates heaped with small
pastries and cakes (corni și baclava) are prepared to serve to carollers when they
call.
A molded vegetable and chicken salad held together with mayonnaise and
decorated with olives and boiled eggs is often prepared. It is called Salată de
boeuf from the French, although it usually does not contain beef.
Other Christmas dishes include piftie, sarmale, and pork dishes.