Summary:

•New Year Tradition in Romania

•The Goat Tradition
•Bear Custom
•The Little Plough
•Sorcova
 New Year Tradition
in Romania

The festive New Year celebration in 
Romania is completely intricated 
with the various New Year 
traditions that were practiced by 
early folks. Romanians still honor 
and observe the various New Year 
traditions to preserve the rich 
cultural heritage and ensure that 
the traditions are passed on to 
future generations. 
On New Year’s Eve, children sing
Plugusorul and Sorcova. In their songs,
they wish good luck, happiness and
success. You can hear the ringing of the
bells and the bull sounds. The goat’s game,
the bear’s game and the masks’ game are
old Romanian customs.
The Bear, the Goat, the Bunghiers, the
Caiutii, the Malanca, the Jiens and the
Masked are expected to show up on
New Year’s Eve. All of these stand for an
original way of expressing the ritual
associations of animals with almost universal
worshiping of the Sun. The ceremonial
structure of the custom is equally full of
strength and vitality. The music and dance,
both remarkable through their virtuosity and
dynamism, the highly expressive masks, they
all make up a unique spectacle. It is the
masks that tell the most about the
imagination and humor of the Romanian
villager. Some of them have become genuine
 An old tradition is that the year
that is just beginning will be
sunny and with rich harvests for
the families that will leave the
lamp alit on the New Year’s night
until the dawn.
Also on the New Year’s morning, some traditional
families toss money into the water where they wash their
hands, counting on the fact that this will bring them
money during the entire following year. Elderly people
claim that their parents and grand-parents would put
silver or even gold coins in the water when such coins
were in use. Almost at the midnight of the 31st of
December, the peasants foresee the weather in the
following year, using large onion peels which the peel off
and order by the months of the year. They put some salt
on each of them. On the 1st of January, on St. Vasile’s 
Day, the one able to undo witchcraft and spells shall
check the level of the liquid left by the melted salt in
each of the onions peels. This is how they will know if
there is going to be rain or draught.
 The Goat Tradition
Throughout the season, teenagers and young adults
especially enjoy caroling with the “Goat”. The “Goat” is
actually a usually boisterous young person dressed up
in a goat costume. The whole group dances through
the streets and from door to door, often with flute
music. This tradition comes from the ancient Roman
people and it reminds us of the celebration of the
ancient Greek gods.

This custom is also called "brezaia" in Wallachia and

Oltenia, because of the multicolored appearance of
the goat mask. The goat jumps, jerks, turns round, and
bends, clattering regularly the wooden jaws.
 Bear Custom

This custom is known only in Moldavia, a

part of Romania, on the Christmas Eve. In
this case a young person dresses up in a
bear costume adorned with red tassels on
its ears, on his head and shoulders. The
person wearing the bear costume is
accompanied by fiddlers and followed by a
whole procession of characters, among
them a child dressed-up as the bear's cub.
Inspired by the crowd’s singing:
 "Dance well, you old bear,
And I’ll give you bread and olives",
the bear grumbles and imitates the steps
of the bear, striking strongly against the
earth with the soles of its feet to the
sound of drums and pipes.
 The Little Plough

Plugusorul is a small plough. In

Romanian folklore is a traditional
procession with a decorated plough, on
New Years' Eve. This is a well wishing
custom for the field fruitfulness into the
new year. This custom arises from
"Carmen arvale", a Roman wish for
bountiful crops. The ploughmen are
teenagers and children carrying whips,
bells and pipes in their hands.
 Sorcova
"Sorcova" is a special bouquet used for New Year's
wishes early New Year’s morning. Children wish
people a “Happy New Year!” while touching them
lightly with this bouquet. After they have wished a
Happy New Year to the members of their family,
the children go to the neighbors and relatives.
Traditionally, the "Sorcova" bouquet was made up
of one or several fruit - tree twigs (apple-tree, pear-
tree, cherry-tree, plum-tree); all of them are put into
water, in warm place, on November 30th (
St. Andrew’s Day), in order to bud and to blossom
on New Year's Eve.
 Merry Sorcova,May your health be
strong And you life long: As an apple
tree As a pear stately As a rose bush
fair Blossoming beyond compare:
Strong as a granite rock Quick as an
arrow’s shock Hard as an iron bar
Tougher than steel by far, Over
summer, over spring,May your health
be great A New Year with
happinessAnd in everything success.
Realizated by:
•Gutu Ana-Maria e-mail:
analissa_edith@yahoo.com
Scoala Normala ,,Vasile Lupu” Iasi
•Prisecariu Simona e-mail:
SIMONEL_kissyou@yahoo.com
Scoala Normala ,,Vasile Lupu” Iasi

Bibliography:www.google.ro