Romanian christmas traditions
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ROMANIAN CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS Agapie Amalia-Cristina , MIEADR IMAPA, GROUP 8115 Doncea Lavinia Elena, MIEADR IMAPA, GROUP 8115 University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, Romania 59 Mărăști Blvd, District 1, 011464, Bucharest, Romania Keywords: traditions, Christmas, carols. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Coordinating teacher: Mihai Daniel Frumușelu REFERENCES http:// www.uncover- romania.com/ attractions/ culture/ traditions/ romanian- christmas- traditions.html STUDENTS’ SCIENTIFIC SYMPOSIUM USAMV MIEADR 2017 CAROLS Maybe no other thing can better define the spirit of a people than its ancient traditions and customs and Romania is a place with a lot of legends, myths, and traditions preserved for ages. Here, different moments of the year, the religious days – Easter, Christmas – as well as the moments relevant for the agricultural calendar – harvesting, reaping – are celebrated with great joy by festivals and feasts. Varying from one region to the other, the Romanian Christmas traditions are authentic and valuable pieces of cultural heritage, closely linked to the agrarian life of the countryside. Caroling is one the most popular Christmas traditions in Romania and although it’s usually related to the Christian celebration, carols go way back in time. In fact, carols were first sang in Europe thousands of years ago as part of the rituals of winter solstice celebration. On the territory of today’s Romania, they were performed according to the agrarian calendar to bring good crops or to protect people from evil spirits. This dynamic changed once the Orthodox Church became strong enough to impose its own view on carols, their content becoming mostly religious In Romania, the children are those who begin caroling in the first part of the Christmas’ eve day, and, in regions like Bucovina and Maramureș they wear traditional clothes for this occasion. On the evening of the same day, older carolers often accompanied by instrumentalists take their place. If in the past, only young unmarried men could be part of these groups, today both women and men carol on Christmas Eve and even in the next days. On Christmas and New Year’s Eve, children and young men go from house to house singings carols. In some regions, they dance with folk masks on their faces and recite speeches. For their effort, they receive fruit and home-made cakes. The best known carols are Steaua, Plugușorul, Sorcova. Although traditional caroling has been adapted to more modern realities, this is still a major part of Christmas celebration in Romania and there’s no better place to experience it than in a traditional village.
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Transcript of Romanian christmas traditions
ROMANIAN CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS
Agapie Amalia-Cristina , MIEADR IMAPA, GROUP 8115Doncea Lavinia Elena, MIEADR IMAPA, GROUP 8115 University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, Romania59 Mărăști Blvd, District 1, 011464, Bucharest, Romania
Keywords: traditions, Christmas, carols.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Coordinating teacher: Mihai Daniel Frumușelu
REFERENCEShttp://www.uncover-
romania.com/attractions/culture/
traditions/romanian-christmas-traditions.html
STUDENTS’ SCIENTIFIC SYMPOSIUMUSAMV MIEADR 2017
CAROLS Maybe no other thing can better define the spirit of a people than its ancient traditions and customs and Romania is a place with a lot of legends, myths, and traditions preserved for ages. Here, different moments of the year, the religious days – Easter, Christmas – as well as the moments relevant for the agricultural calendar – harvesting, reaping – are celebrated with great joy by festivals and feasts. Varying from one region to the other, the Romanian Christmas traditions are authentic and valuable pieces of cultural heritage, closely linked to the agrarian life of the countryside. Caroling is one the most popular Christmas traditions in Romania and although it’s usually related to the Christian celebration, carols go way back in time. In fact, carols were first sang in Europe thousands of years ago as part of the rituals of winter solstice celebration. On the territory of today’s Romania, they were performed according to the agrarian calendar to bring good crops or to protect people from evil spirits. This dynamic changed once the Orthodox Church became strong enough to impose its own view on carols, their content becoming mostly religious In Romania, the children are those who begin caroling in the first part of the Christmas’ eve day, and, in regions like Bucovina and Maramureș they wear traditional clothes for this occasion. On the evening of the same day, older carolers often accompanied by instrumentalists take their place. If in the past, only young unmarried men could be part of these groups, today both women and men carol on Christmas Eve and even in the next days.On Christmas and New Year’s Eve, children and young men go from house to house singings carols. In some regions, they dance with folk masks on their faces and recite speeches. For their effort, they receive fruit and home-made cakes. The best known carols are Steaua, Plugușorul, Sorcova. Although traditional caroling has been adapted to more modern realities, this is still a major part of Christmas celebration in Romania and there’s no better place to experience it than in a traditional village.
