Christmas in Romania is a major annual celebration, 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 (19481989), 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
(named Ajunul Craciunului in Romania), Christmas Day (named Craciun in Romania),Saint Stephen
day, New Year's Eve (named Revelion in Romania), and the Epiphany.

The seven-week Advent season in anticiption of Jesus Christ's birth should be practiced by all
Eastern Christian Romanians. It starts on November 14 yearly and ends up on Christmas Day.
November 14, the first day of advent is traditionally called Lsata secului (literary the day the
abstinence begins). Any kind of product obtained from animal sources are prohibited. Also, on
Wednesdays and on Fridays oil among other products are not to be eaten. 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. The Christmas Eve should be a day of total abstinence to thank God for sending
The Savior. All said, there are forty days of advent (seven to nine of them being exceptions) being the
second abstinence period as length during the Romanian religious year, after the Easter advent.

During this season, the Christmas holiday season in Romania starts once with Saint Andrews
feast day on November 30. 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, and spells away from their home.
Strigoi or vampires (such as geani) may occur during the night between November 30 and December
1 as this night is popularly known as Noaptea lupului (Night of the wolf). The next day, December 1 is
the Great Union Day (Ziua Marii Uniri), the National Day of Romania. 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 "Deteapt-te, romne!", written
especially for the Union back in 1918. People are given free Mici and Fasole cu crnai while they
party to the night. Free music concerts and street festivals are organised annually in every Romanian
city in part.

At the beginning of December the Christmas lights are turned on all over the streets. The same
night, Mo Nicolae comes and gives children presents. 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. Children are usually given sweets or books; if they have been naughty they get wooden sticks.
On December 20, Saint Ignatius Day, Romanians start last preparations for Christmas. On this date
they cut pigs for the Christmas Eve supper. Round this date, people usually buy their Christmas trees
from public markets or supermarkets. On December 23 is Noaptea de ajun, the day children usually
start caroling their neighbours. On the same date women bake traditional cookies to give children for
their caroling. By that time the Christmas tree must normally be already decorated.

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
colind. 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 colindtori, 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 carols with religious subject are "Astzi s-a nscut Hristos" (Today Christ Was
Born), "O, ce veste minunat!" (Oh, What Wonderful News!), "Trei pstori" (Three Shepherds), "Trei
crai de la rrrit", "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 "Mo Crciun cu plete dalbe", "Colindia", "Pluguorul"
or "Scoal gazd". The first one talks us about Mo Crciun (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 colcu (special Christmas pastry). They ask the host to whom they perform the colind to give
them a colcu, 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!".