Tradition in my

country
 Romanian Winter
Season Traditions:
The Caroling * Colindatul
The Star Carol * Steaua
The Goat Tradition * Capra
Bear Custom  * Ursul
The Little Plough * Plugusorul
Sorcova
 In Romania, the winter holiday season is truly in
full-swing from December 24 to January 7. Highlights
include: Christmas Day, New Year and Epiphany, with
their respective eves. The most important feature of
these celebrations is their unique variety of colorful
Romanian customs, traditions, and believes, of
artistic, literary, musical, and other folklore events,
which make the winter holidays some of the most
original and spectacular spiritual manifestations of
the Romanian people.
 Children of all ages go from house to house
singing Christmas carols, or through the streets on
New Year's Eve reciting congratulatory verse. The
whole traditional village participates in waists,
although mostly children practice this custom.
I chose this subject because it’s an interesting
one, it’s part of my culture and I have now the
opportunity to show to others what traditions
my people haves in the winter, in winter’s
holidays, although less and less people respects
them.
 When I was a little child, I wa
involved in there traditions:
The Caroling
The Goat Tradition
The Little Plough

Now, I just try to watch and listen

them whenever I can. I think it’s
fun, but now we’re kind of doing
different stuff than listen carrols.
 I would like to tell a
word or two about my
traditions… I don’t think
you’ll be bored.
 The Caroling
* Colindatul
 Traditionally,during the first hours after dark
on Christmas' Eve is the time for children to
go caroling and the adults stay home to greet
them. As they go caroling from house to
house, the children receive treats like candy,
fruit, baked treats and sometimes even
money in appreciation of their performance
and as a sign of holiday good will.
 The grown-ups caroling goes on Christmas
evening and night. The waits -young and
mature people - gather in groups and they
choose a leader. When they are in the front
yard of a house, they perform their repertory to
the host. The songs are always accompanied
by dance. When the performance is over, the
host invites the carolers inside the house for
food, drinks and presents.
 Children
are singing
at their party
too, where
the honour-
gest is Santa
Mos Craciun
 There are carols which
are not song by the
children, but by grown
men, letting us now
that the carols aren’t
dieing along with the
youth.

Trei crai de la rasarit

 And then… there are the
choirs, which relax and
makes us feel we’re in
heaven.

Byzantion Choir
The Star Carol *
Steaua
 Children make a star using colored paper and
then they put in its middle an icon of Jesus.
Many of children decorate their star using shiny
tinsel.  The “Star Carol” is a tradition during the
3 days of Romanian Christmas.

 
While holding the star in the hands the children
sing:
 
"The star has appeared on high, 
Like a big secret in the sky, 
The star is bright, 
May all your wishes turn out right…"
Steaua
 The Goat
Tradition *
Capra
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
The goat tradition
 Bear Custom  *
Ursul
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 Costum
 The Little Plough *
Plugusorul
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. 
“Mâine anul se-nnoieşte,
Pluguşorul se porneşte
Şi-om începe a ura,
Pe la case a colinda.

Iarna-i grea, omătu-i mare,

Semne bune anul are;
Semne bune de belşug,
Pentru brazda de sub plug."
 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.
Hope you enjoyed my traditions, and , if
you would like, you could try them one
day. I know for sure I’ve tried some of
yours. I liked some of them, and some of
them I didn’t , but I’m sure you’ll like all
my traditions.
What can I say… I hope you didn’t felt
asleep, and I hope you had a good time,
‘cause this is the ending.
Have a nice day!
 Authors:
Bogdan Vintila;
e-mail: bogdanel_989@yahoo.com
Phone nr: 0765361391