Romania Local Custom Tips by codrutz

Traditions & Folklore

The countryside is the heart and soul of Romania, where peasant culture remains a strong force and medieval life prevails, as it does nowhere else in Europe. A young American couple, researching ancient traditional villages in Europe for post-graduate studies, recently moved in with a host family in Northern Romania in order to document a culture unique in the world.

People are happy to meet foreign visitors, often inviting them into their homes for a meal and conversation. For a true introduction to Romania's traditional villages, consider a home stay. Rates range from $8 to $25 per person including two meals. Rooms are clean and comfortable but some do not have private baths. Most hosts do not speak English.

For more information and reservations visit www.antrec.ro - the Website of the agro-tourism organization ANTREC.

Other Contact: 2-4 Stirbei Voda St.

Phone: +4021 315 2732

Website: http://www.antrec.ro

Easter painted eggs

One of the most beautiful Romanian Easter traditions is painted eggs. No family can't celebrate Easter without even a few painted eggs in the house. Eggs are painted with a variety of colours, from the traditional paints made from natural things, like vegetables, to the classical chemical paint found ready packed in stores. The nicest eggs can be found in the northern part of Romania, in Maramures by example, where women spend days before Easter painting eggs with thin pencils, to the perfection. The beautiful crafted eggs are a real beauty and it would be hard for me to crack them :) Because this is the tradition in Romania, before eating, in the morning of the Easter Day, members of the family and even at the office in some places, holds each one a painted egg and then one (with the egg on top) says "Chirst has reborn", the other says "True He's reborn" and they knock the eggs and see who's egg cracked.

..Christmas customs continued

SORCOVA
"Sorcova" is a bouquet of coloured paper flowers (see pic) used for New Year's wishes. Children wish to the people a happy New Year while touching them lightly with this bouquet.

CAROLS
The most important custom during winter festivals is the carol. On Christmas' Eve only children go caroling. This custom is different from the proper caroling, where only the grown-ups participate. After the 23/24 midnight of December the children go caroling from one house to another. They get sweets, fruit and even money. In some parts of the country there is a custom named "Icon walking" that symbolizes Jesus birth. The real caroling happens on Christmas evening and night. The waits - young and mature people - gather in well-organized groups and they choose a leader. When they are in the yard of a house they perform their repertory to the host. The songs are always accompanied by dance. When they are over the host invites the waits in the house for a special meal and presents.

St. NICOLAS DAY
The old Saint Nicholas arrives in Romania on the 6th of December, every year. His coming announces the beginning of the winter holidays, the Christmas and the New Year. Saint Nicholas is generous not only with the children, but the adults, too.
On the evening of the 5th of December, the boots are being happily polished in every home. People usually put the boots near the entrance door, waiting for the presents.
Saint Nicholas takes care of each member of the family. He puts a little present into every one's boots.

Christmas and New Year traditional customs

Arround the two major winter celebrations - Christmas and New Year's Eve - there are concentrated a series of traditional customs with a great spiritual value for the romanian people. The most of romanian customs are crowded between December 20th and January 8th. Customs comes generally from the traditional occupation of the people - agriculture, wood crafting, mining.

STEAUA (The Star)
During the Christmas fasting, children prepare cardboard stars, covered with coloured paper. In the center there is the icon of the Birth of Jesus and five bells are in thr corners. The three kids - strolling from house to house - represents the three kings and the carols they are singing are short summaries of the gospels.

CAPRA (The Goat)
This custom extends from Christmas until the New Year's Eve. The groups of carol singers has the main character one child dressed with fur and wearing a mask with a woden goat head, with a flexible jaw, allowing it to clap.

URSUL (The Bear)
This custom is more usual in Moldova (north-east). The bear is embodied by a young boy wearing a bear fur on his shoulders, with red tassels on the bear's ears.

PLUGUSORUL (The Little Plough)
This is a custom arround New Year's Eve, when children (ussualy) are carying whips, pipes and a lot of bells. The custom arises from the wish of the Romans for protectinc the crops.

Pickles

On any 'respectable' meal of course the pickles are on the table. Romanian makes pickles from a variety of vegetables: bell pepers, cucumbers, green tomatoes, cauliflower, carrots, water melons (rarely)

Lebar, toba and other meat products

As I already told you, romanians are big meat eaters. You will find probably a very low percentage of vegetarians, but this is not what we are talking here now :)

On Christmas Day, as well as on Easter, traditional cuisine include a large variety of meat products, half cooked, grilled or boiled, but other half are smoked or fresh combinations of prepared meat.

I'm putting a picture of two traditional dishes made from pork (fresh, not cooked), but I'll have to get a culinar dictionary to tell you the english words for those, if there are any :)

Mamaliga (polenta)

With sarmale, instead of bread romanian use mamaliga (polenta), that home-made stuff from maize (corn flour). In rural area, mamaliga is used instead of bread when eating sour soup, fish, pork, chicken or with lamb (lamb=easter custom)

Sarmale

The meal in the Christmas Day (December 25th) is one of the biggest event in romanian tradition. With this occasion, families gather, some time arround very large tables, and begin a feast with some rather big portions of food.

The most traditional dish are what we call sarmale, which consist basically of grounded meat with some rice, rolled in sour cabbage.

click on picture to see the finished stuff! :)