Romanian Holidays and Traditions

From South to North or from East to West, Romania is full of customs and traditions. A lot of them have long histories. Some are funny and some are strange, but they all are interesting. Many are strictly connected to Christianity or assimilated by the Romanian Christianity, but they can also be dedicated to divine forces, people, animals, and plants, or to earthen and heavenly phenomena, which take place at different moments of calendar.

Two of the most important spring celebrations are, for instance: Mărţişor (1-8 March) and Easter (variable). Mărţişor is dedicated to the arrival of the spring. Its symbol is represented by a two-coloured cord: red, which means love for everything that is beautiful, and white, which symbolizes the purity of the snowdrops, the first flowers that appear in spring. To this cord are attached tiny figurines (3-20 mm) which men offer to the women they are fond of. Women are expected to wear those amulets throughout the whole week.

Easter is the most important event in the Orthodox Christian calendar. Traditionally, celebrations in Romania begin on Easter Saturday evening. Dressed in their finest clothes and holding candles, people gather round the churches. At the Easter Resurrection Mass (Slujba de Înviere) just before midnight, the priest comes out of the church to give a blessing, distribute holy bread and provide the flame from which everyone will light their candles. Suddenly the darkness is lit up and thousands of candles take to the streets. Everyone tries to keep the flame alive until they arrive home. There, around the table, the family comes together for a special Easter meal. Painted eggs, roast lamb and home-made cozonac (sponge cake with nuts and poppy seeds) are the traditional dishes. The painted eggs are probably the most beautiful. The shells of hard-boiled eggs are dyed in colourful patterns, with a rich red the prevailing colour. They are often decorated with folk motifs. Traditionally designs are made with an implement called a condei – a small cartridge filled with hot wax with a sharp point on the end. There are a myriad of motifs used on painted eggs. The most popular ones are the cross, the star, the sun, the wave, the zigzags, and stylised flowers. Sometimes motifs are applied using natural leaves. Traditionally, it's the women who paint Easter eggs, and they have to do it on the Thursday before Easter.

The most important summer celebration is Saint Mary’s Day. Saint Mary’s Day is celebrated in Romania on the 15th of August every year. This holiday announces the time of autumn fairs for traders. It is known that Saint Mary is the patroness of the humble and it brings health, prosperity and happiness to everybody.

All autumn celebrations – Cross Days, Saint Andrew’s Day, Drăgaica – are connected to the harvest period and to the preparations for the long winter ahead.
Wintertime is dominated by important religious celebrations such as Saint Nicholas’ Day and Christmas.

The old Saint Nicholas arrives in Romania on the 6th of December, every year. His coming announces the beginning of the winter holidays. St. Nicholas brings small gifts to the young children who have polished their shoes and placed them in front of a window in their home.
The Christmas celebration starts with a six-week fast prior to the holiday. The orthodox fasting pattern excludes from the diet any animal product such as meat, eggs, fish, milk or cheese.
Christmas carols, traditional foods and decorated trees are part of the Christmas traditions.

In Romania, the Christmas and New Year celebrations practically merge, and elements of the Christian faith are blended with magic propitiatory rituals for the New Year.

source: http://www.unibuc.ro/uploads_en/images/71/ERASMUS2.pdf