Romanian Customs for Christmas
By Diana Ungureanu/ Chisinau / Moldova.ORG/ -- Each area of Romania has its customs and traditions of Christmas.
In Moldova it is said that on the Christmas Eve all the dishes are put on a plate, on the porch, under the window, but they are not tasted, because in the night there comes the fate-man, taste the food and then you can see it through the window.
In Bucovina and Moldova there is baked on Christmas Eve a cake or special bread that is kept until spring when it is put between the horns of the bulls when they turn on the plough. It is said that these kinds of bread, which shall be made on Christmas, must be round like the Sun and Moon.
In Botosani there nothing is given out of the house on Christmas Eve, even litter is not given out; it isn't borrowed anything. On Christmas and Epiphany Eve it will be taken from all the above dishes: rice, dumplings, and two pies, and these with a pie are given to the man who takes care of cattle, but they must find a gluttonous one, cattle to eat well over a year, and another pie is broken and put in food for cattle. When you give to eat it must be said: "Dine healthy, we are dinning, too".
In the Cernauti place there shall be put seed of all kinds under the tablecloth to yield well during the year. In other regions under the Christmas tablecloth it is put also a scythe all to have good health, or it is put an axe under the legs or even they sit on this axe to be healthy all year and to be hardy like iron.
In more villages lies the belief that on the night of Christmas animals would talk. The villagers fear lest they hear that it would be bad omen.
In Transylvania, Christmas holidays start at St. Nicholas (December 6), when the girls gather as a group, since the evening of 5 December, and troubling pies to be greased with eggs, for the next day. Only at 9 p.m. exactly, none minute sooner or later, the lads "invade" and the party begins, with jokes and fragrant milk.
And throughout the territory inhabited by Romanians there is a common tradition, on the Christmas table to gather all dear people at a table and to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ together.
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