Christmas in Romania and Moldova
Werewolves, the singing of 'colinde,' and pork are all a part of the Romanian and Moldovan Christmas holiday traditions.
Romania and Moldova Christmas celebrations include St. Nicholas, carols, and . . . werewolves? Some surprising traditions arise from these countries' pagan pasts.
Christmas in Romania and Moldova is very similar traditionally, and share some practices with neighboring Bulgaria. A forty-day fast is often observed, carols are sung by a troupe of traveling children or young men, and special foods are prepared. Romania officially celebrates Christmas the 25th of December, according to the Western calendar. However, Moldovans may celebrate Christmas and New Year together, or Christmas according to the Eastern Orthodox calendar on January 6.
Christmas Foods in Romania and Moldova
Before Christmas, it is traditional to slaughter pigs in Romania and Moldova, and then the pork is eaten later, sometimes in the form of sausage. As in Bulgaria, an Advent fast comes to an end on Christmas, and the pork is the traditional food by which to break the fast.
There are also special pastries that mark the season. A cake of many thin layers of dough represents the clothing in which the Christ child was swaddled after He was born. Unleavened bread may also be consumed for Christmas observance.
Grandfather Krechun and St. Nicholas
St. Nicholas may visit on December 6 to distribute gifts. The Romanian “Santa Claus” figure is known as Grandfather Krechun. Grandfather Krechun is responsible for bringing presents and the Christmas tree, however, his legend is also interwoven with Christianity. It is said that Christ was born on Grandfather Krechun’s property.
Christmas Carols (Colinde) and Werewolves
Christmas in Romania and Moldova is most notably marked with the tradition of singing Christmas carols – most often by children, who travel from house to house and receive treats from neighborhood families. The leader of the group carries a staff, on top of which is placed a star with an image of the nativity. The star may be decorated with bells, or the holder of the staff may carry a bell to ring as the carolers travel through the village.
It may seem surprising that werewolf superstitions would also be present around the Christmas holidays in Romania and Moldova. The practice of singing carols, or colinde, historically corresponded with the practice of dressing up as animals or masquerading as demons or other figures. It has been thought that werewolves or other were-beasts are more likely to appear on special holidays like Christmas, and the conception of a child on the eve of one of these holidays can lead to a were-child being born to the parent who did not abstain from sexual activity during the Advent fasting period. The singing of the colinde has been practiced over centuries and used to be, before the tightening policies on celebration by the Communist powers, a rigorously observed ritual that was planned and implemented by a group of young men who lived in the village. These colinde were often themed around hunts, animals that spoke, and the cult of the dead. Mysticism, folklore, superstition, and religion collide during this important season, which was, in pagan times, significant with rituals related to the solstice.*
*Senn, Harry, “Romanian Werewolves: Seasons, Rituals, Cycles.” Folklore, Vol. 93, No. 2. (1982), pp. 206-215.
