• Gift Catalog
  • Donate
  • Contact Us
Call Us: 800-487-1074
Global Volunteers
  • Countries
    • International Partnerships:
      • China
      • Cook Islands
      • Cuba
      • Ecuador
      • Greece
      • Italy
      • Nepal
      • Peru
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • St Lucia
      • Tanzania
      • Vietnam
    • USA Programs:
      • Appalachia – West Virginia
      • Blackfeet Reservation – Montana
      • Rosebud Reservation – South Dakota
      • Española – New Mexico
  • Projects
  • Give
    • Giving Options:
      • Donate Now
      • Gift Catalog
      • Ways to Give
      • Philanthropy
  • Impact
  • Blog
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
Culture and Traditions Worldwide

Christmas Traditions in Romania

My high school students singing carols at my door. They did a pretty good job!

My high school students singing carols at my door.              They did a pretty good job!

Stuffed cabbage (sarmale) for Christmas dinner.

Stuffed cabbage (sarmale) for Christmas dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Romanians Christmas is one of the most important holidays of the year and it is celebrated on the 25th of December. People need to prepare themselves for the celebration of Jesus’ birth by purifying their bodies and therefore, according to the Romanian Orthodox Church, they do not eat any kind of animal by-products during the four weeks prior to Christmas.

Caroling is one the most popular Christmas traditions in Romania; the children are those who begin caroling, usually on Christmas Eve day. In many villages from traditional regions they wear specific traditional clothes for this occasion.  However, in the cities they have just the bells and perhaps some Christmas type hats. Being a teacher by profession, I get many carolers – students or even former students – and it is my pleasure to welcome them into my house with cookies and soft drinks.

Romanian pastry,  a sweet bread with cocoa and crushed wall nuts.

Romanian pastry, a sweet bread with cocoa and crushed wall nuts.

Christmas carols may involve carolers dressed as bears or as goats. Some might wear quite hideous masks to scare off the old year.

Finally, another caroling tradition is called ‘Plugusorul’ (rough translation – ‘The Small Plow’), which is mostly spoken – not sung – and  is meant to wish listeners a good and fruitful year. That takes place on the last day of the year.

Traditionally, women cook for three days before Christmas and then the whole family celebrates Christmas for three days (from the 25th to the 27th)! It takes that long to eat all that food!

It is almost a must to have the stuffed cabbage (stuffed with pork, beef, rice, onion, and thyme) cooked slowly in a ceramic pan, homemade pork sausages with pickles, head cheese, and sweet bread (home made as well) filled with cocoa and crushed walnuts. We top everything off with homemade wine! Some may need some pills to help them digest everything!

Wouldn’t you like to try some of it?! We are waiting for you to indulge yourself with Romanian goodies.

 

Share this:

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
December 23, 2014/0 Comments/by globalvol
https://205eev2oa0jm1t4yb914s1nw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png 0 0 globalvol https://205eev2oa0jm1t4yb914s1nw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png globalvol2014-12-23 22:44:462016-10-10 15:55:59Christmas Traditions in Romania
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

You must log in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Partner Communities

  • China 66
  • Cook Islands 43
  • Cuba 115
  • Ecuador 87
  • Greece 67
  • Italy 54
  • Montana 42
  • Nepal 15
  • Peru 96
  • Poland 76
  • Portugal 42
  • South Dakota 8
  • St Lucia 57
  • Tanzania 131
  • Vietnam 42
  • West Virginia 24

Categories

  • Boomer Volunteers
  • Conversational English
  • Couples Volunteering
  • Culture and Traditions Worldwide
  • Development Impact
  • Family Volunteers
  • Free Time Options
  • Global Volunteers
  • Group Volunteering
  • Impact Stories
  • Individuals on Teams
  • Projects for Professionals
  • Reaching Children's Potential
  • Repeat Volunteers
  • Retiree Volunteers
  • Staff Worldwide
  • Student Volunteers
  • Uncategorized
  • Volunteer Voices
  • Women volunteers

Tags

alumni volunteers American Indian culture Appalachian culture best destination peru Care for children Caribbean island College groups Conversational English cook islands economy covid-19 covid-19 consequences Cuba people-to-people donate for children Earthbox gardens economic support Essential Services food insecurity Funding your fee Health and nutrition High school groups Labor projects lgbt program peru resume resume high shcool retiree service-learning share food Spring break summer volunteer program support children Support women teaching children teaching english team leader things to do peru top places to visit peru tourism cook islands tours peru travel peru volunteer benefits Volunteer impact work on reservations Work with youth youth volunteering
  • About Us
  • Board of Directors
  • Staff
  • Our Beginnings
  • Our Vision
  • Community Partners
  • Collaborators
  • Compare Us
  • Volunteer Vacations FAQs
  • Accountability and Agreements
  • Travel Risks
  • Impact and Outcomes of Service
  • Donate to Global Volunteers
  • Donate to a Volunteer
  • Money Matters – Explaining Your Service Program Contribution
  • Discounts & Fundraising
  • Alumni Center
  • News/Media
  • Privacy Policy
  • Agreements
  • Site Map
  • Contact
  • Podcast
  • Volunteer Portal
  • Employment
Global Volunteers
375 East Little Canada Road
St. Paul, MN 55117-1628 USA
(800) 487-1074 | toll-free
(651) 482-0915 | fax
globalvolunteers.org
email@globalvolunteers.org

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Subscribe receive notifications of new posts and updates by email.

Global Volunteers - Partners in Development ® | © Copyright 2002 - Present Global Volunteers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • Global Volunteers is an apolitical, non-sectarian, non-profit (501C-3) tax-exempt organization.
  • Send feedback about this web site and its administration.
Out Exploring the History & Folk Customs of Yunnan! Christmas in Cuba Christmas in Cuba With Global Volunteers
Scroll to top
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.