Christmas in Romania

With Christmas literally around the corner, a shopping frenzy is now obvious across town and decorations have shown up in many shop windows and on the streets. But perhaps one of the finest tradition is that of being caroled by kids and young adults. Yesterday, though a few days earlier than usual, we had three groups of carolers make their way through this apartment building, and tonight at least two. Their harmonious and well-rehearsed voices echoed beautifully in the empty hallways. The words of the songs are most powerful and adequately depict the Christmas story. Oh how we wish that these songs are like a blessing poured out over both those that listen and those that sing, and that at least some would meditate over what they mean.

The truth is that being smack in the middle of the city, and without too many residential buildings around us, we're getting only a small picture of what is actually taking place in the more residentially-oriented neighborhoods. On Christmas eve eve (two days before Christmas), hoards of children spend many hours on the streets carefully planning their caroling assaults for the next three days - how many buildings, the exact locations, past generous residences, etc. Then on Christmas eve the event starts - armed with home made musical instruments, rehearsed songs, large bags, and in groups of about 5 or 6, they proceed door to door. Those that choose to listen give small tokens of appreciation in return to each of the singers: apples, oranges, candy, pretzels, money (this is what carolers really want :), and some just don't give anything. It is considered to be of good luck for the following year to receive carolers and to be generous towards them. In the country side, caroling is an even bigger event lasting well into the night and providing a good reason to stay up late to celebrate around a keg of wine and delicacies made from freshly slaughtered pork. Which brings us to a very good point: FOOD. As in the States, food is a central piece of the celebration. Except in Romania, food is about three times as big in importance: the type of food to be had, how and where it was prepared, how fresh it is, how traditional it is, etc. On Christmas day, people celebrate with friends and family well into the night hours and eating several meal courses. Here are only a few of the most traditional dishes:

Sarmale - cabbage rolls filled with a mixture of beef, pork and rice. They take many hours to prepare, but once made, they last through the holidays.
Cozonac - a type of sweet bread sometimes filled with nuts, or cocoa, or poppy seeds, or raisins. They too take a long time to prepare, and they too last through the holidays because they're made in large quantities.
Cirnati de casa - sausage made fresh after slaughtering a pig and using the intestines of the pig
Piftie - a cold dish made of gelatin, heavy on garlic, and containing gelatinous pig body parts: hoofs, snout, joints, etc. Mmmmm... shall we send you some?
Friptura - grilled pork

Needless to say, Christmas is a big holiday in Romania. Generally, most business end up closing for about two weeks until after the first of the year. This year, with both Christmas and New Year falling on Saturdays, only very few will close down as in the past, this causing a general feeling of discontent among the workers.

- C