Romanian Christmas

Traditions
 The Fasting

In Romania, Christmas begins with fasting (as the majority

is represented by the Orthodox Church), which takes six
weeks (from November 15th to December 24th). Fasting
implies giving up on meat, eggs and milk, or like our
grandfathers would say, restraining from sweet foods.

A true fasting would mean giving up on physical love, on

alcohol and paying back any dues. People from villages do
not listen to the radio during the fasting period, they don’t
watch TV and they don’t throw or go to any parties. The
fasting ends on Christmas night.
 The Ignat Day

On December 20th, people celebrate "the Ignat Day." On that

day, they aren’t allowed to do any work, but prepare the pork.
According to the tradition, those who are poor and have no
pig (which is usually sacrificed and prepared at the farmer’s
home) should sacrifice another animal.

An old belief was that in the night before Ignat, the pig
dreams of its knife. Those who are faint at heart and feel
sorry for the pig are not allowed to participate in this
ceremony, unless it dies slowly and its meat is no longer
good. Grandfathers usually make the sign of the Cross on
their grandchildren’s foreheads, in order for them to be
healthy.
 Christmas carols

Children go from house to house singing Christmas carols.

The traditional gifts which they naturally expect to receive
include fruit, nuts and knot-shaped bread.
 "Steaua" (The Star)
Another interesting custom is the Star (Steaua). This is a
large star made of coloured glossy paper, lighted inside
like a lantern, which school children, in groups of three
carry in the evening of Christmas from house to house,
singing: The Star is rising high / Like a hidden mistery/ The
Star shines brightly/ And to the world announces/ That
today the pure/ The Immaculate Virgin Mary/ Gives birth to
Messiah/ In that famous city/ Known by the name of
Bethlehem.
Here is the text in Romanian: Steaua sus rasare/ Ca o taina
mare/ Steaua straluceste/ Si lumii vesteste/ Ca azi
preacurata, cea nevinovata, Fecioara Maria/ Naste pe
Mesia/ In tara vestita/ Bethlehem numita.
"Sorcova"
Another custom practiced by children individually on
New Year's Day is the "sorcova". This is a small
branch or stick adorned with differently coloured

artificial flowers, called sorcova with which they touch

rhythmically and lightly their elders, while
congratulating them on the occasion and wishing them
a long life and a Happy New Year: Sorcova, the merry
sorcova/Long may you live/Long may you flourish/
Like apple trees/ Like pear trees/ In midsummer/ Like
the rich autumn/ Overflowing with abundance/ Hard as
steel/ Fast as an arrow/ For many years to come/
Happy New Year!
Here is the text in Romanian: Sorcova, vesela/ Sa
traiti/ Sa-mbatraniti/ Ca un mar/ Ca un par/ Ca un fir
de trandafir/ Tare ca piatra/ Iute ca sageata/ Tare ca
fieru'/ Iute ca otelu'/ La anu' si la multi ani!
The traditional Christmas meal unfolds as follows:
First courses
"Racituri" or "piftie," jellied headcheese, consisting of the pig's feet, ears and head in
aspic, accompanied by a grated horseradish and beet salad marinated in vinegar,
water and sugar.
Fresh pork sausages, either grilled or fried, garnished with "muraturi" (cucumber
pickles), as well as hot peppers and green tomato pickles.
Various traditional charcuterie products are served: "toba," pork intestine stuffed with
meat jelly, liver and rind; "caltabos," a kind of blood sausage; "babic" and "ghiudem,"
varieties of sausage, very dry and highly spiced, made from goat, mutton or beef.
Beef salad - steamed or boiled vegetables: carrots, celery, potatoes, peas and pickled
vegetables (cucumbers, tomato peppers and green tomatoes), all finely chopped and
combined with olives and strips of cooked beef and bound with mayonnaise.
Main dishes
"Ciorba de perisoare" - a slightly sour vegetable soup made with fermented bran and
pork meatballs.
"Sarmale" - Romanians' best-loved traditional dish - sour cabbage leaves stuffed with
ground pork and served with polenta.
Roast pork - garnished with pickled vegetables or mixed salads.
Desserts
The traditional Christmas dessert is called "cozonac." This rich fruit bread requires a
long preparation time that begins early on the morning of Christmas Eve. Usually while
the men are outdoors butchering the pig, the women stay in the kitchen to make the
cozonac.
 ,,RACITURI’’
4 x Pigs feet
1 tb Salt
2 x Garlic cloves

Singe and thoroughly wash pigs feet. Place in pan with water
to cover and
boil 15 min. Remove feet, rewash and place in pan, cover with
4 quarts
water and add salt. Boil slowly four hours or until meat falls off
bones.
Skim off any foam that forms so broth remains clear.
Crush garlic and add to meat/water for last half hour of
cooking. Remove
meat from bones if desired and strain juice over meat in flat
plates. Put
in a cold place to jell. Serve sprinkled with sweet paprika or a
little hot
pepper.
 COZONAC

 Ingredients  Directions
 300 g. sugar (1 ½ c.)  Preparing the dough: Begin by separating the eggs,
1 kg. flour (5 c.) reserving both the egg yolks and the egg whites. In a
1 T. vanilla small pan, warm the milk over a medium flame. When
6 eggs the milk is warm, remove 3 tablespoons and continue
½ t. salt heating the milk. Place 3 tablespoons of milk in a small
200 g. butter (¾ c.) bowl or container. Add the yeast, 1 teaspoon of sugar
2-3 T. oil and a little flour. Mix until it is the consistency of a thick
cream to proof the yeast (See YEAST in TIPS). Cover
nut filling: and set aside for about 5 minutes.
250 g. walnuts (2 c.) Once the milk on the stove comes to a boil, remove it
½ c. rum flavoring from the flame. Add the vanilla and mix well. Set aside.
¾ c. milk In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, egg yolks and
1 t. vanilla salt. Slowly stir the warm milk mixture into the sugar
1 c. sugar mixture and mix well. Then stir in the yeast mixture and
3 egg whites. Gradually add the remaining flour until it
forms a dough, using all the flour.
Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead. In a small pan, begin
melting the butter over a medium flame and stir in the oil. Once melted, remove the
butter mixture from the flame. Slowly add the mixture of warm butter and oil until the
dough forms bubbles and easily comes off the hands (about ½ hour). Cover bowl
with a towel and let rise in a warm, draft free place until it has doubled or tripled in
bulk.
Generously grease a loaf or baking pan(s). Once the dough has risen, about 1 ½-2
hours, form the dough to the shape of the loaf pan. (This is the point where you
would add a filling if desired, see nut or chocolate fillings below.) Allow the dough to
rise for at least ½ hour. Before baking, brush the top of the dough with some of the
remaining egg whites (or beat one extra egg and glaze with the beaten egg). Bake
in a medium high temperature oven for 30-45 minutes. When cooked through,
remove the cozonac from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.
For nut filling: Begin by grinding or grating the walnuts. In a small pan, heat the
sugar, milk and vanilla over a medium flame until the sugar has dissolved. Add the
ground nuts while mixing to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Bring the mixture to a rolling boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. The consistency
should be similar to a paste. Remove the pan from the heat. Add rum flavoring.
Once the mixture has cooled, roll out the cozonac dough and spread the nut mixture
over the surface. Roll the dough back up and shape it to the size of the baking pan.
Bake as directed above.