If you are still wondering whether to visit Romania or not, I would definitely give you more than enough reasons in this blog post to book a full trip asap!
I mean… Just look how beautiful my country looks when she’s all dressed in white!
And if you are still wondering when it’s the best time to do it, my advice would be: late Autumn and Winter! This is the best time to do it simply because at this time of the year we have the best traditions! Remember my previous post on my beautiful Romania and St. Andrew’s celebrations? – if not you can still read it here – take that and multiply it by 100. That’s a little closer to what Christmas and New Year means to us Romanian.
I still have to refer to our ancestors and be grateful to them for everything that happens around this time of the year in our Romania. I know that we’re not the first to sing Christmas carols ( the first known Christmas hymns may be traced to fourth century Rome, read more here ), but we sure have some of the best on the entire Earth! So soothing and calming… And merry and joyful at the same time! Joyful would be the right word to describe them!
This one is by far my favourite:
Here in Romania, mostly children go carolling since they’re believed to be the purest amongst us and their voices reach God’s ears easier…
Here they are…
– children singing Christmas songs in church, on Christmas day
They sing about the birth of our Jesus and they thank God for sending His Son to save our souls! In exchange they receive hot drinks, pretzels, fruits and nuts and sometimes money.
It is also said the the house that doesn’t receive them isn’t blessed for the following year! It is also said that if you’re a young family and you want children, the first Christmas carols singers you receive will help you determine the gender of your next child.
From our Christmas dinner there can’t be absent what we call “turte”. It’s a traditional sweet made out of thin cooked dough leaves ( cooked on a traditional hot owen taste the best ), softened in sweet warm water which contains honey or sugar and that they’re layered carefully on a plate. Between the layers there’s a whole lot of grounded nuts and it tastes delicious! Nothing too difficult, a simple sweet with a lot of meaning, since our “turte” represent the sheets/napkins our Baby Jesus was wrapped in when He was born.
And since we’ve touched the topic Food, take a look at our winter specialties…
… home made bread, which smells divine…
… and so many goodies all home made, with fresh ingredients!
And this is what I put on my table this winter, made by yours truly!
Leaving Christmas behind the next best thing in winter is the New Year’s Eve!… And not only because it’s my birthday! Haha! That too, but around this time of the year we have other beautiful traditions as well!
In certain areas of the country, you can find actual rituals of passing… for the old year, of course! These are supposed to make way for the birth of the new year! Again, there’s lots of singing and dancing involved containing happy lyrics but also incantations, for well-being , prosperity, happiness and protection from evil and its deeds.
Two traditional dances are important now, especially in my region, Moldavia – the Dance of the Goat and the Dance of the Bear.
Here you have the Dance of the Goat
Why the goat? Because our ancestors believed that the goat was the animal able to tell whether they’ll have good weather or bad weather. Of course, this wasn’t the actual occult, empiric meaning of it! Back in the day, everything had to do with the ritual of the dead… Well especially the undead I was telling you about in my St. Andrew’s blog post! Our ancestors were wearing masks ( of goats, bears, horses, etc. ) to protect themselves from evil spirits! Nowadays we kept this tradition alive without necessarily believe in its meaning… But it sure is a spectacle to look at every time!
Also, in our pre-Christian culture the bear was a sacred animal… So sacred that even the god of our Geto-Dacians ancestors wore its name: Zamolxis ( zamo = skin, olxis = bear ). So the bear was a totemic animal, feared and equally appreciated in our ancient culture! Same as the wolf!
The bear, more than any other animal is the main character of so many legends… He was supposed to hold the pillars of the Universe on its shoulders… Our version of Atlas, the Titan that did the same – if you like. The two constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, the same as in the Greek mythology, they’re linked to the ritual of passing and the transformation of the soul in the afterlife in our culture as well.
The Dance of the Bear has the meaning of the death and the rebirth of Nature, its whole choreography and the lyrics of the song that accompanies the dance express just that.
Also, by extension, it is believed that when the bear comes out of its hibernation spring will come without a doubt.
It is a lovely show to look at!
Good food, entertainment, beautiful places to see, the most warm, welcoming and funny people to spend some quality time with… What else can you ask for?!
So next year I’m expecting you here, in Romania to celebrate winter holidays together, Romanian style!
I hope you’ll enjoy this post, which is different from what I have you used with! Please feel free to comment and to let me know what are your favourite winter tradition of your country…
See you soon, Beautiful!
xx, Annie
And some more pictures of my beautiful country, in winter time…
[ Images found on Pinterest, Videos found on YouTube. All rights belong to their rightful owners ]
To hear it first, make sure you follow me on
Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Facebook | Bloglovin’
So beautiful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
thank you so much Jodi! without bragging, but yeah! my country truly is beautiful! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
you’re from the States, right?
would you mind sharing your “home” in a blog post?
lots of xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m in Canada – More specifically in Montreal, Quebec. 🇨🇦
LikeLiked by 1 person
oh well! more reasons to love anything “hot” then! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
oh! and I would looove to read a post about Quebec my lovely Jodi! the Geograph in me is excited to find out more about traditions and places in the area! 😉 xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is a lovely post, Annie!
LikeLike
thank you so much ma belle!
it’s just a little glimpse of what you might get when/if you decide to make me a visit! 😉
bisous
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would love that!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
you’re more than welcomed at any time! 😉 xx
LikeLike
Thank you for sharing about Romania. My favorite winter tradition is drinking hot chocolate.
LikeLiked by 1 person
aww! you’re most welcome lovely! I’m so happy you really enjoyed my post and through it my country!
LikeLike
so… I’m guessing you’re American? the hot chocolate made me think you were… I’m I right?! haha!
we’re not mad about hot chocolate on this parts, although in the past years we’re really enjoying it as well! 😉
LikeLike
I hope you’ll have an awesome week! lots of xx
LikeLike
Thank you for sharing your beautiful country ! xoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
ahh! you’re most than welcome pretty one! where are you from?
would you mind sharing your country with me/us?
LikeLike
also thanks for reading, for always being so supportive and encouraging with your priceless positive feedback! bows
LikeLike
have a wonderful and happy week ahead! lots of xx
LikeLike
Incredible pictures! Thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
thank you so much lovely! I’m so happy you enjoyed my little post! 🙂
LikeLike
have a awesome week ahead! 🙂
LikeLike
Annie these photos are absolutely beautiful!! LOVE THEM so much!
Saira♥
http://www.throughtheglitterglass.wordpress.com
xo
LikeLiked by 1 person
hi beautiful! I’m so happy to receive such a positive feedback from you as well, as I was getting a little nervous as I usually do when I stray away from my usually makeup-related blog posts! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
and you’re welcome to visit me and my Romania at any time! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
wishing you an awesome week ahead! lots of xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have to come visit one day!!! The “turte” looks amazing! I LOVE trying the local sweets everywhere I visit. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
you’re more than welcome lovely!
you just need to get here… I take care of all the traditional food and the sweets! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
turte is one of my favourite deserts ever! drools
LikeLiked by 1 person
wishing you an awesome week ahead! lots of xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very beautiful pictures!
LikeLike
Pingback: Discover my beautiful country Romania – All Things Romania
thank you so much for referring to my little post! have an awesome week!
LikeLike
Hi there, one of my readers says some of these photos are actually of Wernigerode, Sachsen-Anhalt, Deutschland :O
LikeLiked by 1 person
hi Sam! thank you so much for the feedback! I highly appreciate it!
LikeLike
and also thank you so much for sharing my post with your readers… otherwise I don’t see how they could express and opinion without knowing the picture/s in question!
LikeLike
now, would you mind letting me know which picture/s is your reader talking about! as you might’ve seen, most of my pictures were taken from Pinterest… but I’d be more than happy to correct my error since there are plenty of picture out there of my Romania in winter, equally expressive and stunning that there’s absolutely no point in using pictures from other places!
LikeLike
The guy said the train shots are the ones. Apparently the mocanita has fewer cars vagoane while the German steam train is the longer one.
LikeLiked by 1 person
alright then! thank you so much! I will take that one down and replace it with another one!
LikeLike
also, let your German friend know that the pics at the end of the post are pretty darn Romanian unless, they’ve exchanged their national costume for a Romanian Maramuresan one and transformed into Moti overnight!
LikeLike
thank you once more for your feedback and your precious help!
wishing you an awesome week ahead!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, I didn’t realize you lived in such a beautiful place. I loved hearing about your traditions too, I can practically taste the turke!
LikeLiked by 1 person
hi lovely, Kaily! thank you so much for the positive feedback! yes, my little country still lives in that old atmosphere where everybody respects and fears nature, and appreciates the traditions! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
and OMG! our turte are beyond delicious! if you’ll ever have the chance ti try them out, DON’T say no to them! 😉
lots of xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! You must be really proud of your country, isn’t it? what an amazing culture, tradition, unleashed food and great beauty! Need to make a travel bucket list now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
well, actually, I am proud of my little countru lovely! it’s not the biggest on the planet but it sure has a variety of landforms that create the most breathtaking sceneries… also the people that live here are some of the most warm-hearted, funny and welcoming on the planet! well, food and booze sure help them be like that a lot, but that’s pretty convenient I shall add! :D:D:D
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great!
LikeLike
oh! and you’re most welcomed at any time! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
btw! where are you from lovely?
LikeLiked by 1 person
My origin is from India.
LikeLike
Beautiful post! One of my favourites 😃 this is a fantastic idea!
LikeLiked by 1 person
thank you so much beautiful! I’m so happy that you enjoyed this post about my little country? thank you for reading! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
oh! ad what would be this fantastic idea you’te talking about?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Heehee I meant it was an amazing idea of yours to put this post together – its so nice to see something cultural and learn something different 😃
LikeLike