THE HENOLD FAMILY
MISSIONARIES IN ROMANIA
Nineteen days of celebration
The Christmas celebration lasts 3 days (December 25th-27th), however, in a broader
sense it lasts a total of 19 days (December 20th-January 7th). The customs, magical
practices and rituals whereby the world is symbolically recreated, mainly through Santa’
s annual’s death and rebirth, can be broken down into two symmetrical periods. These
are separated by a moment of “cutting through time”, from which the counting of days
begins; thus, the ensuing first period is a rather ill-fated one, spanning between the Ignat
(the pig’s ritual sacrifice) and the midnight before Christmas or the New Year, followed
by a beneficial period spanning between the midnight before Christmas or New Year and
Saint John’s Day. ’.
The former period is abundant with customs
remembering the deceased to which Dionysiac
cult elements are added, whereas the latter
includes temporal rebirth practices, typical for
the new year’s creative beginning.
The ritual sequences commencing the celebration
of Christmas begin on December 20th, also
known as the “Ignat’s day”, a day when a pig is
sacrificed so that ritual food can be prepared for
the Christmas feast out of its meat. Next comes
Christmas Eve when the carolling begins,
children being the first to perform this ritual,
clustered in groups that will open with the carol
“Oh, What Wondrous Tidings” (“O, ce veste
minunata”), “Three Wise Men coming from the
East” ( “Trei Crai de la rasarit”), usually known
as the ‘star songs’.
On the night of December 5th,
boots are carefully polished to
be put by the door or on the
windowsill to wait for St.
Nicholas' (Sfantul Nicolae)
visit. He is generous to adults
as well as children, putting a
little present in each boot. If a
rod is found in a shoe, it is a
warning that behavior needs
to improve. On the sixth of
December, gifts are given to
friends, children, and those in
need.
The Feast of St. Nicolas