April 18, 2023 2
1. Watch the following video clip
2. From this, what do you expect this new topic to be?
Activity 1
April 18, 2023 Christmas Customs in Romania 4
to identify the deeper meaning of
Christmas
to give examples of Christmas customs
in Romania
Today we will learn:
April 18, 2023 Christmas Customs in Romania 5
In groups, think of as many
words/phrases/sentences that you relate to the
word
CHRISTMAS
You have two minutes!
April 18, 2023 Christmas Customs in Romania 7
Write a paragraph about the Christmas
story using the following words:
Virgin Mary, Bethlehem, the
shepherds, angels, the stable, the
Wise Men (Kings), the star, the Son
of God
April 18, 2023 Christmas Customs in Romania 8
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
Jesus is the Son of God and He is both fully human and
fully God.
Jesus came to be a Saviour for humanity.
The birth of Jesus is "good news" for all people.
April 18, 2023 Christmas Customs in Romania 10
Romanians have many Christmas traditions which are unique to
them
Christmas is generally considered the second most important
religious Romanian holiday after Easter
The Christmas and holiday season starts officially on November
30, on Saint Andrew's day and ends on January 7, with the
celebration of Saint John the Baptist
Christmas season
April 18, 2023 Christmas Customs in Romania 11
In Romania, Christmas begins with fasting which takes six weeks (from November 15th to December 24th)
Fasting from foods is intended as spiritual preparation for an experience of deeper communion with God. Fasting and prayer make us more sensitive to God's personal presence
Spiritual preparation
April 18, 2023 Christmas Customs in Romania 12
On December 5 the Christmas lights are turned on
all over the streets
The houses are beautifully decorated, perfectly
clean and ready to receive the carol-singers
The Christmas lights
April 18, 2023 Christmas Customs in Romania 13
The fir tree - as the tree that needs to be
decorated before the birth of Jesus - was
chosen because it remains green all the
year
It symbolizes Christ, forever alive
The custom in Romania is to decorate the
tree on Christmas Eve, the 24th of
December
Christmas tree
April 18, 2023 Christmas Customs in Romania 14
On Christmas Eve or the day
before, the local priest will come
along with a Nativity icon and
bless the house, the people living
in it and the food
Nativity icon
April 18, 2023 Christmas Customs in Romania 15
Christmas dinner in
Romania is a rich, multi-
course meal
All the members of the
extended family enjoy the
feast together
Christmas dinner
April 18, 2023 Christmas Customs in Romania 16
On Christmas Day, all the family goes to church to
attend the Christmas religious service
They return cheerful to their homes and give alms
(food given to the poor)
Christmas religious service
April 18, 2023 Christmas Customs in Romania 17
Gift exchanges take place in Romania in the
evening of Christmas Eve (as a reminder of God
giving the world the greatest gift: His Son)
Romanian children believe that 'Mos Craciun' (the
Romanian Santa Claus) is the one who delivers
them their presents
In the morning the first who wake up are the
children to see the presents from Santa under the
tree
Gifts
April 18, 2023 Christmas Customs in Romania 18
The singing of carols is a very important part of Romanian
Christmas festivities.
Throughout the Christmas season, little Romanian children
(especially those in the villages) visit every house in the town
singing carols
The leader of the group carries a large wooden star with an image
of the Nativity posted in the centre of the star
This custom wants to remind us of the star which announced the
birth of Jesus Christ and guided The Three Kings
Carols
April 18, 2023 Christmas Customs in Romania 19
In return for such
performances, singers
receive apples, nuts,
traditional cakes ('cozonaci')
and sometimes even money
from each house
April 18, 2023 Christmas Customs in Romania 20
Many people think that by going from house to
house to sing carols (themselves or at least
someone from their family) they will be blessed
the whole year.
It is also said that if you receive carol singers the
year will be rich and the people from the house
will be healthy.
April 18, 2023 Christmas Customs in Romania 25
For many Romanian Orthodox Christians, Christmas is a time
of reflection and renewal, of affirming the bonds of friendship
and family
Different people from different countries celebrate different
Christmas customs depending on their culture
The very core of Christmas is Jesus Christ Himself. Christmas is
His Birthday. All customs revolve around Him and should not
overshadow The Celebrated One (the customs are not more
important than the religious meaning and celebrations)
To conclude…
April 18, 2023 Christmas Customs in Romania 26
The Romanian traditional Christmas greeting is:
Craciun fericit!(Merry Christmas!)
Top Related