Christmas is a very important holiday for Christians: it is the celebration of Jesus’s birth, a time of joy, peace and quietness of the soul. It’s a time when we heartily get and give much love. One can notice this in the excitement of the people preparing for this holiday.
During 40 days before this holiday Christians respect the Advent when they do not eat meat or dairy products thus preparing for the great celebration.
The cutting of the pig is an extremely important moment anticipating the Christmas. Then, the preparation of foods takes the dimension of an ancient ritual. The traditional foods: sausages, “chişca”, mosaic salame, meat jelly, “sarmale” (traditional Romanian dish made of mincemeat rolled in cabbage or vine leaves), pork steak, “jufla” and the unfailing sponge cake will be present at the Christmas dinner joining the red wine enjoyed by everybody.
One of the most important moments of the 24th December evening is to decorate the Christmas tree when all the members of the family are usually present. During the night, Father Christmas will slide through the chimney and leave gifts for everybody in stockings or under the tree. If we look up in the sky we may see Father Christmas passing in his sledge drawn by eight reindeer.
The Christmas carol is one of the best-known winter traditions. Long time ago, the ones who went carol – singing were the children who, after the midnight of 24th towards 25th of December, went from house to house, wishing health, happiness and fortune to the householders.
The Christmas carols are ritual texts which are sung during the Christian holidays and they are dedicated to Christmas and to the New Year which is to come. Their origin is to be found in the history of our people. Throughout the centuries they became more beautiful and acquired a great variety all over our country. They express the atmosphere of celebration and the high spirits with which all Romanians welcome the Birth of the Son of God and the New Year.
Conjuring up the moment when, at Jesus’s birth, the star which guided the three wise men appeared on the sky, children go from house to house carol – sing and they carry a star with them.
“Pluguşorul” is an ancient custom according to which, on New Year’s Eve, groups of lads go to people’s houses and make different good wishes. They carry along with them a little plough which gives the name of the carol.
Thus, the news about the birth of the Saviour is spread every year by the carols which enter each house by means of carol – singers. They are rewarded by house – keepers with fruit (apples, nuts), sweets, twist – shaped bread and even money.

For Romanian people, Christmas is one of the most important holidays, if not the most important one. This holiday, in witch joins the pomp of dinner preparations with the church service is dedicated to the Saviour’s Birth .The Bible says that Virgin Mary, when she was due to have God’s Son, was walking from house to house with Iosif, asking people to give her a shelter. Getting to the house of Christmas, a very evil man, who would not allow her to give birth there, she was taking by his wife to the stable, where she gave life to Jesus. When Christmas found out he killed his wife.
Also, it is said that in the holy night of His Birth the Heaven opened for the Holy Ghost to descend upon God’s Son, and in the stable, when initially it was dark, there was light.
So, Christmas is a holy holiday, bringing light and joy to people’s hearts .
This holiday is announced through the custom, so dear to children, to go carol-singing, in order to announce the Saviour’s Birth.
Peparations for this holiday don’t just stop at making food, but people also clean their houses and wait for carol-singers and guests.

by Liceul Mihai Eminescu - Botosani