Christmas in Romania

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Craciun în România Christmas in Romania
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Craciun Fericit means Merry Christmasin
Romanian
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How to Celebrate a Romanian Christmas

• Step One

Arrange to go caroling in your village or town
on Christmas Eve. Make a star (called a
Steaua") out of shiny paper and wood, and attach
it to a broomstick for the leader of your group
to carry. Hang bells and ribbons on it, along
with a picture of the Holy Family.
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Step Two Go from house to house
until the wee hours of Christmas morning.
Expect to partake of nuts, apples, pretzels
(covrigi)and cakes along with the other
carolers.
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The Bear Dance Ursul

• The bear dance can be
  seen on New Year's Eve only in Moldavia.
• A young man plays the bear role. He carries
  a bear skin on his head and shoulders. The skin
  is decorated with red tassels, mirrors, gold
  threads and brass nails. He's tied in chains and
  droved by a bear leader.
• A herald wearing old military uniform opens
  the show. Then the bear leader orders the bear to
  dance. The bear has a real suite of musicians.

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The Goat Capra

• Teenagers especially
  enjoy caroling with the Goat. The Goat is
  actually a usually boisterous young person
  dressed up in a goat costume. The whole group
  dances through the streets and from door to door,
  often with flute music.  
• The goat jumps, jerks, turns round, and
  bends, clattering regularly the wooden jaws.
•  

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Step Three

• The Christmas tree is decorated on
  Christmas Eve with walnuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts,
  candies, apples and chocolates wrapped in colored
  paper.

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Step Four

• Invite family and friends to come back to
  your home and tell stories about Jesus' birth in
  front of the Christmas tree.

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Step Five
Children clean and polish their best pair of
boots and place them at the front door for Santa
Claus to find. It's there that he'll leave
presents for the youngest children who have
already gone to bed.

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Step Six

• On Christmas Day, invite neighbors
• and relatives for a festive holiday meal.

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Main Traditional Dishes

• "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.
• Cârnati - fresh pork sausages, either
  grilled or fried, garnished with "muraturi"
  (cucumber pickles), as well as hot peppers and
  green tomato pickles.
• "Sarmale" - sour cabbage leaves stuffed
  with ground pork and served with polenta.

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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.
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Romania is a country with several cultural
influences, so Christmas traditions are quite
diverse and cannot be generalized.