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Unikum 09 November Web

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CULTURE<br />

Anastasia David<br />

Writer<br />

in Romania<br />

Photos: Anastasia David<br />

In Romania, Halloween is not commonly celebrated, but there are a lot of other creepy celebrations. There are<br />

many strange traditions and customs that are still preserved today. Most of the traditions are related to death,<br />

and in each region of Romania there are various customs, so I decided to make a list of the scariest ones.<br />

1. Dracula’s Castle: Legends about ghosts and vampires are<br />

stronger than history, and hundreds of thousands of foreigners<br />

come to Bran every year to look for Dracula, who is known for his<br />

immeasurable cruelty. The Irish author Bram Stoker was inspired<br />

in writing his bestseller from the history of the Brașov area, along<br />

myths and legends about vampires and the ruler Vlad Tepes.<br />

The ruler was the cruelest ruler, impaling, burning, beheading<br />

and killing people. There are many myths and superstitions that<br />

appeared especially after the publication of Bram Stoker’s book<br />

about Dracula. The place is so well known that this year on<br />

Halloween, the richest people on the planet and famous actors<br />

chose to celebrate Halloween in a private party at the castle.<br />

2. Coliva is a dessert that is prepared to be served on the day<br />

of someone’s funeral. The family of the deceased prepares<br />

this dessert (made of gooseberries or wheat, water, sugar, salt,<br />

walnuts and raisins) to serve at the funeral to the people who<br />

came, in memory of the deceased person. The fun fact is that this<br />

dessert is the favorite of Romanians, and many prepare it even if<br />

they don’t have a funeral.<br />

3. The pig almsgiving: Throughout the year, Romanians raise<br />

their pigs in order to kill them on Christmas Eve. It is a tradition<br />

that still takes place nowadays. Parents even take pictures of their<br />

children sitting on the slaughtered pork. After cutting the pig,<br />

people select the meat to cook. Those who helped to kill the pig<br />

will be served afterwards with food pieces of meat representing<br />

all the parts of the slaughtered animal, fried in fat. People serve<br />

the meal together in the place where the pig was slaughtered (of<br />

course, after cleaning the place). Romanians also eat pork skin<br />

grilled on embers/barbecue.<br />

4. St. Andrew’s Day: The day is celebrated on <strong>November</strong> 30th.<br />

It is said that the wolves become much stronger on this day, and<br />

that they go out to kill people and their cattle. No one works on<br />

this day because it is said that they must stay at home to be safe.<br />

In the past, people smeared the doors, windows, thresholds and<br />

fountains with garlic. Also, cattle were smeared to keep wolves<br />

away. In addition to this, on the same night, the spirits of the<br />

dead who did not reach the world «beyond» would come out.<br />

People also ate garlic to protect themselves from danger. In the<br />

past, people smeared garlic all over their bodies. They smeared<br />

absolutely everything with garlic to keep the undead from<br />

entering their homes. At midnight on St. Andrew’s Day, the girls<br />

turn a clay jug upside down, put 3 hot coals on the bottom of the<br />

vessel and say an incantation to win the heart of their beloved<br />

boy. The housewives turn all the mugs and dishes in the house<br />

upside down so that evil spirits do not enter the house.<br />

10

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