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 />
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