Christmas would not be the same without the decorated trees, the cakes, the carols and the traditions that define the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Consumerist society has managed to change the essence of Christmas and many of these symbols have been forgotten.
Nothing says “Christmas” more than the sights, smells and sounds of this season: from Christmas trees to mistletoe and carols, the holidays just wouldn’t be the same without them.
The special Christmas dessert in Romania is cozonac. It symbolizes wealth, abundance, joy of celebration and family unity, being considered a ritualistic sweet bread that represents generosity and spiritual transformation, an indispensable dessert on the festive table, offered as a gift to show affection.
The writer Tatiana Niculescu dedicated an entire volume to the most popular Romanian Christmas dessert – “The delicious story of the Romanian pastry”.
“The story of the cozonac is a window into Romania’s history. Passed through numerous avatars – sweetened bread, leavened ritual bread, noble dough prepared according to foreign recipes for Easter and Christmas, sophisticated family cake, ethnic specialty, national symbol -, the cozonac is linked to events, people, places and events that have marked generations of Romanians”, it is stated in the preface of the book.
The author confesses that the stories about cozonacs began to reveal interesting aspects of Romanian history to her: “they were capsules of protective intimacy, lessons about the lust for life in the safety of a home, about patience, trust, love, strength of character and about a peaceful wholeness of man in time, which, in the age of all speeds and digital technology, has become all the more rare and precious”.
In a public reading, the writer selected some extremely interesting passages from “The delicious story of the Romanian pastry”:
“The illustrated encyclopedic dictionary of the Romanian language, from the past and today, defines cozonac as a kind of bread of various shapes; wheat bread kneaded with butter and water, sometimes with the addition of raisins, which is made at home especially at Easter or made by a confectioner. 10 years after the integration of the territory inhabited by Romanians within the borders of a single state, cozonac does not have, therefore, widespread and by no means uniform throughout the country. It is considered a more special bread, with a sweet taste, associated with Christmas and Easter, which is usually made at home, but can also be bought at confectioneries. In the same dictionary, “babele” with the meaning of baking is registered as a kind of raisin cake from Moldova and Bucovina.
Tatiana Niculescu claims that probably the first time the word cozonac appeared in writing was in the 19th century, in the cookbook of a gastronomic writer and lawyer Mihai Kogălniceanu. The great apologist of cozonac in the period between the two world wars is also a writer and gastronomic lawyer, the older brother of Ionel Teodoreanu, Păstorel Teodoreanu. He is probably the author of the biggest controversy related to the Romanian cozonac, namely the one that started from his famous recipe with 50 eggs.
In 1933, in the April issue of the “Adevărul literar si artisticis” publication, Teodoreanu publishes a small sci-fi tablet in which he imagines himself confronted with the new realities of the modern world: the world passes from the village to the city, tall buildings take the place of quiet mansions, artisanal dough kneaded in the quiet of the house becomes a stunted, mass-produced product. Or the buns, writes Pastorel, “they need a house with walls and tall stoves, with a large fence and stables, and a acaretre, and a garden with trees, and a barn, and with ruddy girls, with an apron and a white bonnet, to carry them in their arms.”
Christmas trees
Other Romanian Christmas traditions are similar to those found in other Western countries. An article from Readers Digest reviews the most famous Christmas traditions. “Many of these Christmas symbols have humble beginnings, going back to the origins of Christmas and its links to pagan celebrations around the winter solstice”, the cited article states.
Christmas trees are universal winter decorations: pagans used branches as a reminder that spring would return, and Romans placed them around temples to honor Saturn, the god of agriculture. The first Christmas tree was used in either Tallinn, Estonia or Riga, Latvia. In the 16th century, German Christians brought trees into homes as a symbol of eternal life. When word spread that Queen Victoria and her German husband, Prince Albert, had put up a Christmas tree in the palace, the custom became extremely popular in England and America.
The snowmen
The first documented snowman appeared in 1380, but people have probably been building snowmen for as long as there has been snow. They were especially popular in the Middle Ages, when resources for artistic expression were limited. Michelangelo was even commissioned to build a snowman for the ruler of Florence!
Christmas carols
When Christians replaced pagan winter holidays with Christmas, bishops in Europe required certain hymns for Christmas services. In 1233, St. Francis of Assisi began to stage Nativity plays, including songs for the audience, and since then carols have brought the festive spirit to listeners.
The 12 days of Christmas and the custom of gift giving
The 12 days of Christmas represent the period between December 25 (the birth of Jesus) and Epiphany, on January 6, when the three wise men brought gifts to the baby. This also explains the custom of giving gifts.
Christmas socks
It is said that Saint Nicholas left gold coins in the stockings of a widower’s poor daughters, left to dry over the fireplace, thereby saving them from poverty and making it possible for them to marry.
bells
Bells, whether sleigh bells or church bells, have a symbolic and practical role: in pagan and Christian traditions they were believed to ward off evil spirits.
Christmas oranges
Oranges were traditional stocking gifts in the 19th century, a more affordable alternative to the gold coins that Saint Nicholas gave to a poor family.
The colors of Christmas
Red and green have symbolic connections: green with the eternal life of plants, and red with the blood of Christ and, more recently, Santa’s coat in the Coca-Cola commercials.
coronets
The origin of Christmas wreaths comes from 16th century Germany and symbolizes the endless circle of life and the promise of spring.
mistletoe
In Norse mythology, mistletoe symbolized love and rebirth, and people kissed under it to bring good luck.
Christmas lights
The tradition begins in the 16th century with Martin Luther, who put lights on the tree to recreate the beauty of the stars among the trees.
candles
The light symbolizes hope, warmth and rebirth during the winter solstice and has been integrated into Christian traditions.
The stars
The Christmas star is reminiscent of the star that guided the three wise men to Jesus.
Garlands
Bright garlands symbolized wealth and reflected candlelight on German firs.
The gingerbread men
The gingerbread came to Europe from Asia and was shaped by Queen Elizabeth I in human form.
Milk and cookies for Santa
The tradition of leaving milk and cookies began in medieval Germany and continued in America during the Great Depression to teach children gratitude and generosity.
The fruit cake
In the Victorian era, fruitcake was the epitome of Christmas indulgence, with origins as far back as ancient Rome.
