New year- traditions, rituals and magic practices

In the ethnographic area of Botosani there is an yearly ritual scenario of calendar time renewal, during the winter solstice (December 20 to January 7). The ritual scenario includes the sacrifice of a pig on a day Romanians call Ignat (this represents the spirit of wheat), followed by a ritual of preparing traditional food (bagles, Julfa – „the Lord’s diapers”), etc. The ritual is going around three coordinates: the heavens are opened, the dead return to the homes they left, and animals talk. This period is one of abundance of feasts, excess of food and drink.

loading