March 1 is the holiday of Dragobetele, who appears in legends as Dochia’s son. In contrast with his mother, he appears as a beautiful young, bearer of love and goodwill, and makes all girls fall in love with him. Dragobete was identified in literature with Eros, the god of love from Greek mythology and Cupid – the Romans’ god of love.
Celebrated on 24 February, in some ethnographic areas of Romania or on 1, 3 and 25 of March, Dragobete didn’t have a fixed date (Muntenia, Oltenia, Dobrogea, Transylvania). On these days, birds built their nests to mate, and girls and boys wanted in their turn to fall in love, thinking of a future engagement or marriage.
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Zilele Babei Dochia / Zilele Babelor ( days of the old ladies) – forecast for the new year
In the ethnographic area of Botosani, March 1 to 9 are known today as the day of Old Lady Dochia or Old Lady Days – these are the days when Dochia dies symbolically and turns back to life at the beginning of March as, until the eighteenth century, the New Year used to be celebrated in spring . Dochia’s death, on March 9, symbolizes the death of the old year.
Many legends that are still found in Romanian mythology speak of an old woman who was ugly and wicked and who mercilessly persecuted her daughter-in-law, sending her to pick up berries and graze sheep in the cold winter days. This really highlights the conflict between the daughter and mother-in-law, and, on symbolic level, the opposition between the old time and new time. Old Lady Dochia represents the old year or the great goddess of earth who is defeated by her daughter-in-law, a young person, who is strong and has the support of God in all her good deeds – she represents the New Year.
Mărțisorul ( March spring symbol)
In the ethnographic area of Botosani, March 1st is the holiday called „Martisor”, whose name was influenced by the name of March – its ancient names were Dochia and Dragobete (I. Ghinoiu). This fact is also documented by Elena Niculiţă-Voronca, who refers directly to the Botosani area (Datini III, page 741) „Dochia is the first day of spring. On Dochia day Martisor is made.”
Mărţişor – a gift for 1st of March, was originally made of two black and white wool threads, twisted into a cord – „the year rope,” which blended the days, weeks and months of the two seasons, while these two colors symbolized winter and summer, the opposition between heat and cold, dark and light. This is for sure a Dochia tradition – says ethnologist Ion Ghinoiu. Legends about Dochia highlight that Romanians had always structured the year in an eternal alternance of opposites.
Umblatul cu steaua ( star carolling)
In the ethnographic area of Botosani, groups of 2-3 children go from house to house with props representing a handmade star of multicoloured crepe paper on a wooden frame. Children enter the house and chant the normal repertoire: „Star rises up / Like a great mystery / Star shines / The Lord proclaims …
Children are rewarded with coils, apples, nuts and more recently money.
Carolling
Tradition generalized throughout the ethnographic area of Botosani, with a repertoire of traditional carols sung at the windows of the houses on Christmas Eve. The tradition is composed of carols (ceremonial texts), magic formulas, gestures, props ritual. Once upon a time carols were sung only by children – the innocence of their age being a guarantee that the wishes for the owner will be quickly fulfilled by Divinity. There is a belief that when carols disappear, the planet will disappear. People would let the gates open to receive carolers who were rewarded with coils, apples, walnuts and later on money.
Christmas- Birth of Jesus ( customs, rituals and magical practices)
In the ethnographic area of Botosani winter holidays that have Christmas as a main focus point , begin with the holidays of Saints Andrew and Nicholas, when the main mood of the people of yore (and today) turns to joy. It continues with Christmas and New Year, which here in Romania, is received with a deeper joy and pomp than in other parts of the world. The holidays end with Epiphany and St. John’s Holiday. Christmas is the celebration that abunds the most in traditions, rituals, practices, beliefs. In anticipation of Christmas and New Year, people become better persons, more generous and more optimistic, hoping that Nativity and New Year will bring them health, goodness and peace.
In the old days, when people used to meet on these days, they used to greet with the phrase „Christ is born” – which disappeared from the traditional vocabulary specific to our winter holidays.
Nativity news brought by groups of singers on Christmas Eve (at night) is also accompanied by the belief that the graves open and the sky and the animals start speaking. In all events there is a noticeable blend of the sacred with the profane.
Jocul de măști (mask parade) – Jocul urșilor ( bears’ dance)
In the ethnographic area of Botosani mask dances are found most often at winter, from Christmas until the „breaking of the Old Year”, but they can also be found on other occasions. The climax of traditional events celebrating the New Year is the appearance of the masked characters. In bands that are organized ahead of time, led by bailiffs, dragomans, captains, or constituted on the spot, the masked characters stroll throughout the village, prompting the highest degree of community interest. The most common zoomorphic masks are goat, turkey, bear, deer, horses. The bear was an animal considered sacred by the Dacians – „the bear head – mask was used for rituals and ceremonies held in the ancient Dacian cult of Carpathian bear” (Romulus Vulpescu). By their diversity, the masked costumes in Botosani area provide a very picturesque reality . Its is also very interesting to admire the costumes of the gypsy bear tamers.
Jocul căiuților – riatualic dance performed byyoung men dressed as horses
This traditional dance has a high density in Botosani county area, namely in Trusesti, where we can fiind the little horses – Caiuti – in every village in the commune (Drislea, Ionăşeni, Trusesti), but also in Corni, Tudora, Sarafineşti, Vorona, Ibăneşti, Fundu Herţii, Hlipiceni , Cordăreni, Cristeşti, Oneaga. Every time the dances are specific to the area where the dance is „collected”. In Todireni, as well as in Trusesti, for instance, they dance upon five songs: Pristandaua (which also contains a plow) Gontăreasca, Ciobănească, Fata popii şi Ruseasca sau Căiuţul, Bătrânul, Şoticul, Galopul, Raţa etc. During the dance they also chant wishes. For the dance of the little horses, not only the moves are spectacular, but also the costumes and masks. In some of the dances, the spectacular rises even more with the dances of coppersmiths and other masked characters. Sometimes the little horses dances are accompanied by dances of bears and bear tamers songs. The parade of the little horses may 4-8-12 horses accompanied by masked characters (old men and women, moors, coppersmiths), etc. The little horses group performs the same routine in every house, in a lilt and cadenced rhythm suggesting an unleashed gallop, providing an attractive performance by outfit, repertoire and props used. The area of Botosani offers its tourists unique aspects of traditions related to keeping the rite of passage from the old to the new year.
Sorcova – children’s custom, symbol of spring vegetation
In the ethnographic area of Botosani, the custom of „sorcova” is prepared from the early morning of St. Andrew’s holiday (November 30), when pear and apple twigs and roses are put in vases with water, so they might blossom until the New Year’s – if they do, it is a proof that for that certain household the coming year will be positive, as these twigs are said to bring good luck. With these twigs children entered homes, tapping them on the hosts and saying May you look with merry eyes/ at that little bunch I rise/ tiny flowers may they bring you an everlasting spring ! All the fragrance, all the bloom /shall a fairy on her loom/ weave for you, and smile/, and wait to open the golden gate !/ May your steps be quick and strong,/ always right and never wrong !/ May you always find the ‘clue’,/ see your dearest dreams come true,/ have it always as you like,/ and each time a lucky strike! / Healthy, wealthy, spick-and-span,/ and as merry as you can !/ To you and to all your dears /many, bright, Happy New Years ! (the poet Ion Minulescu’s translation) . Wishes are also chanted for animals.
Semănatul – Seeding – agrarian tradition
In the ethnographic area of Botosani, the custom of seeding takes place on the morning of the New Year, when children walk in the homes of the people. If the first to come are boys it’s a good sign for the household. Entering the house, they „seed” wishes for those who are there using seeds of wheat, rye, barley, hemp, wishing the hosts to have a happy new year: „Health be with you, here and for the next year – Live in blossom – like apples as pears – are in the middle of summer – and have a rich autumn – With all in abundance” . After they are are rewarded with bagles and apples, walnuts and money, the seeders head for other houses. After the seeders left their place, the housewives gather the seeds and throw them into the cattle barn – this is said to bring their health.
