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Thefolklore of Romania is the collection of traditions of theRomanians. A feature ofRomanian culture is the special relationship betweenfolklore and the learned culture, determined by two factors. First, the rural character of the Romanian communities resulted in an exceptionally vital and creative traditional culture. Folk creations (the best known is the balladMiorița) were the main literary genre until the 18th century. They were both a source of inspiration for cultivated creators and a structural model. Second, for a long time learned culture was governed by official and social commands and developed around courts of princes and boyars, as well as in monasteries.
Stories suggest God made the Earth with the help of animals, whilethe Devil was trying to thwart his plans.[1]: 11–12 [2] In the majority of versions, before the earth existed, a boundless ocean calledApa Sâmbetei was the abode of God and the Devil, seen as master and servant rather than equals. In these stories the Devil goes by the name "Nefârtatul" and is the somewhat foolish brother of God in folk versions of stories. These stories appear not only in Romanian folklore, but also in those of Aromanian, Slavic Macedonian and Bulgarian folklore. Upon deciding to create the Earth, God sent the Devil to bring a handful of clay from the ground of theWorld Ocean in his holy name. The Devil set forth and tried to bring it to the surface in his name instead, but could not succeed until he brought it up in the name of God. As this piece of clay grew into the Earth, God laid himself down to sleep.[2] The Devil tried to push him over the side, but the ever-expanding Earth would hinder that. After trying to throw God off the Earth in every one of the four cardinal directions, he shied away from thecross he drew in the ground himself.
Other accounts, closer to the biblical one, suggest that the Devil and hisdemons were onceangels of God. The Devil, however, tried to rebel, and, in response, God opened up theheavens so that he might fall to the Earth. Fearing that Heaven might be voided, the archangelMichael re-sealed it, thus freezing the demons that had not yet fallen to hell in place. This is related to the concept ofsoul customs, where every soul is intercepted on its way to heaven by these demons, who force it into hell. It has also given rise to the Romanian sayingpână ajungi la Dumnezeu, te mănâncă sfinții ("before you reach God, the saints will eat you").[1]: 13–14
Another question commonly addressed is that of the origin of God, which is explained in aRussian doll-type fashion; before every God there was another God that created him. Thus explaining the many names theBibleused for God, the Oltenians believed the first God was calledSabaoth, followed byAmon,Apollo, the Creator God of the Bible and, finally,Jesus Christ.[1]: 12
Even after Christian imagery and symbolism became part of Romanian culture, Mother Earth is identified as theconsort of God, the heavenlyFather.[1]: 55
The origin of mountains is explained in a number of ways by the cultures of the different regions of Romania. One account is that mountains formed as a response to God demanding the Earth to nurture all life, to which the earth shuddered and brought forth mountains. Another version suggests the Earth was too large to fit under thefirmament, and so God attempted to shrink it, thus raising mountains. Often, these accounts are accompanied by the imagery of one or several World Pillars, which sustain the earth from below and are usually placed beneath mountains. Earthquakes are frequently attributed to the earth slipping due to the Devil's constant gnawing at these pillars, which are rebuilt by God and his angels in times offasting.[1]: 38–42
The etymology of the wordblajin (adj.) is the Slavonianblažĕnŭ meaning 'kind, well-minding person'.[3] According to Christian calendar, Romanians from Banat, Transylvania, Bucovina and Maramureș counties celebrate Easter of Blajini on first Monday after St. Thomas Sunday. Easter of Blajini is called also Easter of Deaths or Mighty Easter.Romanians generally perceived the Earth as a disc, and they imagined what existed on the other side. Thisother Earth is imagined as a mirror image of the planet, and as a home to creatures calledBlajini[blaˈʒinʲ] ("gentle/kind-hearted ones"), sometimes given the nameRohmani[ˈroh.manʲ] inBucovina. They are described as anthropomorphic and short, sometimes having the head of a rat. They are either described as malicious or as having great respect for God and leading a sinless life. They are considered to fast the year through, and thus doing humans a great service.[1]: 33
The Romanian holidayPaștele Blajinilor (Easter of Blajini) is a way to repay them for the benefits they bring. Since they live in isolation, they have no way of knowing whenEaster comes. It is for this reason that Romanians eat dyed eggs and let the shells flow downstream, from there they believe they will get to theApa Sâmbetei, and from there to the Blajini.[1]: 37 Blajini are invisible connectors between Inner and Hollow Earth.
Blajin also means a dead child who did not receive the benediction of Holy Spirit. The ethnograph Marian Simion Florea wrote :Blajini are fictitious beings, incarnations of dead children not baptized who live at the end of Earth, nearby The Holy water (of Saturday).[4]Some explain them as the descendants ofAdam's sonSeth. Others think that they used to live alongside humans on the earth, butMoses, seeing his people oppressed by them, split the waters and, after he and his people had retreated to safety, poured the waters back onto them, sending them to their current abode.[1]: 34
For celebrating the souls of dead relatives or friends, Romanians from above mentioned counties prepare festive meals and offer them, in the cemetery, nearby the tombs, after the religious mass and benediction, to all who wished to commemorate and pay their respects to the dead. They cheer up in memory of the deceased.
The most prominent symbol associated with theEnd Times is that of theearthquake. Waters overflowing and mountains collapsing are both linked to these earthquakes, which are mainly caused by lack of faith, which accelerates the crumbling of the World Pillars. Others attribute the earthquakes to the Earth (which is alive, and can therefore feel) realising the wicked ways of humans, and trembling in fright. Other rare natural phenomena such asEclipses orComets were seen as a sign of impending doom.[1]: 61
If these warnings should fail, God will initiate the End of the World. Such imagery as a darkenedSun, a bleedingMoon and fallingstars are associated with the beginning of the End Times. Three saints (usually in the persons ofEnoch,John andElijah) are said to come to Earth to unveil the Devil's attempts to destroy the world, whereupon they shall be killed bydecapitation. The sky and the Earth will be set alight and the Earth will be purged, so that itsCreator may descend upon it. The 12 winds are said to sweep up the ashes of people and gather them in the valley ofSafed, where theLast Judgement shall be done.[1]: 67–68
Sources formMoldova andBucovina also speak of a great army led by the emperorConstantine, which will conquer all the world's states, and kill everyone save for a few pure ones, which will then repopulate the Earth. In another instance, should this army not come, God shall burn the earth as described and bring theBlajini to live there. In another version, true to the succession of Gods mentioned earlier (s.here), Jesus Christ is said to come and create a new world like his father before him. A not-so-widespread belief is that of a definitive destruction of the earth, whereupon God and the Devil shall divide the souls of the dead among themselves and retire to the Moon, who is considered to have been made in the image of the Earth to serve a place of retreat after the destruction of the Earth.[1]: 69–71
Strong folk traditions have survived to this day due to the rural character of the Romanian communities, which has resulted in an exceptionally vital and creative traditional culture. Romania's rich folk traditions have been nourished by many sources, some of which predate theRoman occupation. Traditional folk arts include wood carving, ceramics, weaving and embroidery of costumes, household decorations, dance, and richly varied folk music. Ethnographers have tried to collect in the last two centuries as many elements as possible: theMuseum of the Romanian Peasant and theRomanian Academy are currently the main institutions which systematically organise the data and continue the research.
Wood used to be the main construction material, and heavily ornamented wooden objects were common in old houses. InMaramureș, wood was used to create impressive structures such as churches or gates; inDobruja, windmills were made of wood, and in mountainous regions hardwood was used even for covering the roof. To preserve traditional houses, many village museums have been created in the last century throughout Romania,[5] such as theVillage Museum in Bucharest, theTraditional Popular Civilisation ASTRA Museum inSibiu or theOltenian Village Museum inRâmnicu Vâlcea.
Linen was the most common material for clothing, combined withwool during the winter or colder periods. These are embroidered with traditional motifs that vary from region to region. Black is the most common colour used, but red and blue are predominant in certain areas. Traditionally, men wore a white shirt and pants (if made of wool they are calledițari) with a wide leather belt, usually over the shirt, and a vest sometimes made of leather and embroidered. They wore either boots or a simple shoe made of leather and tied around the foot calledopincă and they wore a hat which differs in design from region to region. Women also wore a white skirt and a shirt with a vest. They wore an apron calledșorț orcătrință which is also embroidered and a headscarf calledbasma; on special occasions they wore more elaborate outfits.
Music anddance represent a lively part of the Romanian folklore and there are a great variety of musical genres and dances. Party music is very lively and shows bothBalkan andHungarian influences. Sentimental music, however, is the most valued, and Romanians consider theirdoina (a sad song either about one's home or about love, composed like an epic ballad) unique in the world.Maria Tănase is considered to be one of the greatest Romanian folk singers and todayGrigore Leșe andTaraful Haiducilor are two of the most famous musicians. The dances are lively and are practiced throughout Romania by a large number of professional and amateur groups, thus keeping the tradition alive;Hora is one of the most famous group dances but men's folk dances such ascălușari are extremely complex and have been declared byUNESCO to be "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritages of Humanity".
Romanians have had, from time immemorial, a myriad of customs, tales and poems about love, faith, kings, princesses, and witches. Ethnologists, poets, writers and historians have tried in recent centuries to collect and to preserve tales, poems, ballads and have tried to describe as well as possible the customs and habits related to different events and times of year. Customs related to certain times of year are thecolinde - RomanianChristmas carols,sorcova on New Year's Eve or theMărțișor custom on 1 March marking the spring. Other customs are presumably of pre-Christianpagan origin, like thePaparuda rain enchanting custom in the summer, or the masked folk theatre orUrsul (the bear) andCapra (the goat) in winter.
Perhaps the most successful collector of folk tales was the novelist and storytellerIon Creangă, who, in very picturesque language, shaped into their now-classic form stories likeHarap Alb (roughly, "The White Moor") orFata babei și fata moșului ("The old woman's daughter and the old man's daughter"). Also, the poetVasile Alecsandri published the most successful version of the balladMiorița (The Little Ewe), a sad, philosophical poem, centered on a simple action: the plot by two shepherds to kill a third shepherd because they envied his wealth. Another prolific editor of folk tales wasPetre Ispirescu, who, in the 19th century published an impressive number of volumes containing a large number of short novels and tales from popular mythology. They are centered on popular characters like the princeFăt-Frumos (the Romanian "Prince Charming"), the princessIleana Cosânzeana, the villain or monsterZmeu orCăpcăun, the dragonBalaur or fantastic superbeings like the goodZână and the evilMuma Pădurii.
Most of these names can be found in the Romanian Lore in reference to Vampires and Dragons.
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