Holiday Celebrations in Romania-Part 1

Advent is a season to await the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We remember his first coming and anticipate his second coming.

Veritas organizes several ecumenical community events during the advent season. These events, in addition to the Christmas programs for the Churches of the Nazarene, make this a time of year filled with special activities. I'd love to write a blog post about every activity, but since there are so many, I'll just give a quick summary of the key events I've attended in the past few weeks. You can view my photos of this month's events by clicking here.

Saint Nicholas Day Fair
The first Veritas-sponsored event of the season was the St. Nicholas fair. Many of the non-profit organizations and churches in Sighișoara set up booths in the Museum Square in the citadel. There, they provided information about their organization and sold hand-made items as fundraisers. Local choirs filled the air with the music of carols. You can read more about this year's St. Nicholas Day Fair by clicking here.

Slow Food Fair
Slow Food is a non-profit organization to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world. (description from Slow Food Website). The Slow Food Fair was held in Sighișoara's central park, allowing local food producers to sell their food -- everything from honey and jam to meat and cheese products. Our coffee-shop, "The International Cafe," sold its pies, made from locally-grown fruits, as well as its locally-made spiced apple cider. During the fair, children's choirs from local schools sang carols.

Children's Christmas Program in Zagăr.
Within the past year, the leaders of the Church of the Nazarene in Țigmandru have begun an outreach ministry in the nearby village of Zagăr. The American students who spent the semester in Sighișoara helped lead a children's ministry there this fall, including preparation for a Christmas program. Many parents and other adults came to see the children enact the first Christmas. At one point, there were 85 people (including children) in a room no larger than 10 by 12 feet!

Candle Walk
Since 2001, Veritas has sponsored a candle prayer walk in the old city of Sighișoara. Beginning with scripture reading and singing in the Monastery Church, the group of over 200 lit candles and walked to the town hall, Roman Catholic Church, and the Church on the Hill, stopping at each location to pray for different aspects of the town. Afterwards, participants were invited to Veritas's House on the Rock for refreshments.

Ecumenical Concert
Another ecumenical event organized by Veritas was a concert allowing 11 choirs from various organizations and churches of various Christian faiths to praise the Father for sending his Son into the world to save us from our sins. The concert was held at the Romanian Orthodox Church in Sighișoara.

Veritas Staff Christmas Party
Veritas staff gathered at Dorothy's house on Friday morning for the annual staff Christmas party. We had a gift exchange, ate lots of food, and sang carols together.

Children's Christmas Celebration
Children's groups from various organizations, schools, and churches participated in a Christmas celebration on Friday afternoon.

Hanukkah
I never thought that I would be celebrating Hanukkah in Romania. After all, there is only 1 Jew remaining in Sighișoara, and the synagogue has long been closed. (Plus the fact that I'm not Jewish and have never celebrated Hanukkah in the past.) However, following the restoration of the synagogue 2 years ago, a group of Christians in Sighișoara began to meet regularly to pray for the Jewish people. This group hosted this event at the Sighișoara synagogue on the last night of Hanukkah. From a Christian perspective, this festival of lights celebrates Jesus, the Light of the World, who came into a world of darkness.

Sighișoara Church Children's Christmas Program
On Sunday morning, the children of the Sighișoara Church of the Nazarene presented a Christmas musical to the congregation. Over 30 children participated. Many of these children do not have parents who attend our church, and most of them are from families with many material needs. It is a blessing to see them standing in front of the congregation, reciting and singing about the Christmas story.


There are many holiday celebrations still to come: Veritas Kids' Clubs Christmas program, Țigmandru Church of the Nazarene's children's Christmas program, Christmas Eve service at the Sighișoara Church of the Nazarene, caroling on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day service at the Țigmandru Church of the Nazarene, Viscri Nazarene outreach children's Christmas program, and New Year's Eve celebration at the Sighișoara Church of the Nazarene. I'll be posting highlights from these events, too.

Click here for Part 2 of Holiday Celebrations in Romania.