Holiday Celebrations in Romania-Part 2

There are so many Christmas traditions and events that happen in the weeks around Christmas, it is nearly impossible to write about them all. Here are a few more highlights of holiday celebrations (continued from Part 1). You can also click here to view photos from the month of December...many of which have just been added in the last few days.


Țigmandru Children's Christmas Program
A few days before Christmas, the children involved in the ministries of the Church of the Nazarene in Țigmandru presented a Christmas program. Nearly 50 children participated by singing carols and retelling the Christmas story.

Christmas Eve Service in Sighișoara
On Christmas Eve, the Sighișoara church had a service of carols and readings, Holy Communion, and the lighting of Christingles – an Anglican tradition of Moravian origin in which a candle is placed in an orange to represent Jesus as the Light of the World.

Caroling
Following the Christmas Eve service, about a dozen of us went caroling at several friends’ homes. As is traditional in Romania, we’d sing a song or two while still outside the person’s home. After being invited inside, our host offered us juice, tea, or coffee, along with sweets including cozonac bread. After eating and socializing with our host, we sang another couple songs and then went on to our next destination. Caroling can easily continue until 3am, but I went home around midnight.

Christmas Dinner
On Christmas Day, I enjoyed an international Christmas dinner, with Britain, America, France, Switzerland, Romania, Hungary, and the Republic of Moldova represented around the table. The foods were just as international. I especially enjoyed the American turkey and stuffing and the traditional English trifle for dessert.

Christmas Service in Țigmandru
Right after dinner, we left to attend the church service in Țigmandru. Very similar to the Christmas Eve service in Sighișoara, this service also included a men’s choir singing Romanian carols.

Children’s Christmas Program in Viscri
A little over a year ago, a family from the Sighișoara church began a children’s program in their home village of Viscri (which is a little over a half hour from Sighișoara). On Saturday, the children, dressed as Mary and Joseph, angels, shepherds, and magi, put on a Christmas play, complete with traditional Christmas carols.


I hope that wherever you spent your Christmas this year, that you have joyfully celebrated the coming of our Lord Jesus the Messiah.