When we think of the holidays we generally think of gatherings with friends and family, time off of work, moments of relaxation, and time to reflect upon some special theme or idea not a giant chocolate rabbit, or a Nordic do-gooder breaking into your house at night to deliver presents. I used to be somewhat critical of certain Romanian traditions, that is until I started comparing them to our own American ones.
It all started on a day in February when I came into my office for what was supposed to be a routine work day. I turned on my computer, checked my e-mail and then noticed a news story on Groundhog Day. Apparently I was so aloof from the on goings in my own country that I nearly missed this annual brew ha ha. Thanks MSN! Seriously though, it’s fascinating and a little bit sad at the same time when you live in a foreign country and forget that millions of people back home are talking about, celebrating, and carrying on traditions that are completely unknown in your new habitat.
Groundhog Day seems to be a pretty normal event in February...until you try and explain it to your Romanian coworkers. Man, you think they have strange traditions? Just saying the word and watching the confused expression on their faces was enough to make me realize that the whole charade is ridiculous. Not only do most Romanians not know what a groundhog is, but neither do I!
“He’s a rodent, kind of. Well, maybe more like a giant hamster. No? Ok, uh never mind then.” What does a groundhog do? He comes out of the ground and if he sees his own shadow that means we will have 6 more weeks of winter? That’s like setting meteorology back 200 years. Simply attempting to explain this age old ritual to my wide eyed colleagues made me feel embarrassed.
As you know we have just wrapped up the Romanian Easter holiday season. And what a season it was. In the States we have a weekend, no time off of work, usually some kind of family gathering, a picnic and that’s about it. No sooner is one holiday over then we start looking for another. If you don’t have your Easter hardware packed up and put back in the attic on Monday you’re in for some public ridicule.
Not so in Romania. Here they like to prolong it about a week before, a week after and then two weeks for the actual Holiday. Because the Orthodox Church never changed their calendar this year the majority of Romanians, who practice the Orthodox faith, celebrated one week later than the Catholics and the Protestants. Living in an ethnically and religiously mixed region such as Transylvania can therefore become quite interesting. The Easter season doesn’t start with advertisements for products on TV but instead with widespread spring cleaning in every street, apartment building, and haystack in the country. Neighbors beat rugs outside at all hours of the day, old ladies go to work churning the soil in front of the bloc in order to plant flowers, and it seems like everyone has a broom in their hand. This all seems to happen at the exact same time. As if there is some specific moment when a starting judge fires a pistol into the air from Bucharest and said “Go!”
All Romanians are allowed to take off the Monday following their Easter and most are given Friday as a free day as well. This means that if you live in a city like Targu-Mures you don’t know which way is up for that two week period. Half the people in my office are Protestant or Catholic and the other half are Orthodox. Understandably, work staggers during this period and as a consumer you have no idea which stores will be open or who will have a sign on their door saying “Gone prayin’.” When employees do return to work they bring colored eggs, cake, greeting cards, and warm smiles on their faces. Romanians were shocked when I told them that we too dye eggs with food coloring in our country. (Although I had to admit that the tradition was losing ground to pre-colored plastic eggs which are easier to fill with candy.)
I learned that traditional eggs are dyed red to symbolize the blood of Christ. Clearly American egg dying has origins somewhere in Europe and perhaps we too may have died our eggs red as a symbolic act. However, what I had never done before, or really understood since was to battle for Christ with my egg. This of course is the act where two people select eggs and then ram the ends together to see whose egg breaks first. I made the mistake of referring to this ritual as a “game” whereby I was promptly corrected for my ignorance of holy matters. I have yet to receive an explanation.
But, what is the explanation for our Easter Egg hunt? Seems like some sort of tradition handed down by pirates who have just robbed a candy store. And the bunny rabbit? Though clearly contrary to what I learned in high school biology, to this day, I spend a second or two wondering how rabbits lay eggs.
I think maybe the reason why I was initially intrigued and humored by Romanian traditions is because they truly do differ greatly from American ones. We’re such a dynamic and ever changing country that our physical traditions are difficult to sustain. The real heritage of American tradition has always been ideas, enthusiasm, and a desire to succeed. Though we may not embrace the costumes or physical practices of our ancestors their ideals are still very present in American society. As for the traditions which do remain, I’ll be the first one to admit that they are strange.
So in the future, should a Romanian knock on your door, give you a red egg, and then spray you with perfume, you’ll know he’s just trying to say “Happy Easter.” And remember not to laugh lest he remind you that you are responsible for that big chocolate rabbit.
