4. to identify the deeper meaning of Christmas
to give examples of Christmas customs in
Romania
Today we will learn:
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5. In groups, think of as many words/phrases/sentences
that you relate to the word
CHRISTMAS
You have two minutes!
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6. 1. What do Christians
believe about Christmas?
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7. Write a paragraph about the Christmas
story using the following words:
Virgin Mary, Bethlehem, the shepherds,
angels, the stable, the Wise Men (Kings),
the star, the Son of God
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8. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
Jesus is the Son of God and He is both fully human and
fully God.
Jesus came to be a Saviour for humanity.
The birth of Jesus is "good news" for all people.
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10. Christmas season
Romanians have many Christmas traditions which are unique to them
Christmas is generally considered the second most important religious
Romanian holiday after Easter
The Christmas and holiday season starts officially on November 30, on
Saint Andrew's day and ends on January 7, with the celebration of
Saint John the Baptist
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11. Spiritual preparation
In Romania, Christmas begins with fasting which takes
six weeks (from November 15th to December 24th)
Fasting from foods is intended as spiritual preparation
for an experience of deeper communion with God.
Fasting and prayer make us more sensitive to God's
personal presence
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12. The Christmas lights
On December 5 the Christmas lights are turned on all
over the streets
The houses are beautifully decorated, perfectly clean
and ready to receive the carol-singers
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13. Christmas tree
The fir tree - as the tree that needs to be
decorated before the birth of Jesus - was
chosen because it remains green all the year
It symbolizes Christ, forever alive
The custom in Romania is to decorate the tree
on Christmas Eve, the 24th of December
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14. Nativity icon
On Christmas Eve or the day before,
the local priest will come along with
a Nativity icon and bless the house,
the people living in it and the food
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15. Christmas dinner
Christmas dinner in Romania
is a rich, multi-course meal
All the members of the
extended family enjoy the
feast together
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16. Christmas religious service
On Christmas Day, all the family goes to church to attend
the Christmas religious service
They return cheerful to their homes and give alms (food
given to the poor)
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17. Gifts
Gift exchanges take place in Romania in the evening of
Christmas Eve (as a reminder of God giving the world
the greatest gift: His Son)
Romanian children believe that 'Mos Craciun' (the
Romanian Santa Claus) is the one who delivers them
their presents
In the morning the first who wake up are the children
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to see the presents from Santa under the tree
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18. Carols
The singing of carols is a very important part of Romanian Christmas
festivities.
Throughout the Christmas season, little Romanian children (especially
those in the villages) visit every house in the town singing carols
The leader of the group carries a large wooden star with an image of
the Nativity posted in the centre of the star
This custom wants to remind us of the star which announced the birth
of Jesus Christ and guided The Three Kings
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19. In return for such
performances, singers receive
apples, nuts, traditional cakes
('cozonaci') and sometimes even
money from each house
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20. Many people think that by going from house to house
to sing carols (themselves or at least someone from
their family) they will be blessed the whole year.
It is also said that if you receive carol singers the
year will be rich and the people from the house will be
healthy.
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25. To conclude…
For many Romanian Orthodox Christians, Christmas is a time of
reflection and renewal, of affirming the bonds of friendship and
family
Different people from different countries celebrate different
Christmas customs depending on their culture
The very core of Christmas is Jesus Christ Himself. Christmas is
His Birthday. All customs revolve around Him and should not
overshadow The Celebrated One (the customs are not more
important than the religious meaning and celebrations)
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26. The Romanian traditional Christmas
greeting is:
Craciun fericit!
(Merry Christmas!)
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27. Before you go, answer these
questions...
1. One thing you know now that you did not
know before
2. The most important thing you learnt
3. Something that surprised you
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