Colindă
Acolindă(pl.colinde;alsocolind,pl.colinduri) is a traditionalChristmas carolinRomaniaand theRepublic of Moldova.
Origins
[edit]Although the text of allcolindeis concerned with the events of theNativity,[1]certain elements of the folk rituals performed around Christmas are probably pre-Christian in origin, having their roots in the RomanSaturnaliaand pagan rituals related to thewinter solsticeand soil fertility.[2]
Colindeare performed in all parts ofRomania(includingMoldova), with regional variations in terms of number of participants, exact timing of different melodies and lyrics.
In terms of artistic mastery of verse and melody,colindeoccupy an important place in the creation of theRomanian people.They form a unity withdoine,popularballadsand songs of bravery, with tales, riddles, proverbs and sayings. Coming from the world of village communities,colindepreserve some of the oldest Romanian poetic achievements. They are inspired by theHoly Scriptureand Holy Tradition, by the religious services and by the iconography.Colindehave had a role in preserving and defending the Orthodox faith when heterodox proselytizing tried to break the unity of the Orthodox faith, and to dismantle, at the same time, national unity.[citation needed]The Mother of God, who occupies a central place in piety and Orthodox worship, is present everywhere in Romaniancolinde,together with her son,Jesus Christ.[3]
In traditionalRomanianrural society, preparations forcolindestarted well in advance (sometimes weeks) beforeChristmas.The village youth (usually boys) would begin to form groups in different places and designate a leader in order to practice singing in unison. These groups are calledcete de colindători,and their numbers vary from region to region. Then, starting onChristmas Eve,the groups would go to different houses and begin singing. In some villages, they go first to the mayor's house, followed by the teacher's house, whereas in other parts there is no pre-established order. The families would then invite them into the house, and give them different small gifts such as nuts, dried fruits andcolaci.
Examples ofcolindewith religious subjects are "Astăzi s-a născut Hristos"(Today Christ was born),"Moș Crăciun cu plete dalbe"(Santa Claus with white tresses) and"O, ce veste minunată!"(O, what wonderful news!).
See also
[edit]- Koleda,a similarSlavicChristmas tradition
- "Shchedryk" (song),aUkrainianNew Yearcarol
- List of Christmas carols
References
[edit]- ^Zoe Petre."Originile păgâne ale colindelor de Crăciun".Historia.ro(in Romanian). Archived fromthe originalon December 23, 2010.
- ^"O scurtă istorie a colindului".Descoperă.ro(in Romanian). 9 December 2009.
- ^Prof. Dr. Nicolae Necula."Colindele în viața și spiritualitatea credincioșilor români".CreștinOrtodox.ro(in Romanian).