Oltenia or Lesser Wallachia is the region that occupies the south-west of Romania, being delimited by the Carpathians, the Danube and the Olt. It comprises the territories of Dolj, Gorj, Mehedinţi, Olt, Vâlcea and Teleorman counties. In antiquity, the area was inhabited by the Geto-Dacian tribes, being part of the Dacian Kingdom initially led by Burebista, then by Decebalus. Until the 13th century, Oltenia was traversed by many migratory waves, so the permanent population was scant. With the formation of Wallachia, the Bulgarians, Greeks and South-Danubian Romanians came here. Although ethnic diversity is rich in this part of the country, minority groups are small here and their impact is rather weak. For Oltenians, traditions mean a connection with the past, valued by the observation and passing on of their meaningful customs. On the alleyways of the villages, throughout the year holidays are real shows of joy and color, reminding of an idyllic world that we all want to find.

Winter Traditions. Christmas and New Year’s in Oltenia

In Oltenia, the end of the year abounds in winter-specific traditions, when the locals observe old rituals meant to attract wealth and good cheers to the household. For example, on Christmas Eve, it is common for all family members to rake up the embers with a twig and say: "Good Morning to Eve / For Christmas Eve is better, / In a good hour. / (May it bring) Wooley sheep, milky cows/ Strong horses, healthy people, / May corn and wheat turn into pieces." If guests come to the house, they have to observe the same custom. Also, on the evening before Christmas, the horns of the cattle and the animal shelters are anointed with garlic to cast away evil spirits.

Also on Christmas Eve, carolers set out to announce the news of Jesus' birth. In the rural areas of Oltenia, caroler groups are made of four boys, each with a previously established role: the first carries the star or the carol, the second receives the gifts offered by the householders, while the others carry the sack with walnuts and bagels. There are a number of caroler suites that cheer up the streets at different moments of the day; married men and lads go to make wishes especially at dusk, while the gleeful voices of children can be heard in the morning. The suite of child carolers (called 'piţărăi' in Romanian) is specific to this region, being a custom rooted in Dacian times, which is currently observed in ValeaJiului. Men and boys, dressed in traditional costumes, walk in the village carrying flags adorned with flowers, bells and colored ribbons, observing a ritual dedicated to agrarian fertility. Girls rarely go caroling; they usually greet the lads come to make wishes and reward them with caroling gifts (apples, walnuts, bagels, colacs). If a boy wishes to win a girl's heart, he needs to spray her with perfume on Christmas Eve.

Another practice typical of the southern part of the country is the preparation of caroling gifts - hazel sticks that children cut before St. Ignatius (December 20), clean and leave to dry until Christmas Eve. One that day, they decorate them in black and white, a reference to the light-dark/ day-night/ life-death opposition. The elders say that the animals touched by the carol gift will be healthy for the entire following year. The sticks are eventually stuck into graves to make a connection between the world here and the one beyond.

On Christmas morning, householders wash their face with fresh water from a bowl in which they put a silver coin; it is believed the coin protects them from illness and gives them power. Before the religious service, women give out colacs to the other members of their family and neighbors, mentioning the names of the deceased. Villagers also gather the garbage from the yard on this day, hoping that the clock hens will hatch many eggs.

On New Year's Eve, children go caroling with the Pluguşor ("little plough" in translation), wishing the hosts abundance and rich fruit. The lyrics of the Pluguşor carol form a chant meant to chase away winter and make way for the fertile spring days. For one's welfare, one sprinkles holy water on the animals in the yard and the garden. Unmarried girls can find out what their future husband will look like by tying the tenth stake of a twig fence, eyes closed; the aspect of the stake is supposed to be indicative of the future husband's look and qualities. Until the Epiphany, they don't spin in the houses with unmarried girls, otherwise the youngsters won't marry anytime soon.

In Izbiceni village, the Oltenians have preserved a unique custom in Romania. At the turn of the year, men embellish a pig’s head with beads, earrings and wheat strands on St. Andrew's. Accompanied by fiddlers with traditional instruments, they sing a special carol in which they tell the legend of Vasilca. The story says that, in ancient times, a deity came to these lands, attracted by the richness of nature and the fertile land. She found shelter in a hollow and ate the wheat of the fields; wherever she passed, the fields became more fruitful, so Vasilca became the patron of the village and of the crops. The peasants, however, believed that the goddess, who was a sow in fact, was destroying their cornfields, so they killed her and carried her head through the village. When they realized the mistake they had made, they sang the sow's drama and considered it a symbol of prosperity.

In the area of Dolj, during the first days of the year, the lads guard the fountains situated at the crossroad of intensely circulated roads. In the past, travelers used them very often to quench their thirst, and the villagers feared that the waters would be defiled by strangers. For the purification of fountains, they are covered with straws and colored fabrics, and the boys who guard them are not allowed to sleep the entire night. If the fountain is found uncovered the following day, those who make themselves guilty of idleness are smeared with soot, so everyone would recognize them. Otherwise, the clean water is carried throughout the village in brass buckets, and the locals are sprinkled with it to be purified.

In Oltenia, winter traditions are considered to make people forget about their sorrows and bring them closer to the holy practices. Every custom has its importance in the world of the village, magical powers being attributed to it.

Easter Traditions in Oltenia

On Easter, Orthodox Christians focus primarily on spiritual values, so the pomp of the traditions is replaced by the ritual of inner purification. On this occasion, young people return to their native lands, visiting their parental homes that smell like pască (a traditional Easter cake) and cozonac (sweet bread).

The Passion Week is the time when believers fast, clean and decorate their households, and remember the Savior's passions. On Monday, the villagers wear black clothes, while the following days they attend the evening service. The Holy Thursday, the most important day before Passover, is dedicated to the dead, and therefore specific customs are observed in the villages. In Dolj, there is the superstition that the souls of the deceased return to earth to spend the holidays with the family; therefore, fires are lit in the yards and tables with colacs and mugs of water are laid. In some places, women and girls go to the river and throw water on the shore, pronouncing the name of the deceased.

On the night before the Holy Thursday, women are not allowed to sleep, otherwise they will be sleepy all year long. Moreover, they mustn't wash because they will be cursed by Joimăriţa, a character who scares away Easter. Also on this day, people prepare the dishes for the festive meal. In some areas of Oltenia, it is customary for men to dye and paint the eggs with vegetal motifs; decorations are usually made with parsley, lovage and clover leaves. On Good Friday, believers keep a black fast and bathe in cold water to be healthy all year.

On Saturday night, all family members go to the sermon and take home the holy light that protects them from the evil. Before entering the house, everyone must pick some green blades of grass and throw them over the threshold. On the first day of Easter, after the sanctification of the food, the Oltenians feast with traditional dishes: haggis,roast lamb, lamb soup (called 'sponge soup' in the area, from lamb intestines), and cheese pie. Godchildren offer red eggs to their godparents, and lads give them to girls at the village round dance. Easter means purifying the soul, restoring the connection with divinity and returning to authentic values.

Wedding Traditions in Oltenia

The wedding is an event celebrated in the community, attended by relatives of all degrees and by most of the community. Each participant contributes to the formation of the new family, offering advice, gifts or money. The customs that mark this moment are supposed to bring happiness, prosperity, and keep the newlyweds out of harm's way.

The first step in organizing the wedding is choosing the spiritual parents; in Oltenia, they must by all means be the groom's baptism godparents and they have the obligation to buy the bride's veil, the groom's cockade and the wedding candles. The bride's parents prepare the dowry chest in advance, in which they put things necessary in a household (linen, carpets, beds, different fabrics, clothing, tableware), a bottle of wine, two glasses and two clay pots for the son-in-law. A few days before the wedding, the lads in the village take the dowry chest to the groom's house.

If the party takes place on Sunday, they decorate the wedding fir tree - a symbol of eternal youth, on Sunday. The friends of the bride and groom decorate the tree with colored garlands, ribbons, bells, apples and colacs, adding sweet bread (cozonac) on top or a bottle of plum brandy. During the wedding, the fir tree is carried around the village by an unmarried couple, then left at the bride and groom's house until it dries.

The wedding day begins with the dressing up of the bride, a ritual that takes place in the house of the bride's parents, in the presence of the godmother and the bridesmaids. Those present mourn the separation of the daughter from her parents, reminding her that married life is not easy at all, then they have round dances and peasants' round dances called sârbe. Before going to church, the young couple asks forgiveness from their parents and get their blessing. The village headman recites the nuptial poem and he also announces the departure to church, the dances, the dishes and the practice of bride kidnapping.

After the religious ceremony comes the party and the wedding feast; In Oltenia, it is customary to serve a meal in the bride's home during the day, and one in the evening, at the bridegroom's. In the old days, the married couple used to eat from the same plate and with the same cutlery, because everything is shared equally in family life. Another important custom is the unveiling of bride, when the young woman takes off her veil and receives a kerchief, a sign that she has now become a wife. At the end of the wedding, the village headman goes to the tables and gathers the gifts from the wedding guests.

The next day, the newlyweds go to the woman's parents with a flower-decorated cake and again ask for forgiveness. Wedding guests also stop at a fountain, where the bride overturns a bucket of water with fir branches in it. The wedding is celebrated with a lot of pomp, with folk songs and games, with specific shouts and ritual moments that make up a real show.

Throughout the Year Traditions

St. John the Baptist is celebrated on January 7th,a day when, in Oltenia, children and people named Ioanare baptized. Women and men who have this name go to the river, where the priest pours the holy water from the Epiphany liturgy over their heads. It is said that Saint John is the patron of children and that you must be cheerful on this day if you want to have healthy babies. It is also forbidden to drink red wine, as it reminds of the saint's cutting of the head.

Saint Trifon, the protector of vineyards and orchards, is celebrated on February 1, the day that announces the beginning of the agrarian season. The Oltenians cut the vineyard, sprinkling it with clean water and light fires to scare the evil spirits. Some of them even call the priest to sanctify their harvest.

On Palm Sunday, the villagers hang willow branches at the door of the house, at the doors, windows and stables. The green branches are invested with magical powers, so men wrap them around their waists to get rid of back pain. Girls wear willow catkins on their head to have rich hair, and it is also said that children touched with these sanctified branches will be healthy throughout the year.

The Căluşari. The dance of the căluş, one of the oldest rituals preserved in Oltenia, is related to the Pentecostal holiday. In the middle of the 7-week period between Easter and the Pentecost (a day called StrodulRusaliilor), the căluşari observe this tradition meant to protect the villagers against evil spirits, illness and infertility. The Thursdays between the Strod and the Pentecost are considered days off, when peasants are not allowed to work the field. The Iele, supernatural beings that harm people, spy on those who do not obey the interdiction and cast troubles over them and their household. During the Strod, the lads start practicing the dance, although they have been initiated in it from winter.

A week before Pentecost, the lads promise to obey the bailiff or the group leader, making a secret oath; the one who violates it is to be punished by the Iele. It is customary for the boys to symbolically represent the horse god and to "make the flag", meaning they place a kerchief, some heads of garlic, wormwood and basil leaves at the top of a hazelnut staff. If the flag falls during the dance, the fog lifts and the oath has to be repeated. The căluşari are renowned because of their hats with tassel-decorated brims and the hazelnut staves. The dominant colors of the căluşari costume are white (representing purity and light) and the red of the belts (also called sticks), which protects them from the evil eye. The origin of the costume is connected to the warrior practices or the fighting garments worn by the Romans who settled in the Land of Olt during the time of Emperor Trajan.

Five to eleven căluşari participate in the dance, the most important being the bailiff, the leader of the group, and the Mute, the căluşar around which the mysteries of another world are woven. Between the two there is strong nonverbal communication through symbolic gestures, frantic movements and mimed fight. Both wear symbols related to magical practices and the connection with the world of spirits. The bailiff, submissive towards the Mute, is endowed with witchcraft powers and must have dramatic movements and an expressive non-verbal language, unlike the Mute, who is retained and enigmatic. At first, they confront each other, but towards the end of the dance, they reconcile. For three days, the band of boys walks around the village to bring wealth and fertility to the peasants' homes. The ceremony ends with a round dance, where mostly women who cannot get pregnant participate. At the end, the flag is buried in a secret place.

Traditions in Oltenia are folk manifestations that preserve the identity of the locals from the south of the country. Delightful, fascinating, some mystical, they have deep meanings, shaping the life of the community and bringing pomp to the holidays throughout the year.

[An article written by Andreea Bertea]