Easter in Romania
The Easter is the most important celebration of the Romanian people and it is preceded by numerous
preparations and rituals. Easter is also a celebration for the soul; it is a period of spiritual insight and
improving oneself. It teaches us to be good, kind and to respect everyone and everything that surrounds us.
The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is the symbol of pure love and hope.
In Romania, it is a must for the people to have a clean house and have all the ritual foods ready. This is why
the cleaning starts on Great Thursday. Men, who are usually working in the field or in the forest, will remain
home starting with this day and will take out the thrash, fix the fence, cut wood, bring water, butcher the
lambs. Women are the ones that paint and decorate the eggs, do the laundry and generally clean the house.
According to the old tradition of wearing a new piece of clothing on Easter, girls and young wives used to
sew shirts for them and also for their parents, brothers, husbands or children about two weeks in advance.
Traditional Romanian Easter food
Easter eggs are usually painted on Great Thursday. Initially, the only color was red, to symbolize the blood of
Jesus, but now all colors are used, with different meanings.
The most interesting traditional eggs are the decorated eggs (in Romanian they are called “ouă
încondeiate”). Special instruments are used for decorating them. These are very thin and round sticks and
made of beech wood. At one end it has linen or cotton little pieces which soaked in melted wax and in
contact with the surface of the egg, leave little dots on it. In rural areas, people paint different images of
Christ, angels or a cross on their Easter eggs or use plant imprints; Easter egg painting is an art that is widely
recognized in Romania.
The Easter “Pasca” is the traditional cake that is usually baked on Saturday. It is round, with a cross-shaped
middle braid that represents the crucifixion of Christ. It is made of cheese, egg yolk and raisins. Some people
place coins inside the cake for good luck.
The cakes (called “cozonaci”) have a round or rectangular long shape, symbolizing Jesus’ grave.
The Easter lamb, steaks and meat pies are traditional dishes. Together with the Easter eggs and the cake,
the meat is placed on the dinner table on Saturday evening, before midnight.
At midnight, everybody goes to church to attend the Resurrection service (Invierea Domnului). The priest
lights his candle first, after which all the people light their own candles from the first one with the "light of
Jesus’ life". They take these candles at home and give the "light" to the members of the family that did not
attend the service.
Everybody has dinner after the midnight service, with the lit candles on the table. The candles are kept for
the entire year, as they are supposed to protect the house and people's health. The tradition of knocking the
eggs must be respected: two people hold eggs in their hands and they break the other person's egg saying
"Jesus has risen from the dead" (Hristos a Inviat). The person that has their egg broken is considered weaker
and must give their egg to the "winner."
The Easter cake called “cozonac”
“Drob de miel” – a traditional Easter dish made of lamb organs (heart, liver, lungs, kidney), a lot of spring
greens, spices and other ingredients
The Easter “Pasca”
“Ouă încondeiate” - the Romanian Easter decorated eggs