CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS IN BOZIEŞ (MAGYARBORZÁS) AND VIŢA (VICE)

Abstract

Every time I have been asked which my favourite holiday was, I replied without a moment’s hesitation that it was Christmas. It would be difficult to explain why, though... This is the time of the year when families come together and celebrate together. Celebration means more than a Christmas holiday, snow, sledging, delicious food, so much more. Christmas is the time when old customs come to life again and come back into our lives. When I went on my folk song collecting tour, it was such a pleasant experience that people welcomed me into their homes, set the table for me, or as they would say “gave me a treat”, informers were pleased to sing, pleased to help. And they did not just sing, they also informed me. They described how it used to be in the old days, what customs used to be there, how people would celebrate.