CUSTOMS RELATED TO WATER IN BUZAU COUNTY Student:Radu Ioana, cls.a XI-a A Teacher:Nicolae Cecilia

The linguistic researcher Ovidiu Densusianu, helped by I. A. Candrea and Teodor Sperantia, created “Our Language”, a magazine where they developed topics regarding the folkloric activities in Buzau county. Throughout a year, many of these customs are part of the human being’s life.

CALOIANUL “Ene, Ene, Caloene, Iana, Iana, Caloeana Your father seeks for splints Your mother looks for you in the glade And her heart is bitter, broken. Open the gate To start the rain. ” The girls, gathered in small groups, create a face from yellow clay. They dress it and put it in a carton or wooden box. The girls, in tears and piping it, burry the doll in well hidden places, in gardens or in meadows. The third day they exhume it and they will take it to Buzau river. Here, the doll will flow down the river and the girls will implore God to bring the rain. Then, they return to the house of one of them, where they give a party, and, in the evening the boys come there too. The girls prepare the food, which consists of scrambled eggs and donuts.

PAPARUDA Women, men half-clothed and children having boziu leaves hanging on their belt, splash with water, laugh and enjoy the moment, hoping it will rain. “Rainmaker, rainmaker, Come and wet me New rainmaker Come and rain me New brick God, give us the rain That’s my wish.”

DR Ă GAICA  It is said that Dragaica or Sanziana, with different names depending on the ethnographic regions: Dragaica, the Empress, the Mistress of the Sisters, the Empress of the Corn Fields, the Bride, walks on the ground or flies in the air, dancing and singing together with her suite. The beautiful, cheerful and gentle girls, called Sanziene, dance in circle, holding their hands, in the glades and in the plains. No one must say something while these girls dance, otherwise it will remain speechless. The old women pick curative plants, which is said to be enriched with miraculous powers in this particular night.  Big fires are made on the hills, the young bathe in the rivers and the wreaths are thrown on the roofs and everybody wait for a sign. If the wreath hangs on the chimney, this is a sign that the wedding is close. The girls put goldenrods under the pillow hoping they will dream about their husband-to-be, and the old men wear a belt of goldenrods in order to heal.  The virgins summon the powers of this plant when they are to marry and the young wives, carrying babies in their arms, summon it in their nuptial dance.  Delicate flowers, with a strong honey smell, the goldenrods are in a class of its own in the traditional calendar.

DR Ă GAICA Come, Dragaica, let’s seed, Let’s seed and re-seed Cause we know what happens in winter. It came with many treasures But Dragaica is switched But Dragaica is switched. And Dragaica started to cut the grain The grain is big and Dragaica is pretty indeed.

BOBOTEAZA  BOBOTEAZA is a religious holiday when the water is consecrated. Aghiasma Mare is the holy water which is drunk by all the orthodox Christians, throughout a year, in order to keep them away from the diseases and the evil spirits.  According to the ancient tradition, during this holiday we cannot wash the clothes, because it is said that the water gains miraculous powers and it will never go off. All the waters will be consecrated and the priest will go by the water and he will throw a cross. The men will jump in the water in order to bring it back and the one who will catch it will have luck all over the year.

The horses’ baptism In the villages from Baragan plain, there is a specific custom, which is not to be found often in other regions of our country: the horses’ baptism. In Smeeni village, the young come to the church on horseback. After the priest finishes the mass, he goes out to consecrate the water and he will use it in order to consecrate the animals, too. The peasants strongly believe that the holy water keeps the animals away from the evil spirits. After the animals are baptized, the horsemen parade will start in the village.

Bibliografie  Tablouri, pictură naivă (Florin Eşanu/Epoch Times)   Elena Niculiţa-Voronca, 2008, Datinile şi credinţele poporului român, Editura Saeculum