about Romania: Christmas Eve

So Christmas Eve in Romania is kinda crazy.  Our usually sleepy little town came alive.   Santa comes on Christmas Eve so there was definite present carnage with Larisa’s family.

(christmas carnage)

We had knocks on our door almost constantly — kids caroling for money and cookies, people begging for money.

[flickr video=http://www.flickr.com/photos/daveronica/4231159278/]

(kids singing colinde at our door)

There were tons of grown men, drunk and dressed up as ghetto Santas trolling the streets looking for more beer and revelry. (Unfortunately, no pictures of these Santas)  There were late night parties and  I even think we heard fireworks as we walked back from late-night Christmas Eve Mass.

Romanians definitely know how to do Christmas Eve.  While there wasn’t my mom’s spaghetti and meatballs and my brother wrapping presents in various articles of clean (or dirty) clothing and animals scattered hither and yon, Christmas Eve here in Romania was busy and full and loud, so we had less opportunity to miss stuff from home and time to enjoy what a Romanian Christmas Eve is all about.