Christmas in Moldova is a special time for both Orthodox and evangelical Christians. The Orthodox view Christmas purely as a religious celebration, as many of them prefer to spend Christmas Eve at the all-night church mass. There, they stand all night long, holding candles and listening to priests' singing and recitation of the Christmas Bible passages in the old Slavic and Moldovan languages. Officially, Christmas in Moldova is celebrated on January 7, according to the old Julian calendar.
Most evangelical Christians in Moldova celebrate Christmas on December 24, just like in the West. It is usually spent at church, with an evening worship service. Then the young people gather in groups and visit homes of other believers while singing carols and reciting Christmas poems. Families invite their relatives and various guests to gather around the Christmas tree and share a Christmas meal, which usually is a feast. There is no traditional dish, but there are plenty of salads and varieties of meats, especially chicken. There is also home-cooked potatoes on the table. One of the special things about the Christmas meal is the presence of many kinds of fruit, especially mandarins, tangerines and oranges. And we couldn’t imagine the Christmas table without different cakes and tasty candies.
Of course, it is not Christmas without gifts; however, it is usually parents who bring gifts to their children—you rarely see an exchange of gifts between adults. The emphasis of Christmas is the baby Jesus, because all the carols sung are about him, and many Christmas images portray him laying in a manger, etc.
The focus of the New Year’s celebration in Moldova is Santa Claus or Ded Moroz (literally Grandfather Frost), who brings presents to children. However, unlike the secretive ways of Santa Claus, he often brings them in person during the New Year’s celebrations or at parties for kids, under the New Year tree. The giving of gifts "in-person" only occurs at big organized celebrations, where the gifts can be "standardized." The clandestine operation of placing the gifts under the New Year’s tree still happens for the benefit of younger children. Ded Moroz is accompanied by Snegurochka (Snow Maiden), his granddaughter, a unique character in the New Year’s tradition.
Evangelical believers usually spend New Year's Eve in church and then have similar celebrations at home with their families gathered around a New Year's tree. The youth usually spends all night at church, playing games, eating food, worshipping and fellowshipping. There is a traditional dish for New Year’s, which is present on the table for almost all Moldovans. It is called Russian salad, or Salad Olivier: a mayonnaise salad composed of diced potatoes, vegetables and, occasionally, meat. In larger cities you can find celebrations in downtown areas populated by young secular people, enjoying good music, fellowship and fireworks.
