In Beclean commune, the old customs of the Romanian communities have magic rituals, announcing the Nativity. Beclean has a great folkloric treasure which is promoted by the children of the commune and their parents. The old customs, such as the Star's Christmas Carol and the Herods are accompanied by Christmas and New Year superstitions.
The Star's Christmas Carol
It is the custom that begins in the first day of the Christmas and ends in the holy day of the Epiphany. Also, in the first day of Christmas, the godsons make gifts to their godfathers. In Hurez, Beclean commune, the children will go around the village singing the Star's Christmas Carol until the holy day of Saint Basil.
The Herods
The Herods is a very old tradition, kept by the youth of the village, custom that represents the birth of Jesus Christ. The subject is taken from the Bible; it represents the following of the stars by the three Kings and the artful way of king Herod of finding out where the new born Jesus Christ is hidden.
Christmas superstitions
Some of the superstitions have been preserved until now; they were transmitted by the elders to the youth. They talk about the ashes of the woods that are burnt in the night of Christmas to be spread in the garden the next morning, and the harvest will be twice richer; they say that you must put money in water and then wash your face with it in the Christmas Day and you will get rich; another superstition says that if the first visitor in the Christmas Day is a man, then the sheep will give birth to muttons. Old people say that if the weather is worm in the first day of Christmas, then the Easter will be cold, and if it is very cold and cloudless, then the summer will be hot.
"The Little Plough"
Two or three boys from the village make a little wooden plough, exactly like a real one. They flourish the plough with coloured mops and bells. Children go around together, in groups of three or four, from house to house, making wishes for a new year full of richness. One of them carries a bag where they put the gifts from the people of the village. After the holy day of Saint Basil, they are replaced by adults, with the so called "Big Plough".
New Years' Eve customs
The mayor of Beclean, Ioan Maican, says that in the commune the old customs have been kept until now, and that there is no house in the whole commune where people don't celebrate the New Year's Eve. There still are groups of young people or even adults that walk around, from house to house to participate at the New Years' Eve party. Old people say that if in the night of Saint Basil the sky is clear, the whole year the weather will be dry, and if the sky is clouded, it will be a rainy year.
