Do you want a memorable spring vacation?
Spend the Easter holidays in Transylvania.
Freshly revived nature creating idyllic landscapes, medieval villages emerging from the winter slumber, centuries-old traditions and customs, and delicious cuisine are just a few ingredients of a dream holiday.
But to truly enjoy all of these, you need guidance.
We will try to provide you with all the useful information so that your experience can become an unforgettable one.
Easter Traditions and Customs in Transylvania
Transylvania is a vast territory whose riches have been coveted over time by great empires. Today, its population represents a mix of ethnicities, predominantly inhabited by Romanians, Hungarians (Székelys), and Germans (Saxons and Swabians). Therefore, from a religious point of view, the inhabitants here are divided into Catholics and Orthodox.
The Catholic and Orthodox Churches calculate Easter differently. See here when Easter day is in the following years.
Easter is the most important Orthodox Christian holiday, signifying the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The inhabitants of Transylvania extend this rebirth to everything around them. Houses are whitewashed, people buy new clothes, and lands are plowed and sown to give life to a new harvest. Everything is prepared for the great celebration.
The Lent of Easter is a purification custom. It is the basis of traditions with a moralizing purpose, such as "briscaitul" through which the young men who have violated the village's morals are punished.
Egg painting is a custom respected by both Catholics and Orthodox. Graphic or floral motives, with various meanings, transform ordinary eggs into museum exhibits. Egg cracking also has a ritual. The older person cracks the egg held in the younger person's hand, saying "Christ is Risen," and the response is "Indeed He is Risen!"
In addition to painted eggs, housewives also cook other dishes specific to this holiday: pasca, drob, sweet bread, soup, lamb roast, etc. Therefore, if you decide to spend Easter in Transylvania, you will have a real culinary feast.
Another tradition of Easter in Transylvania is "stropitul" or watering. A custom practiced even by noble families in past centuries, today it is encountered only in rural areas.
Adopted in memory of the Jews who sprinkled those who brought the news of Jesus' resurrection with water, the custom has taken on numerous popular shades to this day.
The lads from the Transylvanian villages gather in groups and go to the unmarried girls' homes, asking their parents if they accept the watering. After they sprinkle the girls, the boys are rewarded with palinca, red wine, red eggs, sweet bread, and pasca.
Decorating the tree is another tradition that you will not only encounter in Transylvania during Christmas, but also during Easter. This time, it is a custom through which the young men in the village court the unmarried girls.
In the area of Cluj, the fir tree branches are decorated with gifts for deceased family members. These are taken to the church and blessed. Later, the ornaments, consisting of candy and pretzels, are distributed to the poor and children, and the branch is placed on the grave of the person commemorated. The custom symbolizes the connection between the two worlds.
There are many other traditions, which vary by region or even by village. In any case, all Easter celebrations in Transylvania have the role of renewal, purification, closeness to divinity, and commemoration of lost loved ones.
Are You Looking For Easter Accommodation In Transylvania? Here Are The Most Spectacular Options
Whether you're spending your Easter vacation with family, friends, or your significant other, fortunately, Transylvania offers a multitude of hidden gems for truly memorable experiences.
Manor houses, mansions and castles that are hundreds of years old await you to discover the noble history of Transylvania. Here you can stay and be pampered like the counts of past centuries.
If you are a smaller group and want a more intimate experience, we recommend spending Easter in one of the many restored traditional houses. These are true gems that bear the imprint of medieval villages and will help you completely disconnect from the hustle and bustle of current life. Almost every house has a housewife who can cook delicious local dishes for you.
If you want to spend your vacation as a couple, we recommend bungalows, A-frame cabins, glamping sites, and tree houses. These are very Instagram-worthy places, close to nature, where you will be pampered with quality services.
So, do you want accommodation in Transylvania? Travlocals offers you the most spectacular options, which you can book without commission.
