Romania is a small European state that attracts tourists, especially the mysterious Transylvania, the castles of Count Vlad Tepes, better known as Dracula. The people here are distinguished by hospitality, hotels, designed in the Gothic style, are found literally at every step. You can talk about the country for hours, a piggy bank of interesting facts from its history and culture is full. Now we propose to learn the main religion in Romania.
Basic belief
Romanians are a very religious people, chapels are found at almost every step. And in small towns, almost every large house has its own sanctuary, where lamps are constantly lit, and ideal cleanliness is observed. All churches in the country are in good condition, and attention is paid to repair and restoration.
The main religion in Romania is Orthodox Christianity, more than 85% of Romanian citizens are adherents of Orthodox traditions. In addition, there are also Protestants (about 6%), Catholics (5.5%). Representatives of other beliefs live in a very small number in the country: Islamists (less than 0.5%), Judaists (about 0.02%).
History of the Orthodox Church
The Romanian state was formed in 1862, and after 3 years the Orthodox Church proclaimed autocephaly, that is, proclaimed its self-government and independence. The Patriarch of Constantinople recognized the rights of the church much later, in 1885. The following stages can be distinguished in the development of the Christian religion in Romania:
- The dioceses of Transylvania and Bukovina joined the Romanian in 1919.
- In 1923, according to the Constitution of the country, the Orthodox Church became the national church.
- During the communist regime, Christians were not persecuted, although the diocese itself became tightly controlled by the state.
Now the church continues its development, the patriarch is Daniel, who replaced at this important post the patriarch Theoktist, who died at the age of 92 in 2007.
Interesting Facts
Having learned what religion is in Romania, we will get acquainted with some interesting facts about the beliefs in this mysterious country:
- The most famous European church, designed in stunning Gothic traditions, is located in this country. This is Biserika Nyagre, built in the 15th century.
- An example of a special relationship to death is the unique cemetery located in the Maramures region, it looks very fun, and each tombstone is originally decorated with cheerful poetic lines.
- On the territory of the country there are a large number of gypsies who profess a special religion. They wear bright outfits, lead a nomadic lifestyle and earn all kinds of fortunetelling.
- The number of atheists in a believing country is less than 0.5%.
- The main religion, Orthodoxy, is not homogeneous. Greek and Romanian varieties stand out.
- The decor of many churches and temples of the country is striking in its grace, subtle work of masters.
Traditions of the past
Despite the fact that religion in Romania is Christianity, echoes of pagan beliefs are alive in this country, which are easy to find in the festivities held in our time.
For example, Plugoshor, a bright folk festival dedicated to a rich harvest. It is celebrated on the first day of the New Year. No less richly Romanians celebrate the onset of a blessed spring, Martisor. This celebration appeared a long time ago, at a time when Romania was part of the Roman Empire. By tradition, the inhabitants of the country give each other small gifts - they present flowers made independently of scarlet and white threads.
The people also have rituals reminiscent of pagan, in particular, Kaloyan. His time comes during a drought, he has the purpose of calling the rain. During heavy rains, it acquired the opposite purpose. The essence of the ceremony is as follows: young girls fashioned figures out of clay (for women to call rain, for men to stop). It was richly decorated with flowers and buried.
In addition, Romanian traditions also include the celebration of Maslenitsa, which represents fertility. On this holiday, a dressed goat was driven through the city streets. For the celebration of Christmas time, residents put on costumes of bears, it is believed that such a transformation can improve the birth rate of livestock.
These are the characteristics of religion in Romania, of Orthodox Christianity, into which pagan traditions and rites are organically interwoven. All this makes the country completely unique against the background of other European states.