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Mucenici is a Christian feast of the 
In Dobrogea, the same anthropomorphic form is preserved, but the martyrs are smaller and are boiled in water with sugar, cinnamon and walnuts, symbolizing the lake where the Holy Martyrs were thrown.
In Muntenia, in addition to the usual brados, there is a "''Uitata pentru morti''" (The forgotten dead) celebration, a larger martyr bread (considered to be blind), which children dance around the fire with in celebration of the dead who were forgotten during the year.
The customs of March 9 form a ritual scenario specific to the coming of a New Year: the preparation of ritual food (Saints, Saints, Bradoşi), spring cleaning, the ritual drunkenness attested by popular tradition, the opening of the tombs and gates of Heaven for the return of spirits among the living, lighting fires in courtyards and gardens, in front of the houses and in the field, the purification of people and cattle by sprinkling holy water, beating the earth with the mayors to drive away the cold and take out the heat, finding luck in the new year by preparing the Macinici cake, harvesting honey and cutting the first vines.
Their 8 shape is a symbol of infinity and union with the Cosmos, in alignment with the myth of the Heaven Gates opening.
40 Martyrs of Sebaste
The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste or the Holy Forty (Ancient/Katharevousa Greek ''Ἅγιοι Τεσσεράκοντα''; Demotic: ''Άγιοι Σαράντα'') were a group of Roman soldiers in the Legio XII ''Fulminata'' (Armed with Lightning) w ...
, a traditional holiday in Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
and Moldova
Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistr ...
. It coincides with the start of the agricultural year.
On the day of the martyrs (''mucenici''), in the popular belief, the tombs and the gates of Heaven are opened, and the housewives make, in honor of the Holy Martyrs, 40 coils called ''sfinti, mucenici'' or ''bradosi''.
In Moldova, they have the shape of the number 8, a stylization of the human form, and are baked from Cozonac
, region = Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Serbia, Moldova
, creator =
, course = Dessert
, type = Yeast cake
, served =
, main_ingredient = Wheat flour, butter, milk,eggs,sugar,yeas ...
dough, then glazed with honey and splinkled with walnuts. In Dobrogea, the same anthropomorphic form is preserved, but the martyrs are smaller and are boiled in water with sugar, cinnamon and walnuts, symbolizing the lake where the Holy Martyrs were thrown.
In Muntenia, in addition to the usual brados, there is a "''Uitata pentru morti''" (The forgotten dead) celebration, a larger martyr bread (considered to be blind), which children dance around the fire with in celebration of the dead who were forgotten during the year.
The customs of March 9 form a ritual scenario specific to the coming of a New Year: the preparation of ritual food (Saints, Saints, Bradoşi), spring cleaning, the ritual drunkenness attested by popular tradition, the opening of the tombs and gates of Heaven for the return of spirits among the living, lighting fires in courtyards and gardens, in front of the houses and in the field, the purification of people and cattle by sprinkling holy water, beating the earth with the mayors to drive away the cold and take out the heat, finding luck in the new year by preparing the Macinici cake, harvesting honey and cutting the first vines.
Food
Their 8 shape is a symbol of infinity and union with the Cosmos, in alignment with the myth of the Heaven Gates opening.
See also
*Sfințișori
Sfințișori (''Little saints'') or mucenici moldovenești (''Moldavian martyrs''), are traditional pastries from Romania and Moldova made to commemorate on March 9 (or March 22, as per Julian calendar), the Christian feast of the 40 Martyrs of Se ...
References
{{Cuisine of Romania Romanian culture Romanian cuisine Moldovan cuisine