Sorcova is a Romanian popular custom, practiced on the morning of 1 January. This custom is very old and is spread throughout the country, being practiced mainly by children. Sorcova is also used to describe the object that characterizes this custom. It consists of a stick or twig decorated with artificial flowers of different colors, wherewith children slightly hit on back their parents or acquaintances in the morning of

New Year New Year is the time or day currently at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count increments by one. Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner. In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system tod ...

, wishing them, in special verses, health and luck. When they begin to say the verses, ''sorcova'' is inclined in the direction of the person to whom they address all wishes, ''sorcova'' playing the role of a

magic wand A wand is a thin, light-weight rod that is held with one hand, and is traditionally made of wood, but may also be made of other materials, such as metal or plastic. Long versions of wands are often styled in forms of staves or sceptres, which c ...

, endowed with the ability to transmit health, youth and fertility to the vised one; verses are very suggestive in this regard. The text of ''sorcova'', reminiscent of a spell, merely reinforces the movement of ''sorcova''.

By region

This custom varies depending on the ethnographic region. In northern

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the ...

, children go with ''sorcova'' from house to house, wishing health in exchange for local delicacies (''cozonac'', ''colac'',

apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor ...

s, nuts). In urban areas, it is common for children to receive cash, candies or oranges. An interesting form of custom can be found in the west of the country (village of Bucium,

Bihor County Bihor County () is a county (județ) in western Romania. With a total area of , Bihor is Romania's 6th largest county geographically and the main county in the historical region of Crișana. Its capital city is Oradea. Toponymy The origin of t ...

). Children have a fir tree branch decorated with tinsel, candies and ''țingălău'' (

bell A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inter ...

). Whoever does not have a fir tree can go with a stick wrapped in tinsel, on which are held three or four ''țingălăi''. When they enter the house, those with fir tree sing and those with the stick hit rhythmically the floor after melody. Commonly, every child has his ''sorcova''. While reciting, ''sorcova'' is moved in the rhythm of versification, sometimes marked by the sound of the bell.

Etymology

The term of ''sorcova'' comes from the

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

n word ''surov'' (tender green), allusion to the budded twig, broken from a tree, especially a

fir tree Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The genus is most closely related to ...

. Some etymologists consider that ''sorcova'' derives from the Slavic word ''sorokŭ'' (forty): the recitative of ''sorcova'' consists of 40 syllabic groups corresponding to the 40 touches of ''sorcova''.

External links

The following pages are in Romanian:
"Sorcova"
on ''CreștinOrtodox.ro''
"Tradiții: Sorcova și Semănatul"
on ''Cartiere.ro''
"Sorcova, singurul obicei de Anul Nou care a cucerit orașul"
on ''ZiarulLumina.ro'' *{{YouTube, id=CJ0qoJvq4Z0, title=Sorcova

By region

Etymology

External links

See also