Christmas (Craciun) in Romania

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When the sun dips to its lowest point in the sky, body shivers due to cold waves, the average daily temperature is hovering around -1°C, and white snow covers the roads. 

What’s that mean? It is Christmas time in Romania.

Xmas Fair - Sibiu

I believe Christmas is the most happening festival as being the last biggest celebration of the Year that starts after Thanksgiving and lasting unto the New Year.

Dazzling Christmas lights across the city, snowy walks, bakeries brimming with the delicious aroma of the cakes, pastries and other sweet treats, lavish window displays of the shops attract thousands of people.

If you are in Europe and wonders where to celebrate the year-end festival in the budget than Romania (Romana) is the place where one gets its own unique cultural and culinary twist to make the festival all the merrier.

With all that said, here I present you... 

Things to do in Romania on Christmas (Craciun in Romanian) 

Visit Local Christmas Fairs 

Xmas Fair - Bucharest

Visiting Christmas fairs (Targul de Craciun in Romanian) would be absolutely everyone’s first preference because they get people into the festive spirit. Brings smiles on the faces of children and gives varieties of gift options to adults.

Xmas Fair - Timisoara


At one side of the fair, you could find a giant Christmas tree with twinkling lights. On the other side, a big stage holds local concerts with people dancing in their traditional dresses or sing melodies.

Xmas Tree - Bucharest

Xmas Tree - Sibiu

Xmas Tree - Timisoara

Also, you'll find a carousel and the Santa's house (Casa Lui Moș Crăciun in Romanian) that is popular among the kids.

Santa's House - Bucharest

Enjoy all this while taking a sip of your favourite drinks.

Jesus's birth

Happy Me...

Happy Us...

Try Ice Skating Rink 

Ice skating is one of the most popular holiday traditions in Europe.

You’ll always find an Ice Skating Rink in the Christmas fair that is usually free and filled with people of all ages.

Why don’t you give it a try? Even if you don’t know to skate, it is still worth to give a shot. 

It is hard to express the joy of skating over the ice in words. It may give you a feel of surfing over the water or flying with your wings open.

Ice Skating...Give it a go...
 
Adults and children can easily spend a couple of hours and have great fun alike.

Please be careful, amateurs may easily fall and gets hurt (even I fall many times, before making few rounds on the rink without support). So, hold the fences while learning to stand and skate using a sliding machine.

Try Traditional Romanian Food 

You'll find many lip-smacking local food shops which are worth to try.

For foodies out there, here is a quick list of the delicacies offered:

  1. delicious dessert Cozonac (made from egg enriched bread)
  2. home-made cookies and chocolates
  3. fluffy Gogosi (Romanian Doughnuts) served with a variety of toppings like chocolate, strawberry jam, and cheese 
  4. fried potatoes with cheese topping
  5. famous Romanian fried/boiled pastry - Papanasi

Isn’t these are enough mouth-watering😋.

Also, you'll have varieties of meat options like beef, pork, and steaks, roasted or grilled. You can ask to serve your meat with siders like pickles, vegetables, and loaves of bread.

Go for Local Shopping

At times, a few occasion calls for donning authentic/traditional attire of the region. A traditional appearance, be it clothes or accessories brings us close to the culture of the community.

What you guys think, am I right?

Traditional Romanian outfits

Give a shot to some authentic dress-up at Romania’s pop-up Christmas market. Along with elegant pearl jewellery to add more charm to your personality.
 
Trust me guys the shopping options won’t let you down.

Also, you can shop for Christmas themed decors, souvenirs, handmade soaps, ceramics as perfect gifting options.

Xmas themed Gifts

Personal designer diaries

Candles and decor

Souveniers

Kids favourite

Ceramics

Get a Photo with Santa

Flower decor

Quench Your Thirst With Special Romanian Hot Drinks

Who would not want hot drinks in cold & freezing weather?

Try some mulled hot wine, usually served with cinnamon or slices of apple. Also, you may like plum brandy - a famous Romanian drink.

Other options for beverages include natural juices, hot chocolate, tea, and coffee.

Visit Other Romanian Cities

Christmas is one of those magical times when you could visit other cities too.

Romanian cities with beautiful decorations, Christmas fairs, snowy winters invite everyone to make an obligatory visit.

Historical city centre - Timisoara

Next holiday, plan a trip to explore some famous cities in Romania like Sibiu and Timisoara.
Trust me, they both are worth exploring, especially for Christmas.
 
Take a quintessential walk to the historical centre and get amazed by architectural wonders of the Romanian cities. Like, Brukenthal Museum & Clock Tower in Sibiu, Brück House & Statue of the Holy Trinity in Timisoara, to name a few.

Clock Tower - Sibiu

Bruck House - Timisoara

Attend Church

Christmas celebration is not complete without visiting a church, right??

People congregate at church to hear the harmonic chant that enhances the meditative ambience of the place.

When in Sibiu, attend the popular service of Holy Trinity Cathedral. Don't miss to join the Midnight Mass in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

If you visit Timisoara, go to the iconic symbol of the city and one of the most famous Orthodox Church in Romania - Timișoara Orthodox Cathedral.

Orthodox Cathedral - Timisoara

Christmas Market May Not Be for All

It’s that time of the year when every shopping mall is decorated to provide an unforgettable visual experience that makes the shopping more enjoyable.

The mall looks like a one-stop solution to have a fun time with friends and family with varieties of stores that brings you the best deals of up to 75 per cent off, a giant multi-cuisine food court, movie theatre, and much more. 

Xmas decor at Mall



Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous New Year & the best time travelling around.
 
Here, I am signing off and will come back with another funfilled tale...

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below... Thanks for reading.

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