Obiceiuri de Sfântul Andrei la români şi germani
St. Andrew’s Day Traditions at the Romanian and German Peoples

Summary/Abstract: Saint Andrew is celebrated in both Romania and the German-speaking area. There are many customs in the mentioned regions when it comes to this occasion. This research paper intends to analyze the customs that occur on St. Andrew’s day and night not only in Romania, but also in Germany and Austria. One can observe in both Romanian and German communities customs that contain prenuptial practices in order to foretell the future. In addition, there have been identified customs that are used to scare away troubled spirits. On St. Andrew’s day Romanian and German girls used to cut green branches that they put in the water to bloom. There are also specific customs that can be only identified in one of the analyzed communities, such as those related to the wolf in the Romanian tradition or the apple in the German culture.

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