Alte personaje prezente în textele ceremoniale din obiceiul colindatului în Valea Almăjului, județul Caraș-Severin
Other Characters Present in the Ceremonial Texts of the Carolling Customs in Almăj Valley, Caraș-Severin County

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this study is to examine a few characters that are found in the ceremonial texts (carols, Christmas carols) which belong to the carolling customs from Almăj Valley, Caraş-Severin County, practised during the winter holidays. We will not refer to the biblical characters encountered in the lyrical creation, which are specific to the custom we have mentioned, but to a few characters belonging either to the ecclesiastical space, like Saint Basil (the Great) – also known in this area under the name of Holy New Year –, or to the Romanian tradition: old Claus (Santa Claus), the host / the hosts (“the squires”, the vigorous, Nicholas, George – prototype of host-son). Due to the fact that these lyrical creations are part of the oral culture, and, therefore, they have been transmitted from generation to generation verbally, the names of the characters are various (for example, Micolaie, Ghiorgh(i)e, Taica Crăciun, Sfântu Anu-nou). Also noteworthy is the fact that, through their involvement both in the specific practices of this period and in the action presented in ceremonial texts, they undergo a series of adaptations to the local area (for example, they eat together during holidays and on feasts); at the same time, they appear alongside some of the biblical figures, although they obviously belong to different historical periods or are related to certain well-known legends. All the above-mentioned aspects are worth discussing, especially given the fact that the involvement of the characters in the action of the texts or in the specified manifestations does not have a predominantly Christian connotation, but rather a secular traditional one.

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