Traditional Christmas Masks and Mask Games in Romanian Folklore

In Romania, the custom of making and using masks has a rich tradition. Mask games are true cosmogonies that regenerate time and space, but, unfortunately, these primary meanings are little known by contemporaries, as they are an old symbol of ritual dances, according to pagan customs, which in the past had the role of purifying the village space, symbolizing, at the same time, fertility.

Regarding these old customs, Mircea Eliade states: "Such ceremonies are still popular in the Balkans, especially in Romania, during the 12 days from Christmas Eve to Epiphany. Originally, these were ceremonies related to the periodic return of the dead and involved all kinds of animal masks – horse, goat, bear (…)"

Group of carolers Horses, Bears, Goats and other Masks (Moldova)

For example, Vrancea is the only area in the country where the custom of the masked vigil is still preserved. In the past, when old people in the village died, a few young people would put on creepy-looking wooden masks on their faces, looking like old men or old women.
Along with masked games and carols, in Transylvania especially, we encounter a folk theater event on the occasion of Christmas, known as Viflaiem or Irozi.

Viflaimul, Irodi, Draci, Mortea - Maramures caroling group

The characters are numerous and vary from one area to another. The main masks that are found in all cases are: Herod, the Three Kings from the East, the Soldier, the Priest, the Shepherds, the Angel, plus devil and peasant masks. In northern Transylvania, Lady Death necessarily appears in the Viflaiem. The actors are fully masked, have colored cardboard crowns on their heads, long capes and wooden swords as accessories. It is worth noting that each costume has a single color: Herod is dressed in red, the Priest in black, the Angel in white, etc. The play consists of recited and sung texts, of a religious nature, sometimes slow dances in a circle.
Here are some of these mask games:
The Goat Game is a very old custom and practiced over a wide area, not only in Romania. The ritual game consisted of killing, mourning, burial and resurrection of the goat, as a sign of the renewal of the world. Today, the comic and spectacular elements are mainly retained, without respecting the old scenario. The dancers are 2 or 3 in number: one of them is completely masked, covered with colorful textiles. The other two are called shepherds and play the whistle or recite comic texts addressed to the dancing goat in jerky movements.

Goats

The mask was previously made of animal skins. Today, textile materials, crepe paper, tassels, bells are used to make it. The head is made of a wooden support on which animal skins are glued. The lower jaw, made of wood, is mobile, so that it is moved noisily to the rhythm of the dance. The game is especially aimed at brides-to-be.
The bear brings luck! The bear game is perhaps the most archaic of the masked dances in Romania: extremely simple and, at the same time, spectacular. The bear is considered an animal full of positive magical qualities. The
bear dance is simple and difficult at the same time. It is usually performed with a single bear mask, with a shepherd and a dubas or drummer; or with two bear masks and an additional “butucar”. Sometimes there is also a devil mask in the group. The bear masked man dances alone, without a precise script, without being directed by his companions. He spins, jumps and makes comical gestures.

Bear mask dancer

The bear mask is made from raw bear skin or from the skin of a Turkmen sheep. It is the only mask that does not have any colorful or comical accessories. It is a costume that stands out for its simplicity and its massive appearance.
Devil masks are the funniest in winter games. The devils have the role of making children laugh, of involving the audience in the dance, of scaring young girls, of holding dialogues with those who attend the game. Those who mask themselves as devils have another role: they are the ones who bargain with the hosts, more jokingly, more seriously, for the payment of the dancers. They also negotiate the relations between the various groups of masked people in a community: they divide their territories of activity, regulate conflicts, in a symbolic manner. If two groups of masked men quarrel, a dancer dressed as a devil is chosen from each and, for several hours, they dance non-stop in front of each other, with heavy metal bells on their bodies. Whoever can no longer resist, loses, gives in and pays.

Devil masks

The grotesque and comical nature of devil masks also results from their execution: furs and skins of horned animals, animal horns, combined with damaged objects, broken toys, wool tassels and bells. The dancer masked as a devil has a specific accessory: a stick or hose painted black, with which he hits children to grow up, girls to get married and wives to have many babies in the coming year.
Lady Death is the most serious mask. Although it has not been used for a very long time, it has earned a special place in the scenarios of masked dances. The mask is of a religious nature, responding in fact to the popular imagination related to the End of the World. Therefore, it has the role of actualizing the idea of ​​a memento mori. Various aphorisms are written on the costume itself, such as: Remember death! or: You will be mine! It is the only mask on which we find written texts. In addition, the mask has a special look, thanks to the long, black, conical hat decorated with monochrome accessories. Pieces of mirror or white feathers are mainly used.

Lady Death Costume

The dance itself is new and little developed. Usually, the masked one in Death initially accompanied other groups. Today, autonomous variants have developed, such as Death with the Sickle, even in cities. Several masked ones dance and threaten the spectators with the specific accessory: the sickle.