9. Crăciun fericit (Merry Christmas)!

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family back home. I am very excited to say that this will be my last Christmas away from home. As a Christmas treat here are a few interesting things about Christmas in Moldova.

- A vast majority of Moldovans are Orthodox Christians and mainly celebrate Craciun vechi (Old Christmas) which is January 7th, but people will also celebrate December 25th.
- Unfortunately for the kiddies, this does not mean Santa comes twice a year. In fact, Santa Claus, or Moș Craciun as he is known here, comes on New years eve. In Fact, New Years is the dominant winter holiday in most post Soviet states and here is an awesome article about it
- Santa is not accompanied by mrs. Claus, but by a snow maiden instead. I believe this dates back once again to soviet times when Santa was abolished in favor of a more secular “Grandfather Frost” who visited on New Year’s Eve

Merry Christmas everyone!