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Rain celebration rituals. In the Romanian space, there were, and still are in some areas, two types of rain rituals : CALOIAN & PAPARUDA. CALOIAN. …name that comes from the Slavic kaljenŭ = of clay , due to the material that is made of.
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Rain celebration rituals In the Romanian space, there were, and still are in some areas, two types of rain rituals : CALOIAN & PAPARUDA
CALOIAN • …name that comes from the Slavic kaljenŭ = of clay, due to the material that is made of. • The Caloian is an archaic fertility ritual meant to bring or to stop the rain , the ritual is organized in a Wednesday . • In general, this tradition is given a feminine name – Mother Caloiana, Scaloiana. But in some areas it was used the pair – Caloian and Caloiana, Mother Rain and Father Sun.
The Caloian sing: • "Caloian, CaloianGo up to heavens and demandThe sky to open the gatesTo let pour the rainsTo help grow the grainsnightsand daysto help grow the grains."
The process of the ceremonial is one of a funeral ritual, followed by an initiating ritual. • Girls were gathering in a group to create a wood or a clay doll, which was later on buried so that after a couple of days would be exhumed and destroyed or thrown in the water. • A burial feast took place after the burial of the Caloian, and after it was exhumed, this meaning its resurrection, another festivity, this time a joyful one, would be organized. • The Caloian was buried in a secret and sacred place – at the crossroads, near a river or a fountain. • In Dobrogea, the clay dolls were covered with pieces of red egg-shell and they were broken in order to mimic the sacred violence of the passing rituals. • If there was drought, Father Sun would be “killed”, and if there was too much rain, Mother Rain would be “killed”.
PAPARUDA • Being also known as “Mutoaşcă”, „Păpăruie”, „Dodoloaie”, depending on the geographical area, Paparuda was organized on a Thursday– Paparuda’s Thursday. • This tradition was first mentioned by Dimitrie Cantemir in “Descriptio Moldavie”,(17 century,) with the note that it was more frequently encountered in the southern part of the country. Paparuda is a symbolic creature that is born and dies every year, in spring, on a river bank.
The role of Paparuda was played by a pure girl . The girl was walking from house to house, only covered in leaves, followed by a group of girls. At each house she was performing a ritual dance with hand clapping while she was invoking rain using a special chant. People were showering her with water buckets and were offering her gifts that represented wealth: eggs, wheat, milk etc. Besides provoking rain, Paparuda’s ritual chant was meant to wish wealth as well, thus recalling the New Year’s wishing. After the girl would have visited all the houses in the village, she would go to a running-water and throw her leaves-dress.
"Paparuda ruda,Come to drench us allMake rain pourFall over our landsin buckets, buckets."
Paparuda’s dance, the hand clapping and the water showering have as a basic principle the law of similitude.. The rhythm sustained by the girl mimics the cadence of the rain, and the water that is thrown over her, the rain that falls from the sky . • In present, the children knit coronets, adorning them with ribbons. Then they dance, going from house to house. The hostess throws water and milk after them. The children and the young people have to receive a coin or wheat, corn, flour or bean.
