Saint Andrew’s Night (November 29-30) is often called Romania’s Halloween. The night before winter begins carries a certain eerie mystique—tales of ghosts, vampires, and shapeshifters abound. These strigoi, also known as “moroi” or “pricolici,” are said to rise, attack the living, drain blood, and sometimes kill. It’s peek-through-your-fingers-at-the-shadows kind of stuff.
In village folklore, strigoi often represent the souls of wicked individuals, people who died suspiciously, or children buried without baptism. Some say they come from cursed origins—children from forbidden unions or criminal families. Suspected strigoi had distinct markers: they avoided garlic, sported red noses, or slept outdoors on Saint Andrew’s Eve.
According to legend, these beings leave their physical bodies at night through doors or chimneys, transforming into animals—wolves, cats, pigs, frogs, and so on—after rolling on the ground three times. For their midnight meetups, they rode broom handles or barrels to unholy places like forest clearings or crossroads, where alive and undead strigoi clashed. Whoever emerged victorious led the group for the year.
Saint Andrew’s Night: The Superstitions People Swear By
A Night of Spells and Fortunes
Saint Andrew’s Night carries a strong reputation for mysteries, rituals, and old traditions. Young women perform water rituals to predict their luck or chance at marriage. They measure nine cups of water, pour them into a bowl under an icon, and check the level the next morning. If water remains, even a few drops, luck is on their side. If it doesn’t, they should prepare for disappointment.
In Moldova, drinking “covașă,” a fermented corn drink, was another way to guard against strigoi. Women seeking a glimpse of their future husbands had quirky options: dropping a candle into a well, sleeping with 41 wheat kernels under their pillow, or baking heavily salted bread and eating it before bed.
Some even make salted cakes using specific rituals, like fetching fresh water using their mouths or measuring ingredients with walnut shells. Eating these cakes, the salty taste forces dreams of a future spouse bringing water to quench their thirst. Garlic bread plays a role, too. A clove is placed in the center of a risen loaf and left for a week. If it sprouts, it’s seen as a good omen. If not, misfortune is likely.
On Saint Andrew’s Day itself, old superstitions forbade work of any type. It was believed breaking the rule—no weaving, lending items, or even saying the word “wolf”—could invite illness or death. Nicknamed “The Day of the Wolf,” travel was off-limits, too. If ill or love-stricken, people were encouraged to fast completely for good health or romantic fortune.
Seeing the Future at the Well
Another ritual involves heading to a well, lighting an Easter candle, and murmuring a short plea to Saint Andrew. The brave believe they’ll see their soulmate’s face reflected in the water. Meanwhile, others heat up iron tools like sickles and knives, extinguish them in water, and recite charms over them, seeking a glimpse of their destiny.
Planting Wheat for Prosperity
Planting wheat indoors is a simpler but significant tradition. This practice predicts the family’s fortunes. The better the wheat grows, the brighter their health and success in the year ahead. Each family member plants their portion, nervously watching whose sprouts thrive the best.
Guarding the Garlic
On the night of November 29, groups of young men and women gather at someone’s home, placing garlic heads in the center of a table surrounded by candles, incense, and festive foods. After feasting and laughing until dawn, the garlic is blessed at church the next day. It’s kept near religious icons, believed to bring luck in love and health. Elsewhere, guests guard symbolic items like bread, basil, and garlic overnight at gatherings. Two older women keep watch, ensuring nothing is tampered with. By morning, the bread is eaten, the alcohol shared, and garlic saved for future remedies. If stolen, bad luck supposedly haunts the group.
Finding a Spouse
In Maramureș, especially along the Valea Marei, unmarried women eagerly anticipate Saint Andrew’s Eve. Young women bake dry, salty cakes and eat them before bed, dreaming of a potential husband who’ll bring them water. Mothers, however, are busy safeguarding their homes with ancient rituals meant to protect households from evil.
Tying Sharp Objects to Prevent Harm
Housewives in rural areas follow another peculiar tradition. To ward off wild animals or bad spirits, all sharp objects—knives, scissors, and axes—are tied with string and put away securely. Work in the kitchen must be done before midnight. Even combs are hidden, as folklore associates them with dangerous claws.
Saint Andrew’s Night is the unofficial start of festive winter celebrations, spanning from Saint Nicholas on December 6 to Epiphany on January 6.
Many Saint Andrew’s customs have dwindled in modern society. Decades of communism and rampant adoption of foreign celebrations like Halloween have erased much of Romania’s rich traditions, which date back over two thousand years. Saint Andrew’s Night is a strange blend of eerie and oddly sweet, wrapped up in an ancient fear of the unseen. Too bad most of us now trade it in for pumpkin spice lattes and imported holidays—how…vampiric of us all.
