#winter customs

• Ho there — A traditional interjection used as a ritualistic opening and rhythmic formula in the Plugușor, a Romanian New Year's carol. This onomatopoeic phonetic structure, usually repeated as 'aho, aho', mimics the shouting used to urge oxen while plowing and structurally serves to capture the hosts' attention, marking the pauses between the stanzas of the folk greeting.
• Eve caroler — A traditional term designating a caroler (usually a child or youth) who goes from house to house on the morning or eve of Christmas or New Year to announce the holiday and receive gifts; by extension, the gift (pretzel, walnuts, apples, or money) offered to these carolers. In some rural areas, it also represents the special decorated stick carried by children during these customs.
• Arapnic — A large, heavy whip braided from leather straps, fitted with a short wooden handle, traditionally used by shepherds, carters, or coachmen to drive draft animals or cattle. In a cultural context, the loud cracking noise produced by this whip was used ritually in Romanian villages during winter holidays (such as Plugușor) to drive away evil spirits.
• Social gathering — A traditional rural popular gathering, usually organized during winter evenings, where participants (especially women and youth) gather in a house to work on various crafts (spinning, weaving, sewing), to tell stories, sing, and joke. This structural phenomenon constitutes an essential pillar of archaic community socialization, ensuring the delicate transmission of folklore and traditions from one generation to the next.