The chidren plough
Beyond the joy and the happiness that marks the New Year’s Eve party, the 31st December day continues to be marked in many Romanian villages in Moldova, Muntenia and Oltenia by an old custom. The name of this special human ceremonial is different from a region to another- “Plugusorul” (“The Song of the Plough”), “Urat”(“The Wishing”), “Saint Vasile’s Wishing” , “Buhai”, “Plough”, “The Great Plough”, “The Boys’ Plough”, etc- but the structure of this custom and the persons involved in practicing it bring the same message: the fruitful of the field, hosts’ richness and health. The first bands of waits with the “Little plough” were only children’s (boys). Reunited in 3-5 or 10-14 persons a group, the little waits start their mission since morning (after 10 o’clock).
They get warmly dressed, also with busbies decked with coloured ribbons, they take with them little bells and scourges tied with sweet basil to a little wooden shovel and so they go visiting their relatives and neighbours . The most important emblematic object of the “Little Plough” practiced by the children is the bull. This archaic accompaniment instrument is almost like the “Little Plough”. Gathered in this ceremonial formula, the groups of children enter the hosts’ yards, they set in front of the windows from the house and one of them starts saying a versified text. The mourn of the bull quietly accompanies the child’s talks, who, from time to time, stops for urging his mates to ring the little bells and to hit the bulls. As a gift for the wishing, the hosts give them apples, nuts, pretzels, knot-shaped bread and rarely a ban.
The wishing is a long poem in lyrics which represents the agricultural labors – from the plough of the field to the baking of the bread. A poetic form of ceremonial utterance, the wishing is a real “hymn” for the agriculture people, written in lyrics on an inestimable beauty.
This ancient agrarian custom is an augural manifestation occasioned by the passage from the old to the new year, on New Year’s Eve, groups of children go from house to house, expressing the compliments of the season, while ringing bells, cracking a long whip, and reciting verse:
The year tomorrow will be renewed,
On its way our little plough will start,
Good Wishes to you to impart,
Which will come true, if by you received.
IThe winter is heavy, the snow is high,
Which is of good omen for the coming year,
Announcing that a rich harvest is near
By driving deep the plough if you try.
