colinda

Colinda, plural colinde, refers to a traditional Christmas carol and the accompanying custom of caroling in Romania and Moldova. The activity of going from house to house to sing carols is known as colindat, and participants are often called colindători. The practice is typically associated with the winter holidays, chiefly from Christmas Eve through the following days, including Saint Stephen’s Day, though regional practices vary.

Colinde are usually performed by groups that can include children and adults. The repertoire mixes religious themes—praises of the Nativity, blessings for households, and references to the Christmas story—with locally influenced verses and musical styles. Performances are sometimes structured as call-and-response routines, and singers may recite rhymes or short poems between songs. It is common for households to respond with greetings, food, drinks, and small gifts or coins.

Musical characteristics vary by region but commonly feature melody lines that are modal and singable by voices without extensive accompaniment. Instruments such as fiddles, flutes, drums, tambourines, and accordions may accompany performances in some areas, while other groups sing a cappella. Colinde are preserved in rural communities as part of cultural and religious identity and are also performed in urban cultural events and school programs.

Colindat traditions persist among Romanian-speaking communities in Romania, Moldova, and diaspora communities abroad. They remain an important expression of seasonal celebration, community solidarity, and intergenerational transmission of folklore.