Bucharest Village Museum holds crafts fair over St. Andrew Day and National Day

The “Dimitrie Gusti” National Village Museum in Bucharest is set to host the Saint Andrew Fair between November 29 and December 1, celebrating both the Day of Saint Andrew the Apostle, the Protector of Romania, and December 1, Romania’s National Day.

The museum will set up small shops for skilled craftsmen who will bring traditional objects for bargaining. Traditional foods will also be available, according to themuseum website.

After the military parade on December 1, the Military Tradition Association will also be present in the museum for a demonstration and presentation of military costumes dating back to 1918.

Saint Andrew the Apostle is celebrated by Romanians every year on November 30. Beginning in 1995, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church decided that the feast should be marked with a red cross in the church calendar, highlighting its importance, according toLibertatea.

Saint Andrew the Apostle and his brother, Saint Peter the Apostle, were the sons of Jonah, a poor fisherman from Galilee. They lived from fishing until they heard Saint John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of the Jordan and announcing the coming of the Messiah.

Andrew is also known as “the first-called” (to apostleship). He accompanied Jesus Christ through the Holy Land and witnessed the miracles He performed. He saw Jesus rise from the dead and went forth preaching the Gospel throughout Asia Minor.

Saint Andrew the Apostle began by preaching the Gospel in Asia Minor. From there, he came to the lands between the Danube and the Black Sea and Christianized the population in present-day Romania.

St. Andrew was later executed by crucifixion. According to tradition, he considered himself unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as Jesus, so he begged to be given a differently shaped cross. This is how he came to be crucified on an X-shaped cross in Patras, near Corinth.

Despite its Christian origins, St. Andrew’s Day is also marked by pre-Christian traditions and superstitions. Many consider this night to be the Romanians’ equivalent of Halloween, as this is when spirits go out into the world, the wolves are able to speak, and people use garlic to protect themselves against evil and spells.

Meanwhile, girls who want to know who they will marry place basil under their pillows on the night of November 29 to November 30. The same basil is also used by priests of the Orthodox Church for various holidays or moments of mass.