Sorcova

What it is

Sorcova is an old Romanian custom kept on the morning of 1 January, the first day of the year. It is found all over the country and is carried out mostly by children. The word covers two things at once: the custom and the object used for it. That object is a stick or a twig trimmed with artificial flowers in different colours. Children take it to their parents and to people they know, touch them on the back with it, and say verses as they do so. The verses ask for health and luck. In parts of the west, bells hang from the twig and their sound marks the beat of the words.

The decorated twig

The object called sorcova is a stick or a twig, often broken from a fir, trimmed with artificial flowers in different colours. In the west of the country children add tinsel and sweets and hang a small bell, a țingălău, from it. A child who has no fir branch takes a plain stick wound round with tinsel and carrying three or four bells. Each child usually has one. The twig is tilted towards the person being wished and moved to the beat of the verses. Where bells are tied on, their sound sometimes marks the rhythm of the recitation.

By region

The custom changes from one part of the country to another. In northern Transylvania children walk from house to house and are given local treats in return for their wishes, among them cozonac, colac, apples and nuts. In towns and cities they are more likely to receive money, sweets or oranges. In the village of Bucium, in Bihor County, in the west, children carry a fir branch trimmed with tinsel, sweets and a bell. A child without a fir branch takes a stick wound about with tinsel and hung with three or four bells. Those with the branch sing on entering a house; those with the stick beat the floor in time to the tune.

Origins and meaning

The custom is old and is known across the whole country. Its name is usually traced to the Bulgarian word surov, meaning tender green, a nod to the young budded twig, often from a fir tree, that is broken off for it. Some writers who study words think it may instead come from the Slavic sorokŭ, forty, because the recitation is built from forty groups of syllables and the twig is said to touch the person forty times. Those who keep the custom speak of the twig as a kind of magic wand, able to pass on health, youth and fertility. The verses, close to a spell, strengthen the movement of the twig.

How Sorcova is kept

On the morning of 1 January children go out with their sorcova, usually one each. At a house the child recites the verses of the sorcova while holding the twig tilted towards the people there. The twig is moved in time with the lines, and where bells are attached they sound with the movement. The person is tapped on the back with the twig as the wishes are spoken. The child then moves on to the next house. In northern Transylvania the visit is repaid with local treats, and in cities with money, sweets or oranges.

When and where

Sorcova belongs to the morning of 1 January, the first day of the new year. It is a fixed date, so it falls on the same day each year. The visits are made in the morning, and the wishes are for the year that has just begun.

The custom is Romanian and is found throughout the country. Children keep it in villages and in cities alike. Northern Transylvania has its own way of giving treats in return, and the west of the country, around the village of Bucium in Bihor County, has a form built on a fir branch.

What Sorcova means

Those who keep sorcova treat the decorated twig as a small magic wand. It is believed to carry health, youth and fertility to the person it touches, and the verses said over them are close to a spoken charm. The movement of the twig and the words go together: the recitation is thought to give the gesture its force. The custom also marks a beginning, the first morning of the year, when good wishes are given to family, neighbours and anyone the children meet.

Questions people ask about Sorcova

See also

CălușariAn acrobatic Romanian spring dance and ritual brotherhood tied to folklore and healingDragobeteA Romanian festival of young love and spring, celebrated with early flowers and courtshipRéveillonA luxurious late-night feast that stretches until dawn across the winter holidaysSimitA sesame-encrusted ring bread sold by street vendors across Turkey and the former Ottoman lands.

Good reading and sources

• Sorcova on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.