Sorcova: A Fun Romanian New Year's Tradition

There are many beautiful New Year's Day rituals across the world, one of them being the fun Romanian custom of Sorcova: caroling, well-wishing, and celebrating the New Year with charm and good vibes. 💫 Join me to learn more about the merry Sorcova song.

An old-fashioned Romanian New Year's card

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In This Post:

An Old 3D Pop-Up Card
The Sorcova Song
More From Romania for You

An Old 3D Pop-Up Card

The postcard at the start of this post is almost 50 years old - a little treasure from my grandmother's collection.

It wishes a heartfelt "Happy New Year!" in Romanian and shows off a cozy living room in a traditional Romanian house, decked out in those vibrant, handmade fabrics that are still woven in the countryside today.

Open the card, and the scene unfolds: Three young men in festive costumes carol and share New Year's blessings with a woman at the window. Sadly, the card doesn't have audio (wouldn't that be something?), but it does have a delightful 3D pop-up effect that feels oh-so-charming.

Sorcova, a Romanian New Year’s custom with caroling and well-wishing — Pop-up card depicting Romanian New Year's Day carolers

Pop-up cards like this were the thing in 1970s Romania. My grandmother held onto the prettiest ones she received, and when she passed a few years ago, I found her collection and brought it with me to Germany - a little piece of her and of history to hold onto.

The Sorcova Song

This type of card may no longer be en vogue in Romania, but the traditions surrounding the new year persist.

One of the most magical traditions is Sorcova: children, bundled up against the winter chill, wandering from house to house, singing heartfelt New Year's songs, waving branches like enchanted wands (called "sorcova," just like the tradition itself), and sharing blessings for the year ahead.

This tradition is still widely observed in rural areas.

I feel so lucky to have experienced Sorcova firsthand as a child, growing up in a small Romanian town.

My grandparents' house sat at the edge of town, where time seemed to slow down, and the traditions of our ancestors felt stronger, more rooted.

On January 1st, the neighborhood children (myself included) would bundle up against the biting cold and walk, giggling and red-cheeked, through ankle-deep snow from one end of the street to the other to carol for all the neighbors.

The song that lingers in my memory most vividly is "Sorcova, vesela" (Sorcova, the merry). With a tradition so old, there are countless versions of the song; the one most familiar to me is a short and sweet rendition.

Below, I've shared the first verse of the original Romanian text, along with my attempt at translating its magic into English.

"Sorcova, vesela,
Să trăiţi, să-mbătrâniţi:
Ca un măr, ca un păr,
Ca un fir de trandafir.
Tare ca piatra,
Iute ca săgeata.
Tare ca fierul,
Iute ca oţelul.
La anul și la mulţi ani!"

Sorcova, the merry,
May you live and grow old,
Like an apple tree, like a pear tree,
Like a rose.
Solid as a rock,
Swift as an arrow,
Strong as iron,
Sharp as steel.
For the next year and for many years to come!

I still adore this charming nursery rhyme and find myself humming it every New Year's Day, and honestly, well into January.

If you're curious to see Sorcova in action, this website offers background information and videos of children singing the song. And over at Amazon Music you can listen to different renditions of the song.