One of the marks of Codlea spirit is its constancy in conserving its ancient customs. During summer, the Germans living in Codlea celebrate Kronenfest; Romanians have their special period on Christmas, a great opportunity for a wonderful display of cultural manifestations, gathered within the Festival of Winter Habits.
Christmas and New Year's Traditions
The mayor of Codlea, Alexandru Popa, assigns considerable amounts to the Folkloric Band "Magura Codlei", to promote and reinvigorate the popular German and Romanian traditions. "In our folklore, the days dedicated to the New Year feast, is the richest traditional cycle. In the archaic village, the youths used to gather in hosts to scour the locality and sing carols. Having a leader and a strict hierarchy, the host regulated the entire life of the community".
Divinity's Substitutes
In the south-east of Transylvania, the youth host is accompanied by an anthropomorphic mask. Its name is Turca in the villages at the foot of Fagaras Mountains; across the river Olt, the custom is known as The Buck. The animal is a substitute of the divinity, who dies and renews during the Christmas ceremonial. The mask Turca is made by a table-cloth sewed as a sac, from which hang a lot of strips and coloured kerchief, mops of rabbit four. The mask is worn by a young boy, who is not allowed to talk or accompany the host in church in the villages where the pre-Christian elements are not accepted. Turca is the symbol of the god who dies and renews annually, while the host represents the whole community.
