Hugo Negron's Blog - Posts Tagged "day-of-the-wolves"
THE NIGHT BEFORE ST. ANDREW'S DAY
November 30th is St. Andrew’s Day, a religious and national holiday in Romania. St. Andrew was the first of Jesus Christ’s apostles, the brother of St. Peter, and was responsible for various miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, calming fierce animals, and more. He was crucified on November 30th in the year 60 AD. He is also the patron saint of other lands, such as Russia, Ukraine, Sicily, Scotland, Greece, and Cyprus.
Conversely, in pre-Christian times in Romania, this was the Day of the Wolves, which celebrated Santandrei, the Master of Wolves (also the name of a Romanian city or commune). This was also supposedly the day when wolves began to form their packs to hunt and prepare for the long winter nights ahead. St. Andrew in this context is also considered to be a protector against wolves.
In either event, it’s the night before - November 29/30 – that brings this particular event to our Monstrous list. Pre-Christian traditions similar to Halloween state that the doors to the underworld were opened for this night, and spirits, undead, and vampires were released to haunt and plague the living. Wolves are magically able to speak during this time, and those bitten by them were cursed to become werewolves. Crossroads were to be avoided at night, for traditionally, any in-between place (or time) such as a crossroads, the hour of midnight, the seashore, etc., would be a focal point for magical beings from other realms to gain entry (because these locations/times were neither one thing or another, being equally both and none at the same time). In some cultures, murderers and other similar folk would be hung at crossroads, for fear their evil spirits would return to do harm/seek revenge, but would be confused by the merged roads and not know which way to go. Also on this night, the undead would rise at these spots and fight amongst themselves until sunrise.
To keep safe, garlic and basil (placed on windows, doors, and even in meals) were the items of choice to keep these harmful creatures away...or your family and friends, depending on how much garlic you ate... 8 )
Conversely, in pre-Christian times in Romania, this was the Day of the Wolves, which celebrated Santandrei, the Master of Wolves (also the name of a Romanian city or commune). This was also supposedly the day when wolves began to form their packs to hunt and prepare for the long winter nights ahead. St. Andrew in this context is also considered to be a protector against wolves.
In either event, it’s the night before - November 29/30 – that brings this particular event to our Monstrous list. Pre-Christian traditions similar to Halloween state that the doors to the underworld were opened for this night, and spirits, undead, and vampires were released to haunt and plague the living. Wolves are magically able to speak during this time, and those bitten by them were cursed to become werewolves. Crossroads were to be avoided at night, for traditionally, any in-between place (or time) such as a crossroads, the hour of midnight, the seashore, etc., would be a focal point for magical beings from other realms to gain entry (because these locations/times were neither one thing or another, being equally both and none at the same time). In some cultures, murderers and other similar folk would be hung at crossroads, for fear their evil spirits would return to do harm/seek revenge, but would be confused by the merged roads and not know which way to go. Also on this night, the undead would rise at these spots and fight amongst themselves until sunrise.
To keep safe, garlic and basil (placed on windows, doors, and even in meals) were the items of choice to keep these harmful creatures away...or your family and friends, depending on how much garlic you ate... 8 )
