Moş Gerilă was, in
Communist Romania, a replacement of
Father Christmas (Moş Crăciun), being part of the
Communist offensive against religion. Its name is a
Romanian language adaptation of Russian
Ded Moroz ("Father Frost").
In 1948, after the Communists gained power in Romania, it was decided that Christmas should not be celebrated in Romania, 25 December and 26 December being working days and no official celebrations were to be held. As a replacement of Moş Crăciun, a new character was introduced, Moş Gerilă (literally "Old Man Frosty"), who brought gifts to children on 31 December.
Officially, the New Year's Day celebrations began on 30 December, which was named the Day of the Republic, since it was the day when King Mihai I of Romania abdicated in 1947.
After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Moş Gerilă lost his influence, being replaced with Moş Crăciun.
References
- Amintiri cu Moş Gerilă, Evenimentul Zilei, 24 December 2005
Categories: Christmas characters