ANCA CEAUŞESCU
Cercetător ştiinţific III, dr., Institutul de Cercetări Socio-Umane „C. S. Nicolăescu-Plopşor” din Craiova, al Academiei Române;
E-mail: ancaceausescu@yahoo.com
Abstract
In the spiritual life of the Romanian traditional village, “the godparenting” has represented a viable institution with well-defined important functions and reciprocal obligations. The role of the godparents is a complex one, implying precise duties to be performed in the significant moments from the life of the godchildren: birth, marriage, funeral. Entitled through the relations that are established between godparents and godchildren, once with the Christening, this kind of relationship has been considered as strong as that between the blood relatives. The godparenting relations are preserved along the entire life of the godchild, they are “inherited”, seldom according to norms specific to the kinsmen.
Keywords
Oltenia, traditional communities, the institution of godparenting, the godparenting relations, beliefs, traditional customs.