" Mortuary meals" in Romania

Beautifully ornate coliva

Romanian culture made a name for itself though its friendly approach towards death, not afraid and fully aware of this imminent stage, the Romanian tried to make the best out of the worst and cover death in thick layers of chocolate, putting in some colorful candy and a little bit of powdery sugar.  Food and death go together, they create a inseparable unity within Romanian culture, food being regarded as a “consolation price” given to those close to the deceased, as in some other cultures, the Romanians don’t end the connection with a loved one as a result of his passing to the afterlife, the connection is still alive even way after the loved one has passed way through different memorial services.

Through a Romanian perspective, and listed carefully because this is quite interesting, the deceased, where ever he went after death, has almost the same needs as he had in his earthly life. Because of this, the memorial services, commonly known as “pomeni”, are the way in which the family practically “feeds” their loved one that passed way.

It should be mentioned that a “pomana” is a little different then a memorial service that you’ll see in the U.S., the difference comes from the fact that the pomana has as a focus point putting a table for those who were close to the deceased, thus honoring his memory. Another important part of a pomana is giving away clothes and some other textile goods; such as bed covers, head coverings, towels;  to a person that is considered in need. If the deceased was a women the one who’ll benefit from the goods will be also a woman, if he was man, the one who benefits will also be a man. Many pomeni can be quite extravagant, urban dwellers preferring to do them in restaurants, they also play the role of a “family reunion”, making possible the reunion of family and friends with the purpose of commemorating a loved one.

Unlike a memorial, which can be a non-religious event, a pomana is a religious one, a priest will always be present do to the fact that certain special prayers and readings from religious books are performed. The star of such a memorial event is the coliva, or a more mortuary version of a birthday cake, quite tasty and sweet, it has a cake alike look and it will have a cross on top made from powder sugar, small chocolate candy or nuts.  

The coliva isn’t present only to be eaten, it also plays a important role in the religious ceremony, it symbolically represents the believe in resurrection. Romanians formed over the course of history a whole “mortuary cuisine” made up of foods that are only served at funeral or at events that commemorate a deceased. Being comparable with Christmas meals, the Romanians have special foods that are served in the context of funerals and memorial services.

The food, especially in the countryside, is prepared exclusively by the family of the deceased or by close relatives. Their participation in such an activity is regarded as one’s sing of respect toward the deceased.

Another star are the colaci, which are made from dough and are often put in to a braded form. It is believed that the food that is put on the table in the day of the memorial is feeding the deceased too, thus maintaining the idea that humans are not as different in the afterlife, having basically the same needs.  Many of the other funeral traditions of the Romanians are pre-Christian in their origin, the coliva is one of the few that actually has attached a Christian meaning.