- Irod
: "This is an article about a precursor to
Romania n popular theater. For theantediluvian patriarch, seeIrad ""Irozii" (singular "Irod") were Romanian Orthodox
minstrel show s, played in theChristmas season, centered on the figure ofHerod the Great ( _ro. Irod) and theMassacre of the Innocents . Along with a New Year tradition of imitation peasant weddings, they are generally considered the origin of Romanian-language popular theater."Irozii" influenced the
Purim plays of the RomanianJew s (generally credited as the origin ofYiddish theater ) and "vice versa". Thus, the origin of Romanian-language popular theater in the first half of the 19th century was echoed in the later origin (also in Romania) of Yiddish theater.Typically performed by schoolteachers and
deacon s, "irozii" initially took place in theboyar 's or lord's court; in later years, performances would be given in the salons of the grand houses. "Irozii" began to fade in the late 19th century; elaborate pageants are no longer common, though a less elaborate form continues.External links
* [http://www.efamilia.ro/arhiva/romania/etnografie/craciun.htm Romanian Christmas traditions] (in Romanian)
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.