Saint Andrew’s celebration combines pre-Christian and Christian traditions and customs, which are manifested nowadays in Romania and in other countries.

 In Ancient times, „Sântandrei” was a Dacian’s divinity, the personification of the wolf, over which Christians overlapped name of Saint Andrew, in some regions of Romania the date of November 30 being known as „Wolf’s Day”. Over time the name of this divinity has been lost, but a lot of traditions have been presersed.

Sântandrei’s night (November 29 to 30) and renewal cycle of time that coincide with the wine fermentation in barrels for the Thracians, retain many traces of pre-Christian.

Venerated by all Christians and Muslims, Saint Andrew was one of Jesus' apostles. According to the Bible, Andrew was the brother of Peter, was born in Bethsaida, a town located on the shore of Lake Gennesaret. He was by profession fisherman.

Although St. Andrew was a Jew, his name derives from the Greek "Andreas” and means brave, manly.

St. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist and the first apostle who followed Jesus, just after his baptize. After Jesus' resurrection, the apostles remained for several years in Jerusalem, but around 50 AD, the Apostles decide to preach the word of Jesus in other places. Thus, St. Andrew has crossed Asia Minor (Turkey) with his brother and then he passed on the Balkans. He made known the words of Jesus in Greece, Romania and Russia. He is the patron of Scotland (Scottish flag represent the cross of St. Andrew), Romania, Spain, Sicily, Greece and Russia.

The last days of his life he spent in Patras (Greece), where he died as a martyr on November 30, 60 AD.

After the Christianization of Romanian ancestors, old beliefs and rituals were not lost, but were retained and included in Christian traditions. Therefore, pre-Christian traditions are preserved today, and an example is St. Andrew's night.

In Romanian tradition the night of November 30 is magical, when animals (especially wolves) and evil spirits (ghosts) acquire unusual powers and they hurt the people and affect the fertility of land and animals. Also during this night rituals of love have succeeded.

On the same night, spirits of the dead get out of their graves and they are fighting against the ghosts until the cocks crowing, when space is purified.

According to the old superstition, to protect yourself against the power of the wolves and to not bring them near the household you should not comb your hair in this day, should not toil, should not clean the house or not throw out the trash . Also to keep away from the spirits which can haunt your house, you have to rub the door frames and the windows with two cloves of garlic.

The feast of St. Andrew is the opposite of Pentecost, when by the descent of the Holy Spirit all nature is blessed and medicinal plants increase their healing powers.

On this day, girls can find out their soul mate, there are a lot of rituals to do it:

- Before going to sleep the girl puts under the pillow some basil and the image of their soul mate will appear in the dream.

- Another method is "done with small pot": the girl stays alone in the front of the stove and she turns upside down the small new clay pot, which has three burning coals in it. After uttering of some magic words, she will turn the small pot in the initial position and she will attract the attention of the beloved one.

- The girl throws a ring blessed by the priest in a glass of water, after which the girl will be able to see the face of the soul mate in the water

- To dream about her future husband girl put 41 wheat seeds under the pillow. Before sleeping the girl says, "You, 41 strands of seeds / I'll fall asleep / And I’ll rest / But I’m praying to God / To send me my angel / Whom God have chosen for me." If the girl dreams about someone who takes the wheat, then she will get marry with that person.

- The night before bedtime, the girl will put a comb and a mirror under the pillow, and during the sleep the face of her soul mate will be revealed

- The girl takes a bowl with water, she drips two wax drops, the first one represent the girl, and the second is the guy she is thinking at. If these droplets get together it says that these persons will be together.

- Another way to find out their soul mate is to prepare a thin wheat bread, very salty, baked on the hotplate stove and to eat it before bedtime. The man who will come to bring to the girl water in the dream will ask her to marry within the year.

- The girl can prepare dumplings filled with notes on which is written the names of several boys. She will boil these dumplings  and the one which will rise first at the water surface will be removed and broken for finding the soul mate.

On this day,  girls prepare a bread and they put in the middle of it one clove of garlic. She will put this bread in a warm place in house, where it is left for a week. If garlic will sprout from the middle of the bread, the girl will be lucky. Otherwise, it is said that she will be devoid of luck.

On Saint Andrew’s Day we can find  out how the weather will be in the next year. According to tradition we need 12 onions which we will put in the attic and we’ll leave there until Christmas Eve. Each month of the year corresponds to an onion. Onions which are spoiled signify months with hail and rain, and those which have sprouted signify favourable months for harvest.

If during this night is warm and the sky is clear, then we’ll have a mild winter, if it will be cold, we’ll have a hard winter.

In Romania, a common habit for each member of family is to put wheat to sprout. The one whose wheat will get nice and tall is said that he will have a good year with money and health.

It’s said that St. Andrew, known as Old Andrew, is the one who starts the beautiful month of presents.