The Night of Wolf: Saint Andrew’s Eve in Transylvania

In Transylvania, as November dies and winter gathers on the hills, there comes a night when the old beliefs stir again. Between November 29 and 30, the feast of Saint Andrew, the veil between worlds is said to thin. It is a time when wolves speak, spirits wander, and villagers once guarded their homes with garlic and prayer.

Known as Noaptea Sfântului Andrei, this night marks one of Romania’s most mysterious folk observances, a blend of Christian feast and pre-Christian ritual, where saints and spirits share the same darkened roads.

The Saint Who Walked the Wolves

According to tradition, Saint Andrew (Sfântul Andrei) brought Christianity to the lands north of the Danube. He is honored as the protector of Romania and patron of the wolves. In folk belief, the eve of his feast is Noaptea Lupului — the Night of the Wolf.

On this night, it was said the wolves gathered to speak and choose their prey for the coming winter. People stayed indoors, avoiding travel after sunset. To offend a wolf that night, even by mentioning its name, could bring misfortune. Farmers would tuck their animals safely in their barns, for any livestock left outside risked disappearing by dawn.

Spirits and Strigoi

The night was also believed to open the gates of the dead. Strigoi, restless spirits of the dead or the cursed, were said to rise and wander among the living. To keep them at bay, villagers would rub doors and windows with garlic, hang sprigs of basil, and turn cups and pots upside down so no spirit could drink from them.

In some villages, young people would gather in groups to guard one another’s homes through the night, bringing laughter and protection together. The belief was not born from fear alone — but from respect for the mystery of the world, when the known and unknown touched.

Magic and Marriage Omens

Saint Andrew’s Eve was also a night of divination, especially for young women. One of the most common customs was to place wheat grains on a plate, watered just before midnight. If the wheat sprouted green by Christmas, the coming year promised health and prosperity.

Another ritual invited young women to place a mirror under their pillow, hoping to glimpse their future husband in dreams. Some would call upon the saint with words like: “Sfântul Andrei, sfinte drag, arată-mi chipul drag.” (“Saint Andrew, holy dear, show me my beloved’s face.”)

These practices carried forward the same intuition shared across Europe — that Autumn nights reveal what ordinary days cannot.

Between Pagan and Christian

Scholars note that many Saint Andrew’s Eve customs predate Christianity, echoing ancient Dacian and Thracian winter rites. The merging of old and new faiths turned this night into a uniquely Romanian festival: part saint’s vigil, part seasonal rite, part quiet magic of survival.

When dawn comes on November 30, the garlic is cleared away, the wolves fall silent, and the church bells ring for Saint Andrew’s feast. Yet even now, in the hills of Transylvania, people still speak of the night before, the one where the world turns strange, and the unseen walks for a while among the living.

What Remains Today

In modern Transylvania, the night of Saint Andrew is quieter but far from forgotten. Many families — especially in the countryside — still rub garlic on doors and windows or keep cloves beneath pillows for protection. It’s less a matter of fear now than tradition, a small gesture to honor the wisdom of ancestors.

Children in some regions still plant wheat grains on Saint Andrew’s Eve, watching them grow on the windowsill as a sign of luck and vitality. This custom remains common in both Orthodox and Catholic homes across Transylvania and Moldavia.

Television specials and local schools often teach the old stories of wolves and spirits, framing them as cultural heritage. In towns like Sibiu, Cluj, and Brașov, local museums sometimes host folklore evenings or workshops on Noaptea Sfântului Andrei, reviving rituals for younger generations.

Even among city dwellers, the idea of Saint Andrew’s Eve as Romania’s own “night of mysteries” still resonates as a time to light candles, share folk tales, and acknowledge that winter’s first shadow carries both fear and blessing.

In Transylvania, old stories never disappear completely. They linger like the scent of garlic on a window frame, quietly reminding each generation that protection, patience, and reverence for mystery still belong at the hearth.

Sources and further reading

Ryzhova, M. “Saint Andrew’s Day in Romania: Ecclesiastical, Folk, and Civil Calendars.” Journal of the Kunstkamera, 2023. 

“Sfântul Andrei în credințele și obiceiurile românilor.” Institutul Cultural Român (ICR). 

“Sântandrei, Andrei-de-Iarnă, Ziua Lupului.” CIMEC / Institutul de Memorie Culturală (Romanian heritage & folklore index). 

“Tradiții, superstiții și obiceiuri de Sfântul Andrei.” Digi24.ro (cultural reporting with folkloric references). 

“How has St Andrew become the Romanians’ patron saint? From religion up to the profane ‘garlic’ custom.” Romania Journal. 

“Saint Andrew in Romania.” Wikipedia, (includes discussion of historiography and myth vs. evidence)

“Tradițiile și obiceiurile de Sfântul Andrei.” Profi.ro (compilation of regional practices). 

“Romanian Folklore and Literary Representations of Vampires.” T. Balinisteanu (2016). (Gives context on strigoi / spirits in Romanian folklore)