The tradition of the Săliște winter customs required that the young boys who will be caroling, called juni, are organized in a sort of gang-organization, which controlled the entire spiritual life of the village during that time. Every year the boys from the village would gather on December 6th at a host and would choose a leader (”jude”) and 12 other fellows to carol and organize the Holiday parties and games, which were very important to both the young people, and the parents- because this is when all future mariages took shape. Being part of the “juni” organisation was more than a custom, it was the initiation ceremonial for the boy to become a man.
The “juni” carols were sung polyphonically and spoke about the wisdom of the host, about the wealth of his household, about the bravery of young boys and the beauty of girls, about fairytale engagements and weddings, which they describe in combinations of idyll and epic songs.
