- This is an article about a precursor to Romanian popular theater. For the
antediluvian patriarch, see Irad
Irozii (singular Irod) were Romanian
Orthodox minstrel shows, played in the Christmas season, centered around the
figure of Herod (Romanian: Irod). Along with a New
Year's tradition of imitation peasant weddings, they are generally considered the origin of Romanian-language popular
theater.
Irozii influenced the Purim plays of the Romanian Jews (generally credited as the origin of Yiddish 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 deacons, irozii initially took
place in the boyar'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.
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