A very short but rhythmical word is being heard in Romaninas carols, a word that everyone has heard but few people know what it means. According to dexonline.ro “ler” means:
1. A word that appears as a chorus in carols, with a certain euphonic flair.
2. The tune of a carol.
A playful way to create lyrics and and make words rhyme . The funny thing is that the two definitions mean two different things, which don’t really explain what the precise significance of the word is. Most Romanians use the word and associate it with carols or only have heard of it, but don’t know exactly what it means.
The song posted just before the article starts is called “The ler is ler”, which is a perfect way to say nothing, but in a gracious and convincing way. Paradoxically, Mr.Hrușcă, who is the most famous musician in Romania in terms of singing Christmas carols, is so persuasive and repetitive in singing this carol, particularly insisting on “the ler” that he made this term really popular. His audience is singing along with the musician or would sing the carol by themselves in informal contexts under the assumption that everyone knows the word.
In an article, Mr. Hrusca, the ler master himself, clarified what the word is, in essence, a filler word when you are carolling. In the chorus of the song, the word gives rhythm and transitions to the next part of the song.
There are multiple speculations for the origin of the word, the meaning ranges from a Ler Emperor to the weather itself. This article came up with a couple examples:
“Otherwise, the chronicler Miron Costin believed that “ler” could originate from the Slavic word “lel”, meaning “Cupid.”
On the other hand, “ler” is a specific term used in the northern part of Transylvania, referring to the oven of a cooking stove.
Other theories suggest that the true meaning of the word could be “boier” or “master of the house”, but this clashes with the etymology of the word “boier”, which comes from the Bulgarian “boljarinu” and is more recent than “ler.”
According to the Dictionary of Musical Terms (DTM), there is the word “aleruit”, which designates:
a) a ceremonial funeral song, formerly practiced in a limited area of Transylvania
b) a ceremonial wedding song from Bihor;
c) the action of caroling.
So, my dear readers, the Ler is just some Ler and we can listen to it even though we do not know what it means! May it bring you joy and good spirit!
Carols to fill your house with Romanian Christmas joy:
Image by gpointstudio on Freepik
Dracula's Guide to Romania 
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