Carol

In circulation since December 9, 2011.

Kolyada or koleda (Cyrillic: коляда, коледа, колада, коледе) is an ancient Slavic winter ritual celebrating the Old New Year. It was later incorporated into Christmas. The word is still used in modern Belarusian (Каляды, Kalady, Kalyady), Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian (Коледа, Коледе) and Croatian, Czech and Slovak (Koleda). Some suppose the word was borrowed the word from the Latin calendae; compare "Kalends". Others believe it derived from Kolo, "wheel". Another speculation is that it derived from the Bulgarian/Macedonian word "коля/колам" (kolia/kolam), which means "to rip, to kill (a man), to cut animal for eating", or from the Serbo-Croatian "коло, колодар" (kolo, kolodar). Some claim it was named after Kolyada, the Slavic god of winter or Koliada, the goddess who brings up a new sun every day.
 
In pre-Christian Croatia, "koleda" was a celebration of death and rebirth at the end of December in honour of the sun and god - Dažbog, whose power once more begins to increase in those days. Krijes, meaning bonfire in Croatian, is another festival honouring the sun, during the summer at the time of his greatest strength; a celebration for good harvest.
 
In modern Ukrainian (koliada), Russian, Czech, Croatian (koleda) and Polish (kolęda [kɔˈlɛnda]) the meaning has shifted from Christmas itself to denoting the tradition of strolling, singing, and having fun on Christmas Eve, same in the Balkan Slavs. It specifically applies to children and teens who walk house to house greeting people, singing and sifting grain that denotes the best wishes and receiving candy and small money in return. The action is called kolyadovanie and is now applied to similar Old East Slavic celebrations of other old significant holidays, such as Generous Eve (Ukrainian: Щедрий вечiр) the evening before New Year's Day, as well as the celebration of the arrival of spring. Similarly in Bulgaria and Macedonia, in the tradition of koleduvane (коледуване) or koledarenje (коледарење) around Christmas, groups of boys visiting houses, singing carols and receiving a gift at parting. The boys are called 'koledari' or rarely 'kolezhdani' who sing kolyadka (songs).

Carol
Obverse: 
on the central part – the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Moldova; on the upper part – the year of issue „2011”; on the bottom part -the inscription „50 LEI”; following the coin circumference– the inscription „REPUBLICA MOLDOVA” is engraved in block letters.
Reverse: 
on the central part – a group of carol singers; on  the upper part, following the coin circumference - the inscription “COLINDUL” is engraved in block letters.
Country: 
Catalog ID: 
MD132CM1
Value: 
€50
Mintage: 
1000
Quality: 
Face value: 
Material: 
Purity: 
0.999
Weight: 
16.5g
Diameter: 
30mm
Year: 
Shape and style: 
Edge: 
Source of information: 
Source of information: