ABSTRACT. Our paper aims at revealing some of the foods that have been invested with symbolical value in the context of certain customs that are practiced in Bukovina: the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, Easter and Christmas. Sfințișorii (little saints), Paska (Easter bread), Pomana porcului (pig’s alms) and the ritual feast of the communities of Hutsuls and Ukrainians during Christmas Eve confirm that in ritualistic moments several foods receive a sacred value.

Keywords: food; Bukovina; symbolic values; rituals; customs; Christian holidays