Today Catholics and a part of Orthodox believers celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. The Bible says that when Virgin Mary had to give birth to the Son of God, she was accompanied by Joseph, walking from house to house and asking people to offer them shelter. In the end, they were given shelter in a stable by the wife of an evil man, named Craciun (Christmas), according to a Romanian legend. Christmas in Moldova and Romania is very similar traditionally. A forty-day fast is often observed, carols are sung by a troupe of traveling children or young men, and special foods are prepared. Romania officially celebrates Christmas on December 25, according to the Western calendar. However, most of Moldovans celebrate Christmas according to the Eastern Orthodox calendar on January 6. Both dates are merely traditional and neither is thought to be the actual birthdate of Jesus. December 25 is the date the Romans marked the winter solstice, which they referred to as bruma. For this reason, some have suggested that the date of Christmas was chosen to be the same as that of the solstice.