Monica Sandu '24
Co-Executive Editor
Spring brings with it more than just the dread of finals. Around the world, warmer weather heralds rebirth and, with it, a time of celebration.
At the crossroads of the Balkans and Central Europe, a Latin enclave in Eastern Europe, Romania is a country rich in history. My family came to the United States from Romania in the 1990s. They brought with them traditions that span time, from its origins as a pre-Christian Dacian land, to its time as a province of the Roman Empire, through the Byzantine kingdoms and its time as a communist republic, and up to the modern day.
Cultural Celebrations
Dragobete (February 27)
Instead of Valentine’s Day, Romanians celebrate the day of love on February 27 during Dragobete (DRA-go-beh-teh). Dragobete is a figure in Romanian mythology that dates to the Dacians. Dragobete, the son of Baba Dochia, an old shepherd woman, marries a woman against his mother’s will. Baba Dochia then forces his wife to wash a piece of black wool and to not return to her husband until it turns white. Miraculously, the wool changes color, and Dragobete is reunited with his wife.[1]
Besides the traditional flowers brought to one’s love, it is said that on the eve of Dragobete, if you put a piece of fresh basil under your pillow, you will dream of your true love.
Mărțișor (March 1)
Mărțișor (muhr-TSEE-shore) is the largest and most widely-celebrated of Romania’s spring festivals. The tradition dates to pre-Roman times and coincides with the Roman New Year, which celebrates Mars, the god of war. Women wear special pins on their clothes made of intertwined red and white thread, often held in place by a charm, usually a small figurine. These pins are also offered to family members as a gift to bring about good fortune in the new year. Traditionally, they are worn until the first tree blooms and are wrapped around tree branches and above doors.[2] Nowadays, they are worn for the first week of March.
Babele (March 1 – March 9)
Babele (i.e., “the old ladies”) also relates to Baba Dochia. In the story, after she exiled her daughter-in-law, she went to the mountains with her herd of goats wearing nine coats. As she climbed, she shed her coats, one at a time, until she froze to death as punishment for her cruelty. Other stories say she turned to stone, and a rock formation named after her is found today in the Carpathian Mountains.[3]
In February, women choose a day, one through nine. If the weather on that day is sunny, the year will bring good fortune. If it’s rainy, it will bring sorrow.[4]
Sânziene (June 24)
The festival of Sânziene (sun-zee-EH-neh) gets its name from the fairies, or zâne (ZUH-neh), of Romanian mythology. Originating in the Roman Festival of Diana, it is a celebration of the midsummer solstice primarily held in small communities in the western Carpathians. Unmarried women dress in white, wear flower crowns, and dance around a bonfire. Legend has it that men who wander around that night, particularly in the forest, may fall victim to the fairies’ more malevolent side.
Religious Celebrations
Nearly 82% of Romanians are Orthodox Christian.[5] Religious traditions play a major role in its cultural landscape. Spring in Romania revolves around Easter, or Paște (pronounced PAHSH-teh) as it’s called in Romanian.
Mucenici (March 9)
Mucenici (moo-che-NEECH) is a Christian feast commemorating the 40 Martyrs of Sebaste, who were Roman soldiers martyred by drowning in the early 300s.[6] Special dishes are prepared in their honor. In the south, sweet dough in the form of a garland is boiled with sugar, walnuts, and lemon peel and served in syrup topped with cinnamon. In the east, fluffy cakes in the form of a figure eight are baked and covered in honey and crushed walnuts.
Great Lent and Pascha (Dates Vary)
For the faithful, the arrival of Easter involves a long period of spiritual preparation. The Sunday two weeks prior to the start of Lent is Meatfare Sunday, the last day before Easter when meat may be consumed. One week later is Cheesefare Sunday, the last day for all dairy products. Lent lasts for forty days, in which the faithful abstain from all animal products, along with wine and oil. During Lent, the Feast of the Annunciation is celebrated every year on March 25. Great Lent ends on Palm Sunday, when palm leaves are folded into the shape of a cross.
After Palm Sunday, Holy Week has a series of daily services building up to Easter, the “Feast of Feasts.” Lamb is prepared in a variety of ways, and a special cake called “cozonac” is baked, some with cocoa and walnuts, others with Turkish delight.
Traditions carry with them joys of the past, but nothing is better than sharing that experience with others.
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ms7mn@virginia.edu
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baba_Dochia#The_legend_of_Dragobete_and_the_Babele_myth
[2] https://romaniatourism.com/martisor.html
[3] https://abctravelromania.com/romanian-spring-traditions-martisor-dochia/
[4] https://www.romania-insider.com/three-spring-traditions-in-romania-martisor-babele-40-de-mucenici
[5] https://www.indexmundi.com/romania/demographics_profile.html
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucenici