Love and Traditions
The Romanian Traditions
On 24 February we celebrate Dragobete. This holiday marks the beginning of spring, the moment when all nature wakes up to life.
On this day village people took specially good care of all fowl in their courtyard, and the wild birds.
Also, on this day they didn’t slaughtered animals because it would interfere with animal spring mating.
It was believed that if married women touch a stranger on Dragobete’s Day they will be lovely all year.
Unmarried young women washed their face with melted snow which was picked up on the night before Dragobete’s Day in order to be beautiful in the eyes of their loved one or to find their future husband. That snow was considered to belong to fairies.
Dragobete is considered the protector of love, those who meet on this particular day and fall in love will feel that love all year, just like birds.
Old custums on Dragobete's Day
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It is believed that whoever participates in this celebration would be immune to diseases all year, especially fever.
Also, it brings people good crops that year.
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Dressed in their finest cloths, young boys and girls met in front of the village church and went to look for flowers of spring through forests and meadows.
If they kissed in front of the others they were considered engaged.
- They say that if in this day you hear the hoopoe you will be busy working all year.
- If it rains, spring will come early and will be beautiful.
- On this day, people didn’t work, didn’t wash cloths, didn’t go to the work field, instead they cleaned their houses for the days to come to be full of growth and freshness.