FESTIVALS

 

1. RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS

PALM FESTIVAL and EASTER 

 

Palm Festival - A week before the Easter Day, on Sunday, we celebrate The Entrance of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. The believers go to the church where they get branches of willow at the end of the service. In some regions, children go carol singing and sing the so called "Palm Sunday Carols". They get eggs as a gift for singing the carols. These eggs will be painted for the Easter.

Easter. On the night of Saturday to Sunday, all the believers participate in the service of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. When the priest says "Come and get the light!" all the believers light their candles and sing the well known hymn "Christ is raised". 

On Easter day, at the end of the Holy Liturgy, the housewives bring to the church a part of the products prepared for the Easter meal to be blessed. All the believers get the "holy bread".

During the Easter meal, all the family members knock red eggs and say "Christ is raised!" and the others reply "He certainly is!".

Pentecost (Ro: Rusalii) - is a Christian feast that commemorates the descent of Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ and it is celebrated 50 days after the Easter Sunday. 

The Assumption of the Virgin Mary - In many places, religious parades and popular festivals are held to celebrate this day, on the 15th of August.

Navy Day is a very popular event which takes place on August 15th in Port Tomis, Constanta. All day long festivities are held, sport games, crafts competitions, performances and fireworks.

 

Saint Nicholas Day -  Every year, during the night of 5 to 6 December, it is said that Saint Nicholas comes to the windows, to see if the children are asleep and quietly, leaving them  sweets and other gifts in their boots, but he is also the one who punishes the lazy and disobedient ones. On the morning of St. Nicholas children find their gifts.  Unlike Santa Claus, St. Nicholas never shows up. 

Christmas - is a holiday held on December 25th. Christmas is announced by the children's custom of singing carols to proclaim the Birth of Jesus. All the houses and the Christmas Trees are decorated and Santa Claus leaves gifts for the children under the tree. 
The Christmas meal is a family celebration because they get together in peace and harmony and eat traditional food: cabbage leaves rolls, smoked bacon, cârnaţi and caltaboşi (Romanian sausages), sponge cake etc.    

 

2. SECULAR HOLIDAYS

 

  

DRAGOBETELE - similar to "Valentine's Day" is celebrated on 24th February. It is a traditional Romanian holiday, locally considered to be the first day of Spring when boys and girls gather vernal flowers and sing together. It's the day for lovers.

Mărţisor - is a traditional holiday that celebrates the beginning of Spring, on the 1st of March. Mărţisor is also the name of a present for women and girls consisting of a jewel or a small decoration like a flower, an animal or a heart, tied to a red and white string. It brings health, happiness, power and luck for the year to come.

 

Woman's Day / Mother's Day - all the women, especially mothers are celebrated on the 8th of March. They get presents, flowers, kisses and hugs from their children, husbands or lovers.

Labour Day - is celebrated on the 1st of May and associated with many outdoor activities, concerts of traditional music, sport contests,etc. All the people go for a picnic in the fields or forests and eat "mici" and grilled meat and drink beer.

 

Children's Day make happy all the children on the 1st of June, when they get presents from their parents and grandparents. They don't go to school but they have many open-air activities organized by their teachers: carnival, sport contests, karaoke, disco, hiking, trips, etc.

National Day, on the 1st of December commemorates  the Great Union Day . The holiday was set after the 1989 Romanian Revolution, and marks the unification of all the Romanian provinces, Transylvania, Moldavia and Wallachia in 1918.
Every year there are organized indoor and outdoor celebrations all over the country: military parades and different kind of performances and people sing the Romanian National Anthem “ Awaken thee, Romanian!”
Before 1989 the National Day was celebrated on the 23rd August , the day when in 1944 Romania was freed from the Nazi occupation.




3. FESTIVALS

 
The Medieval Festival from Sighisoara - is held every year on the last weekend of July. It lasts for 3 days in which you can see people dressed in medieval clothes performing, dancing and playing instruments on the streets of the historical town Sighişoara .  

The Chestnuts Festival - is a symbol of social and cultural life for all inhabitants of Baia Mare. It is held every year in late September when chestnuts from the region are ripe, at the initiative of the Local Council and the Mayor of Baia Mare. Cultural events, exhibitions, fireworks and sport competitions are held during the three days of the festival. 



The Golden Stag - is an annual international music festival held in Braşov, in summer. It was first held in 1968 and has two main components: an international contest and guest performances of both Romanian and foreign stars. Well-known artists have performed at the festival over the years, including Jacques Hustin, Gilbert Becaud, Josephine Baker, Toto Cutugno, James Brown, Kylie Minogue, Diana Ross, Christina Aguilera, Cyndi Lauper, Kenny Rogers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Charles, UB 40, INXS, Scorpions, Tom Jones, Ricky Martin, Pink, Sheryl Crow, Kelly Family, t.A.T.u., Ruslana  and many others.