How wonderful it is to be in Romania on March 1st!

and to be a woman of course! March is here and all the markets are full with flowers and “martisoare” (little charms with red& white cords).

If in other years people use to buy charms with chimney sweepers, horseshoes, hearts and clover, nowadays, the handmade little jewelries are trending. Items like kabalah, shamballa bracelets, cute animals, and Murano glass charms, seems to be selling like crazy.

 

Tomorrow, 1 st of March as in Romanian tradition, it is the day when women receive from men or sometimes other women  1 “martisor” and why not flowers.

What I especially love is that we will see and smell everywhere fresh spring flowers like tulips, daffodils, snowdrops, freesia, primroses, hyacinths and many more.

Photo sources:

http://www.shopmania.ro/martisoare/p-martisor-gargarita-floare-verde-albastru-deschis-5lcjtest-33-46518470

http://atelierul-ioanei.blogspot.ro/2012/01/ma-pregatesc-de-martisoare.html

https://aleynadart.wordpress.com/tag/decoupage-martisoare/

http://www.magazineledeflori.ro/cosuri-plante/primavara/cosuri-plante-primavara-10

http://www.emeraldgarden.ro/buchete-flori/cosulet-flori-primavara-lalele-rosii-narcise-galbene-si-zambile.html

 

 

Christmas in Romania

Check out my Christmas tree for this year and let me tell you few things about Christmas traditions in Romania…

To begin to, you must understand that this holiday is related to Santa Claus, singing carols, and eating of course:)

Like in any other country, we are decorating the Christmas tree, and in the night between 24 and 25th, Santa Claus is coming with gifts. On the other hand, another momentof joy for the kids is the carol singing (they can earn some money for sweets, toys, etc). So everything starts on the evening of 23rd of December when kids are singing a song called “‘Neatalus” (there is no such word in Romania) it’s an old laic song with the same meaning as “‘Buna dimineata la Mos ajun”(Good Morning, Old Cristmas Eve) whish is sang in the morning of 24th.

On the evening of 24 th, the kids go out singing carols, and after the Christmas they go and sing another song, called “‘Steaua'” (The Star”‘). They actually have an object like that and go from home to home to spread the news that Jesus was born. Other songs and traditions: before the new year, boys and men go with “”Plugusorul”‘ and ”Plugul” (the plow), with “‘Capra” (the goat) and with with masks.

The scene is quite scary for the kids, and quite interesting to watch for adults because the masked people come with: whips, firecrackers and bells. Here’s some pictures:

http://www.traditieialomita.ro/obiceiuri/cu-data-fixa/colinde-si-obiceiuri-de-iarna/

http://intreadevarsiiluzie.blogspot.ro/2010/12/am-plecat-sa-colindam.html

It’s important to say that Romanian people have kept a lot of secular traditions which now are integrated alongside with the christian traditions, that’s why the meanings are much deeper and not even us know all the stories. We have a saying that everybody needs an old men to tell all the stories.

Wedding Traditions – before the wedding

Starting April, the wedding season in Romania is ON, and it will end only at the end of October…if not even November. As I haver recently participated at 2 weddings myself, let me tell you about Romanian wedding traditions as they are a lot and quite nice.

So it is said that the future groom has to go and ask for the bride’s hand from her parents, and only after their consent he has to buy the ring and propose to her. In our days, this part is skipped and the groom asks directly the girl. If she says yes, then the next step is to find the future spiritual parents, the Godmother and the Godfather.

The young couple traditionally has to go with some gifts to the future spiritual parents to ask them to assume this role in the wedding. If they accept the gift, then they accept to be Godmother and Godfather.

This step is quite difficult as the Godmother and the Godfather have certain financial obligations to the bride and groom and with the difficult economical situation, some may even turn down this role. So basically they have to buy the wedding candles, to pay for the bride’s veil, “turta”(sort of bride’s cake), the religious service, to bring some guests on their behalf to the wedding and to give a bigger gift at the end of the wedding.

Traditionally they are the Godmother and Godfather of bride/groom’s parents, or other relatives and they used to be older people and also richer:)  Nowadays, usually they are good friends of the young couple, with one condition: they have to be married.

After the spiritual parents are found, then it comes the event planning crap as everywhere I guess. In the next post I will write about the wedding day itself.

Picnic @ Mogosoaia

As this is a National Holiday aka day off for everyone, what could the people do? I can tell you what me and another few thousands people from Bucharest did: went to Mogosoaia, a nice palace located just near the capital.

It was picnic day organized by the city hall, 32 degrees Celsius outside, so it was crazy! I really liked thefolkloric dances and singing performed by local artists on the stage in the courtyard of the palace.

By the way, the construction is beautiful in a special Romanian architectural style called “brancovenesc” (or Romanian renaissance)  after Cruler of Romanian Country, Constantin Brancoveanu who had build it in 1702. The palace had been destroyed or damaged several times, occupied by revolutionaries in 1821 or nationalised by the comunists in the ’50s, but now has been restored and it represents a touristic attraction for Bucharest. Now the authorities are working on the lawns and the huge park around.

The statues above with no heads are representing the Brancoveanu family which has been decapitated by the sultan of the Otoman Empire for treason. The Romanian Principates used to be under Otoman occupation between the XV and XIX th centuries.

Below, some pictures of the people doing barbecues, playing sports, or just enjoying a great day out. You can also see the big line on the grilled steaks and “mici”

Easter Feast

Appetizers..natural and traditional…work well together and look great. This is what you will probably see on every Easter table in Romania.

So..it’s fresh cheese, cucumbers, radishes, dyied eggs, meatballs, some lamb meat specialty we call “”drob”‘, olives, cherry tomatoes and roes home made.

As dessert we have a special baked cake, a sort of Italian panettone, only it’s Romanian.

 

May 1st – Going to Seaside Day

 

Another traditions on May 1st is for the students to go to the seaside and to open basically the Summer Season at the Black Sea.

Not every time is hor and nice, but people just go to have fun as all the clubs are opening, parades and concerts are taking place and of course, only young people are on the seaside theese days:) The preferred mean of transport is the train so if you happen to be in a Romanian train in the May 1st weekend, you should expect  a big fuss.

The most popular resorts in this period are Vama Veche for hippies, rockers, and free spirits, Mamaia for the high class, big money and Costinesti for young and free and money free:))

 

Barbeque National Day: May 1st

So much for the religious holidays and traditions! Once May 1st arrives, the summer season is on and what more asppropriate way to celebrate than with a barbeque?

 So on this day, all Romanians go to a picnic and make a barbeque with: chicken thighs or wings, pork and of course “mici” (minced meat looking like small kebabs, mostly from pork). They are very popular, cheap and go perfectly with fresh white bread and mustard.

Alongside with the meat, you will also see on the grills champignons, potatoes made in the charcoals, all seasoned with tomatoes and cucumber salad.

Do not miss if you want to see the real Romania on 1 st of May. Unfortunately as everybody wants to sit on the grass and make a fire in the woods, the results are real disasters for the environment so hopefully in the future everything will be better organized.

Easter Traditions: Egg Painting

This is the first an most important tradition on Easter in Romania and it is usually performed on Thusrday before Easter. Usually the eggs are red, but people are creative so…

Here’s what we got this year…

At first you have to degrease the eggs, this means basically wash them with some dishwashing detergent. After that, you have to boil them untill they are hard.

The warm eggs are then put into the prepared egg dye. The colors and the instructions are on the pack, so just follow the instructions, then combine the colors as you like.

Gently put the painted eggs on a newspaper to absorb the excess water.

Now we need them to be nice and shiny so just anoint the eggs with bacon or pig lard and they will look like this:

When you’re done, don’t forget to make cross with an egg on your face so you can be healthy and pink in the cheeks all summer.

The Easter Fast

The Easter Fast  is the longest and toughest fast from the Orthodox calendar. It lasts 7 weeks (26 Feb-15 Apr this year) in which the believers and keepers are forbidden to eat meat, dairy or any food that contains animal fats. Besides the alimentary fasting, they also have to behave moraly, repent, stop making sex, go to church, do good deeds.

Why I am writing about this religious custom? It is because this tradition is so big that influences food producers to launch new fast items (soy, vegetable pate, vegetable cheese, vegetable ready meals, sweets etc)  and retail companies to order and fill their shelves with vegetable based products.

Many regular consumed products throughout the year are receiving stickers “de post” (for fast) and are highly promoted. So what Romanians eat these days? A lot of french fries, rice, vegetable stew, vegetable margarine, soy schintzels, beans, cabbage, spinach, eggplant salad, vegetable soups, biscuits salami, jam and more.

Twice in this period, it is allowed to eat fish: on “Buna Vestire” (the Good News, March 25th, when Virgin Mary was announced to be Jesus Mother, by Archangel Gabriel) and also on”Florii” (the entrance of Jesus in Jerusalem a week before his crucification). On these 2 occasions, you will definetely smell fish everywhere in Romania, even if you are in a big city or in the smallest village.

As I think about these traditions, they are of course old, and people let’s say are not so into religion and penitence anymore, but at the end, these small things keep us unite and our history as nation alive. Through small customs like what we eat on a certain date and how we behave, I think all Romanians are connected.

Oh, and i forgot to say how healthy is to fast and how good can the veggies taste:) Check out some nice recipes here.

Papanasi

And I’m starting to find the quintessence of this blog actually with this post….

I just got back from a lunch at probably the most famous traditional Romanian restaurant in Bucharest and I said to myself: I have to show you this Romanian special desert, called “papanasi”. The “i” at the end marks the plural because wherever you will go they are serving 2 of them for a ratio. I couldn’t tell exactly why, as they are quite big and I am always sharing.

But what are the papanasi? Well, they are deep fried donuts with a hole in the center and with a small ball of dough on top. As for the taste, the dough is made from flour,eggs bla bla bla and the special ingredients: fresh cow cheese and meal. The original papanasi are always served with high fat sour cream and sor cherry confiture (jam) toppings.

They don’t seem like a big deal, but you must try it and when you try it make sure you are in the righ place. I usually eat them when in holiday in the mountains or at this restaurant in Bucharest, Caru cu Bere. Oh, and don’t worry abut the price, one portion which you will eat with your partner for sure costs 3 euros.

 So if you will ever be in town, it’s imposible not to get a recommendation to dine at Caru cu Bere. I’ve seen it in all the tourist guides, and honestly it’s worh it if you want to see and eat Romanian traditions:) Located in the historical center of Bucharest, opened since 1879, great atmosphere, live folclor music and dances, it is always crowded: families, young people, old people, a lot of foreign tourists, everybody’s here.

Here’s some pictures from inside the restaurant

 

and here a recipe (in Romanian)