The ages of time

Social life is not possible without the existence of an instrument to measure time, which is due to put into agreement the variety of the human activity with the terrestrial and cosmic events. To this fundamental need of life, the world’s people found very different calendar solutions. According to climatic conditions, latitude and longitude, with […]

Winter holidays in Romania

Like I wrote in a previous article, the winter holidays in Romania are part of a more complex solar calendar. In modern times, the calendar of traditions is a mixture of archaic, pagan and Christian beliefs. They are so intertwined that is difficult to tell which was first. But, if you think about it it […]

Ignat – The rekindling of the Sun

As a child I was pretty curious. I liked to ask questions especially when I didn’t understand something or the explanation was lacking in details. There are a lot of traditions in Romania and I think now it’s time to talk a little bit about the stories behind them. Holiday time!Keep in mind that the […]

Why is 1st of December the Romanian national day?

It’s all about religion and politics between the East and the West. There was, actually, little choice of another symbolical day. The 1st of December was proclaimed National day in 1990, immediately after the fall of communism in Romania. In this article we’ll try to cover the other choices and why they were overruled. Long, […]

There is still life for travellers in the pandemics

I am a traveller, always been, always will be. I, personally, am sick and tired of hearing bad news about travelling, mostly related to COVID-19. Don’t get me wrong! I am careful about my health and that of those around me. I respect the regulations imposed by the governments, but also I really belive that […]

5 reasons why Bran castle was built

No. 5 – Dracula’s castle Actually the place described by Bram Stoker is in a far-far away land, called Bistrița. Maybe pure fiction, but with a great description of the lands. We will cover this subject in a later article. In fact, Bran castle has little to no connection to Vlad Drăculea the Impaler, it […]

What is borș?

For me, as a Romanian, as I grew up, every day my family had a kind of borș as the first course of lunch. This is so embeded in my DNA that when I started travelling abroad I missed this sour soup. I missed it so much that I walked all around cities like Koln […]

Myth of Dracula might be real

Few could imagine the great Vlad the Impaler (aka Dracula) as a little baby. But the facts are that he, at some point, was just an infant. A recent discovery in an undisclosed archaeological site near Bran Castle confirms the fact that the myth of Dracula might be real. Dr. Făurel Ionescu and his colleagues […]

The custom of Martisor

A little bit of history Many ancient cultures started their New Year around the 1st of March (Persian, Roman, Greek, Dacian – our ancestors, etc.). It is the time of great rejoice for the people. It’s the time of the year when Winter is fought off by Spring. The name of the custom, Martisor comes […]

Dragobete – The day when all birds find their mate

In this time of the year, a time of renewal and joy, traditionally, Romanians celebrate the transition from Winter to Spring. On the 24th of February, the day of Dragobete, or the day when all birds find their mate, we celebrate love. All cultures have a specific ritual regarding love, but nowadays, with globalisation, some […]