Romanian Love Celebration

We celebrate love on the 24th of February, on Dragobete, the name of which comes from dragoste, the Romanian word for love.

The legend goes that Dragobete was the son of Baba Dochia who was an old woman living in Romania’s magnificent mountains. More about the many legends woven around this holiday you can find here.

The same as Imbolc, this legend has many things to do with the coming of spring, which in our country comes in like a lion and goes away like a lamb. This celebration in itself is something like Imbolc and St Valentine's merged into one day.

We, Romanians, still have to surpass the evil turns of the Babe (Romanian word), which are the days between the 1st and the 8th of March, and spring may begin.

Contact:

Web: www.cursinengleza.ro I www.engleza-de-afaceri.ro
Tel: 0722.841.053
E-mail: contact@engleza-de-afaceri.ro.

Christmas Time

Everybody knows the Christian ways in celebrating Christmas. What about the traditions dating back from pagan times?

On the 22^nd of December, Yule had been celebrated, marking the winter solstice. This represents the depth of winter and for some this is the time of death and also of birth, for at this point the Sun begins to make the return journey and the days begin to lengthen.

All Christmas customs celebrate the return of light in some way and the advent (the coming) of the Magical Child. Many religions mark the birth of a divine child, at some point. That is why it is often said that Christmas is a ‘time for children’ and children are showered with gifts.

Evergreen trees are sacred for they retain their greenery all year around, as opposed to deciduous trees, whose leaves die. Almost everyone has a Christmas tree, decorated with brilliant baubles and ornaments that catch the light and seem to conjure the return of the sun. Some decorate their houses with holly and mistletoe. It is said that mistletoe is sacred to the Sun but also to the Moon, because the berries are moon-white. It is a beautiful way of Christmas to kiss beneath the mistletoe for fertility and happiness.

Most times all Christian celebrations retain a little from a heathen past, because in the old times the transition toward Christianity had been swifter on condition the well known patterns of pagan ways were preserved.

Happy Christmas!

Web: www.cursinengleza.ro I www.engleza-de-afaceri.ro
Tel: 0722.841.053
E-mail: contact@engleza-de-afaceri.ro.

Romanian love celebration

We celebrate love on the 24^th of February, on Dragobete, the name of which comes from dragoste, the Romanian word for love.

The legend goes that Dragobete was the son of Baba Dochia who was an old woman living in Romania’s magnificent mountains. More about the many legends woven around this holiday you can find here.

The same as Imbolc, this legend has many things to do with the coming of Spring, which in our country comes in like a lion and goes away like a lamb. This celebration in itself is something like Imbolc and St Valentine's merged into one day.  

We, Romanians, still have to surpass the evil turns of the Babe (Romanian word for old hag), which are the days between the 1^st and the 8^th of March and Spring may begin.

The festival for Dragobete has been held at The Village Museum, where I have taken some pictures depicting perfectly the winter’s end and the victory of Spring. 

Web: www.cursinengleza.ro I www.engleza-de-afaceri.ro
Tel: 0722.841.053
E-mail: contact@engleza-de-afaceri.ro.

Imbolc

Imbolc is a heathen celebration held on the 1^st or on the 2^nd of February. It is the first celebration heralding the coming of spring with snowy winds, misty blizzards and delicate snowdrops.

More than a month has passed since the 22^nd of December, the winter solstice and the sun prolongs its journey to the world. 

Imbolc is the feast of the poets and their flame of creativity is celebrated. The goddess Brigid is especially honored at this time. One of the customs is the making of a Bridie Doll by dressing up a sheaf of oats in women’s clothing and later placing it in the earth.This has links with fertility rites.

More about Imbolc and about the catholic celebration of Candlemass which replaced it, you can find here.

I have added a picture of late winter or early spring also being taken at my favorite spot in Bucharest, The Village Museum.

• Web: www.cursinengleza.ro I  www.engleza-de-afaceri.ro
• Tel: 0722.841.053
• E-mail: contact@engleza-de-afaceri.ro

Christmas time

Everybody knows the Christian ways in celebrating Christmas. What about the traditions dating back from pagan times?

On the 22^nd of December, Yule had been celebrated, marking the winter solstice. This represents the depth of winter and for some this is the time of death and also of birth, for at this point the Sun begins to make the return journey and the days begin to lengthen.

All Christmas customs celebrate the return of light in some way and the advent (the coming) of the Magical Child. Many religions mark the birth of a divine child, at some point. That is why it is often said that Christmas is a ‘time for children’ and children are showered with gifts.

Evergreen trees are sacred for they retain their greenery all year around, as opposed to deciduous trees, whose leaves die. Almost everyone has a Christmas tree, decorated with brilliant baubles and ornaments that catch the light and seem to conjure the return of the sun. Some decorate their houses with holly and mistletoe. It is said that mistletoe is sacred to the Sun but also to the Moon, because the berries are moon-white. It is a beautiful way of Christmas to kiss beneath the mistletoe for fertility and happiness.

Most times all Christian celebrations retain a little from a heathen past, because in the old times the transition toward Christianity had been swifter on condition the well known patterns of pagan ways were preserved.

Happy Christmas!

For pronunciation

This is something to cheer you up on a gloomy Sunday.

Read this fast:

"Three witches watch three Swatch watches. Which witch watch  which Swatch watch?"

There is a mistake in the last sentence; “which witch watches” is correct, but we leave it this way for the sake of pronunciation. 

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