Regional/Cultural Day
Dragobete
The traditional Romanian day of love, celebrated on February 24th : the day when the birds start to mate. The tradition is for young men and women to go into the forest, gather snowdrops, and dance around the fire. Dragobete is not just a day of love : it is a spring festival, and the belief is that if you don't celebrate it, you will be unlucky in love for the rest of the year. In villages around Brasov, the celebration includes the "Schimbarea insemnelor" (changing of the signs), where young people exchange handmade tokens and promise to be faithful. The Dragobete is the Romanian answer to Valentine's Day, and it is far older and far more poetic.