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Lesson Transcript

All About, Lesson 9 - Top Five Important Dates During the Romanian Calendar Year.
Eric: Hi everyone, and welcome back to RomanianPod101.com. This is All About, Lesson 9 - Top 5 Important Dates During the Romanian Calendar Year. I’m Eric.
Raluca: Ciao, I’m Raluca.
Eric: In this lesson, we’re going to tell you about the top five most important holidays in Romania!
Raluca: We’ll start by giving you a list of the nine national Romanian holidays.
Eric: Let’s get started!
Raluca: January 1st, Anul Nou.
Eric: “New Year’s Day.”
Raluca: January 24th , Ziua Unirii
Eric: “Unification Day”
Raluca: And during the months of March, April, or May, Paștile
Eric: “Easter”
Raluca: May 1st - Ziua Muncii
Eric: “Labor Day”
Raluca: During the months of May, June, or July, Rusaliile
Eric: “Pentecost”
Raluca: August 15th - Adormirea Maicii Domnului
Eric: “Assumption of the Virgin Mary”
Raluca: November 30th- Sf Andrei
Eric: “Saint Andrew’s Day,” Romania’s Patron Saint
Raluca: December 1st - Ziua Națională a României
Eric: “National Romanian Day”
Raluca: And December 25th – Crăciunul
Eric: “Christmas Day.”
Raluca: Among these holidays we’re choosing the ones that are the most important for Romanians.
Eric: Here is our top five!
Raluca: The first holiday we’d like to tell you about is called Anul Nou.
Eric: It’s New Year’s Day, and it’s on January 1st of course.
Raluca: In Romania, New Year’s Day is a day for resting, eating, and seeing family or friends.
Eric: But young people like to socialise as well.
Raluca: It’s common to go to a New Year’s concert in the city square. Many Romanians consider the winter holidays to be the most beautiful part of the year, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day included.
Eric: Raluca, in a lot of places, the winter holidays have become very commercial. Is that true in Romania?
Raluca: Oh...of course, but Romanians like to keep traditions alive. And people choose where to go for the holidays.
Eric: For example, some people might relax in the countryside, while others stay in the city.
Raluca: There are many reasons to love the countryside! Some villages keep alive old rituals like performing the Plugul, meaning “the big plow,” Mask dances, and Goat dances, or Bear Dances.
Eric: That is very unique. What about the cities?
Raluca: It's the same as everywhere in the world, I think. Concerts and fireworks are held in every city square.
Eric: Do Romanians like to wait until midnight and drink champagne with friends and make wishes for the new year?
Raluca: They sure do. It’s said that if you’re not awake at midnight, you’ll be lazy in your work for the whole year.
Eric: Oh, that’s interesting!
Raluca: Now let’s move on to national holiday number two.
Eric: Which is Easter.
Raluca: Or Paștile.
Eric: This holiday is celebrated during the month of March, April or May.
Raluca: In Romania, Churches hold special Easter services that start on Easter Eve.
Eric: The services finish after midnight.
Raluca: Easter in Romania is a strictly religious holiday which is celebrated with family. Even people who never go to church during the year will be at the service that night to take in the Holy Light that comes directly from Jerusalem.
Eric: Interesting. But how do they bring the light?
Raluca: Most of the time, a helicopter or an airplane brings the light to Bucharest. After that it is spread to each and every city of the country...after which it goes in the villages.
Eric: Wow...that’s impressive. It seems very important to have the Holy light!
Raluca: It’s a unique event. After the mass, people come back home and eat the first Easter meal which is usually very light. They play a game with painted eggs and say Hristos a Înviat!
Eric: meaning “Christ is risen!”
Raluca: On Easter morning, many families go to the morning mass, so it’s off to church again.
Eric: What happens when people get back home after church on Easter?
Raluca: They eat of course!
Eric: And let me guess... they eat a very rich Romanian traditional lunch.
Raluca:Good guess!
Eric:Now let’s talk about a public holiday.
Raluca: Adormirea Maicii Domnului
Eric: The Assumption of the Virgin Mary, celebrated on August 15th.
Raluca: It’s one of the most important feasts of the Orthodox calendar.
Eric: Isn’t the 15th of August also the day of the Romanian Naval Forces?
Raluca: That’s right ! In Romania, Saint Mary is the protector of the Navy, so it’s also Navy Day.
Eric: So how is this day celebrated?
Raluca: It’s common to go to churches or monasteries to pray.
Eric: I also know that people named Maria or a derivation of this name are celebrated.
Raluca: Right, those with the name Maria will receive wishes, cards and even gifts from the family members. Food is not an important aspect, but people named Maria should prepare for guests.
Eric: Okay, we now have national holiday number four!
Raluca: Yes, National Romanian Day. Ziua Naţională a României.
Eric: It’s also called “Great Union Day.”
Raluca: Yes, and it commemorates the great national assembly of ethnic Romanians that declared the Union of Transylvania with Romanian Kingdom during the reign of Carol the Ist in 1918.
Eric: It was a very important historical event.
Raluca: That’s true. The holiday is celebrated in all Unification Squares in Romania with parades, speeches, and concerts.
Eric: The largest celebrations are held in Bucharest and Alba Iulia.
Raluca: Even on TV they celebrate this day by broadcasting historical documentaries or images of the main commemoration in Alba Iulia and Bucharest with the most important Romanian leaders.
Eric: Alright now let’s talk about the last holiday in the top 5. Christmas!
Raluca: Christmas, or Crăciunul, is one of the most important religious holidays in Romania.
Eric: The celebration basically starts on the night of December 24th, when young people gather together and go around their neighborhood or to hospitals, asylums, or other institutions to bring the Christmas spirit by singing carols
Raluca: All Romanians put decorations up in their houses, prepare the Christmas tree, buy presents for friends and relatives, and look for the best food in stores.
Eric: Romanians consider the religious aspect the most important character of the holiday. On the night of Christmas Eve, it’s very common to take part in a church mass.
Raluca: Romanians love this holiday because they can have a family reunion while eating a long and rich Christmas lunch with traditional Romanian food.
Eric: Staying with relatives, preparing food together, and singing carols are the other important aspects of this celebration. The old tradition of singing carols is still alive even in the cities.
Raluca: Okay, that does it for this lesson!
Eric: Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time.
Raluca: O zi frumoasă vă doresc! We’ll be waiting for you in our next All About Romanian lesson!

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