Planning to visit Romania in 2019? Get the most out of your experience! Learn here about the most important holidays in Romania - fast and easy with RomanianPod101!
| January 24, 2019 | Unification Day |
| February 19, 2019 | Brancusi Day |
| February 24, 2019 | Dragobetele |
| March 1, 2019 | Mărțișor |
| March 8, 2019 | International Women’s Day |
| April 7, 2019 | NATO Day |
| April 28, 2019 | Orthodox Easter |
| May 1, 2019 | Labour Day |
| June 1, 2019 | Children’s Day |
| June 26, 2019 | National Flag Day |
| July 29, 2019 | National Anthem Day |
| August 15, 2019 | St Mary’s Day |
| August 23, 2019 | Liberation from Fascist Occupation Day/Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Fascism and Communism |
| September 13, 2019 | Firefighters Day |
| October 25, 2019 | Armed Forces Day |
| November 28, 2019 | Bucovina Day |
| November 30, 2019 | St. Andrew’s Day |
| December 1, 2019 | Great Union Day |
| December 8, 2019 | Constitution Day |
| December 21, 2019 | Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Communism in Romania |
How well do you know holidays in Romania?
In this article, you learn all about the top Romania holidays and the traditions and history behind them. Check the must-know Romanian vocabulary for popular holidays in Romania too!
That way, you can easily talk about Romanian holidays while improving your vocabulary and overall speaking skills. You will pick up key vocab, phrases, and cultural insights you won’t find in a textbook.
Perfect for any student interested in learning more about Romanian culture. We will teach you the what, why, when and how of Romania holidays.
Unification Day is celebrated on January 24, beginning in 2015. It commemorates the day in 1862 when the United Principalities were formed from Moldavia and Wallachia. Four years later, this came to be called Romania, thus making this one of the most important events to happen in Romania’s history.
Brancusi Day is the commemoration of the Romanian artist Constantin Brancusi. He’s known for his astounding artwork, inspired by watching Romanian wood carving, and his stubborn though admirable view concerning his own artwork (seen in his refusal for take money for a certain piece of art and “starving artist” lifestyle). His influential artwork and his hard work to achieve success in life make him worth celebrating on this day.
Dragobetele is very similar to Valentine’s Day celebrated elsewhere in the world. In Romania, this day is dedicated to lovers (or potential lovers), and common activities include picking flowers for the boy or girl of one’s heart.
This holiday, which begins on March 1 and lasts until the end of March, is a celebration of spring’s coming. Romanians give to others and wear a red and white string each day during March, and it symbolizes health and good things for the year to come. Some of Romania uses black string instead of red, as they believe it keeps evil away.
International Women’s Day, across the world, is a day on which to celebrate the women in one’s life. While not a public holiday, it’s common for women to receive various gifts including chocolate and flowers.
On this day, Romanians celebrate the establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. NATO is an agreement between several countries in both North America and Europe, where if any member of this alliance is attacked, the other members will aid in its defense.
Easter is the celebration of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection three days after his crucifixion. In Romania, this is celebrated largely the same way it is elsewhere in the world. Celebrations include church services and painting eggs, called oua incondeiate. Of particular significance to Romanians on this day is the color red, which is often used when coloring eggs.
Romania celebrates Labor Day (or May Day) in much the same was as other countries around the world. It serves as both a celebration of the coming of the spring and as a commemoration of gained workers’ rights in the country.
Essentially, Children’s Day in Romania serves as a day to celebrate and appreciate children and their accomplishments. One way that Romanians do this is through putting children’s artwork or other achievements on display; further, schools oftentimes have special events to celebrate its students, and families sometimes prepare a special dinner or meal on this day as well. It’s a public holiday.
On National Flag Day, Romania raises its national flag, which stands as a symbol for its independence as a country. Further, this day is seen as an opportunity to help others learn more about Romanian history and culture, so as to develop a greater appreciation for the country.
On this day, Romanians celebrate their culture through raising their flag and singing their national anthem, Deşteaptă-te, române! or “Awaken Thee, Romanian!” written by Andrei Mureşanu. It became the national anthem just after the anti-Communist revolution in Romania, after being outlawed; thus, this song holds great significance to Romanians.
St. Mary’s Day, or Assumption Day, is a holiday which commemorates the “assumption” of the Virgin Mary, when she was taken up into Heaven following her death. In Romania, this is celebrated as a feast after the harvest and pilgrimages to one of three important locations: Moisei, Nicula, or Transylvania. As this is a shared holiday with Navy Day, it’s also common to find performances from the navy occurring on this day.
This holiday seeks to honor and commemorate the day on which Romania was released from fascism as well as those who were lost during this time. King Michael I, in 1944, rose up against Ion Antonescu with a coup during World War II. This ultimately helped Romania become released from fascism.
On Firefighters Day, Romanians celebrate and honor firefighters, who are a large source of safety and security within the country. Their honorable service is held in high regard throughout the country.
The Romanian Armed Forces Day is the commemoration of when the country’s armed forces took their land back from the German-Hungarians in the year of 1944, and thus is a day of great significance for Romania.
November 28 marks Bucovina Day in Romania. Bucovina is an important city within the country, and is divided into Northern and Southern Bucovina, both of which have strong historical significance rooted in World War II.
This holiday is held in commemoration of St. Andrew, who is considered the “patron saint” of Romania. People also engage in rituals such as carrying garlic as a defense against ghosts or eating a special bread so as to dream of their future spouse.
This Romanian national holiday celebrates the day that Transylvania, Bessarabia, and Bukovina joined with the Romania Kingdom. This agreement was signed in 1918 by King Ferdinand, and holds incredible significance to Romania.
As the name suggests, this holiday is observed to remember Romania’s Constitution. This is often done in schools through Constitution-related lessons, and in the general public through special speeches.
This day marks the commemoration of those who were victimized during the period of communism in Romania, and during the Romanian Revolution which sought to end it.
You may ask why it is advantageous to know Romanian holidays. There are a number of good reasons!
If you’re keen to learn Romanian on your own, there are a number of ways to do this. Why not choose holidays as a theme? You can start by learning about the Romanian culture, so find a video or TV program about holidays in Romania. Better still - find a video or program about holidays in Romanian, and watch it a few times! That way your ear will get used to the spoken language. You could also watch Romanian movies without subtitles, as this too will train your ear to what correct Romanian sounds like.
If you’re more advanced in Romanian, you can practice your writing skills by writing a letter to your Romanian friend about the holidays video. Or write a short review of the video, and post it on social media! Imagine how impressed your friends will be!
Practice your Romanian pronunciation, and record yourself talking about your holiday in Romania. Pronouncing words correctly in any language is very important, or you may find yourself saying things you don’t mean!
If you’re an absolute beginner, it would be best to start with a book, a CD series, free PDF cheat sheets and preferably your Romanian friend who can help you. Or, you can start with RomanianPod101, for free!
Holidays in Romania can also be the perfect opportunity to practice your Romanian! For the best experience, make sure to master at least Level 1 of your Romanian lessons here on RomanianPod101 before you go on holiday to Romania. Then don’t be shy! Use it with every native speaker you encounter in every situation. Practicing continuously to speak a language is one of the most important habits if you want to become fluent. Or, if you’re a new subscriber to RomanianPod101 in a hurry to get to Romania, study Absolute Beginner Romanian for Every Day to help you get by as a traveller - you will be surprised how far a little Romanian can go!
RomanianPod101 is uniquely geared to help you master relevant, everyday vocabulary and phrases, pronounced correctly and in the right context - this will set you on the right track. Our courses are perfectly designed to help you in fun ways!
But do have a holiday first. Ideally you will enjoy a different culture with a visit, and enrich your life in ways you cannot imagine. Don’t wait till 2020 to learn Romanian through RomanianPod101 though - it will open a whole new world for you!
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