The Romanian equivalent of
Valentine Day is called Dragobete. It dates back to Dacian times and is
celebrated on February 24. Dragobete is the equivalent of Cupid, love’s god in
Roman mythology, and Eros in Greek mythology.
Dragobete, Youth God in Romanian Pantheon, nicknamed
Spring Head, is celebrated, depending on the ethnographic area, on one of the
days at the end of February or beginning of March. The legend claims that
Dragobete is Dochia’s son. He stands for a positive element, in opposition to
Dochia who is the bad mother of the earth, the embodiment of the old year, of
winter, according to Geto-Dacian mythology. Dochia is represented as an old woman wearing nine sheepskins that she sheds along the road as she leaves the country.
It is around Dragobete time that
the birds begin to build their nests and mate. Dragobete customs vary from
region to region. Considered locally the
first day of spring, it is the moment when boys and girls pick snowdrops or
other early spring plants for the person they are courting, and sing together.
The girls keep the flowers until Sanziene day when they throw the flowers in a
river.
As a rule, young people, girls and boys, meet
at a house and spend the day together singing, eating and drinking, having a
good time. Then they go to the nearby forest and make a hora, (traditional dance).
On Dragobete morning the girls
and young women gather snow, melt it and use the water to wash their hair. They
say their hair and complexion will be pretty and liked by men all year long.
Those who take part in Dragobete
customs are supposed to be protected from illness, especially fevers, for the
rest of the year. It is a common belief in some parts of Romania that, during
this celebration, if you step over your partner's foot, you will have the
dominant role in your relationship.
Dragobete festivities, once waited anxiously
by young people living especially in Bucovina county, are almost forgotten.
Only elderly people speak about them, trying to rekindle their flame in the
heart of the young generations. I fear this is unlikely to happen as Saint Valentine Day, that has no connection to
Romanian spirituality, is a strong competitor. And a good advertiser for all
kind of trades. All Dragobete rituals
are little by little lost and replaced by the more glittering and louder ones
of Valentine Day. No matter how beautiful our traditions may be, the interculturalism
is leaving its print on the Romanian customs.
Anyway, for those who still celebrate it, I wish a Happy Dragobete Day!
Anyway, for those who still celebrate it, I wish a Happy Dragobete Day!