A lot of our work here at Draculasguidetoromania is to showcase Romania, and part of it is reminding ourselves that art promoting the Romanian culture is the ambassador to foreigners thinking about visiting this wonderful country or even for those that have visited Romania to deepen their experiences. Diana Tivu even though she focuses on snippets of Romanian traditions, has some extraordinary pieces of work that tell multiple stories at the same time.
Diversity of Romanian traditional clothing
Each region of Romania has a particular style, and when using illustration methods, you can see more details to showcase the diversity of regional identity within Romania.
A whimsical view of the countryside
I really loved this image that encompasses multiple stories in one frame. At the center you have the traditional dance of the “călușari,” which is usually danced on the Rusalii (Whitsun or Pentecost in English), a religious holiday, “seventh Sunday after Easter and commemorates the descent of the Spirit of Truth upon Christ’s disciples” (Wikipedia), this is the type of dance that is passed on in the family with the symbolism of healing of body and soul ( Romanian article ). Other elements include the mute person, on the left with the mask that is supposed to scare everyone and represents one of the characters involved in such a spectacle. Traditionally they would heal people by jumping over individuals and making incantations. One of the sources of the distress of individuals could be the fairies up top (they could be viewed as good or bad). The main theme, though, is the idea of community and getting together, and there you have plenty of small interactions between everyone.
Eating watermelon
When summer arrives, this is the moment when Romanians start eating watermelon.
Easter meal
On Easter day the family gathers and enjoys their meal together. Most of the foods I wrote about in this article.
Easter night
On Easter, Romanians go to church late at night and celebrate the resurrection of Christ. It is typical to go to a monastery, hear the service and how Jesus came out of the cave, hear the monks or nuns sing, and at the end you get “light,” a candle lit up as a metaphor for the resurrection of Christ. Afterwards we go to the graves of our loved ones and leave a candle for their soul.
Sacrificing the pig
I know that most people will be appalled by witnessing the sacrifice of an animal, but we need to understand that historically this was a very significant event for the community. Each part of the pig is carefully selected and used to make sausages, broth, lard, other products and nothing gets left unused. The main focus is to get the community together to help out, and everyone involved in the process gets something. Traditionally the pig gets sacrificed on 20th of December (we call it ignat), and it guarantees plenty of food for the holidays and secures food for the rest of the winter.
Saint Nicholas
Santa Clause arrives on Christmas but Saint Nicholas arrives earlier. In Romanian we call him Old Man Nicholas (Moș Nicolae) and represents a saint that died on 352 AD. The legend has it he was born in a rich family and after becoming an orphan donates most of his money to charity. One of the acts of charity that he performed was to place gold to help a poor family. The legend has it the father scared saint Nicholas and he therw a bag by mistake in the shoes of the kids. Hence the tradition of putting gifts in the shoes of kids.
New Years Eve Celebrations
“Going with the star” is a celebration for the winter holiday. The star symbolizes the three wise men of Bethlehem that went to the birth of Jesus. Usually you can see it performed in the countryside on Christmas Eve up until 1st of January. Traditions are slowly fading away, but it’s nice to see at least folklore groups trying to preserve these traditions.
Traditional houses
Again illustrations give you a sense of how traditional houses look like.
How does the spring begin?
If you see these beautiful flowers called snow drops, you know that winter is over.
Moonshine or in Romanian Rachiu, Țuică or Palincă
Romanians love plum moonshine, and making it is a fun activity for the lads. This image shows the dudes boiling the fermented plums and distilling the alcohol. Is it dangerous? Yes, it is, but imagine seeing how strong alcohol just comes out of this contraption and you are drinking with your friends.
Tote bags and other souvenirs can be found on this link below:
Dracula's Guide to Romania 
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