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- Udatorii from Surdesti, Agricultural HolidayThe Magic of Books in Romanian Popular LegendsThe “Living Fire”Dream and Sign Interpretation in RomaniaThe Girl Fair of Mount GainaRomanian Wedding TraditionsEaster – The Most Important Christian HolidayDragobete – The Lost Romanian God of Love and LoversRomanian Spring Traditions
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Dragobete – The Lost Romanian God of Love and Lovers
Strange rituals at Dragobete’s Day
One of the best known and largely spread rituals in the past was the so – called “blood fraternity” or “blood union”. That meant young people who were not relatives but were very closed friends decided to celebrate their friendship somehow and in order to make it even more important they became sworn brothers and sworn sisters.
But how exactly did all that ritual happen? The boys and girls (in pairs of two and both of the same gender), surrounded by their band, made a small cut to their wrists. Then the ritual was to overlap the two raw cuts so the blood would mix together and then sip a bit of the friend’s blood and make some serious vows of friendship and loyalty to each other. This ritual was sacred and solemn for the small communities and most of the times people kept their promises for the whole life. Sometimes sworn sisters and brothers were much more important and much closer friends than real brothers and sisters.
Later on when people became Christians the cut got a cross shape and that meant the liaison was blessed by God. Some parts of the country there is an old ritual for young girls to collect water from the un-melted snow. That water was carefully stored and used to wash their face, their hair etc. during the year as people said the liquid was magic and could make the girls look better, make them prettier and lovely.
Dragobete’s Day is a holiday indeed – people do not go to work, do not weave, do not wash the laundry and clean their houses in advance for the day. One custom is that in the morning young people go to the forest to pick up the blooming plants and flowers. At noon they come back to the village running and singing out with joy. Each lad chases the girl he fancies and if he manages to catch her he can kiss the girl in public – this being the equivalent of an engagement for 1 year. “Dragobete kisses the girls!” is a local saying as girls are in fact very pleased to be kissed.
Author: Irina Petre
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