The Romanian culture

One can deIine culture as a sum oI diIIerent elements which are speciIic only to one nation,
elements which can be deIined only by reporting them to the other elements. Romanian`s culture has
interesting particularities due to its history, geographical position and other characteristics.
History
Dacia
One oI the chapters in the Romanian culture that we are very proud oI is the history oI our
country, as it began over 2000 years ago and we are a nation which survived many battles and
conquerors.
The ancestors oI the Romanian people are the Geto-dacians, who were organized in Thracian
tribes starting Irom 2000 B.C and until I
st
century A.D. The Geto-dacians were considered by Herodot the
'bravest and most fair of the Thracians, as they were not aIraid to involve in diIIerent battles at the time.
Burebista was one oI the most important leaders oI the Geto-dacians and he was the Iirst to make a
centralized Dacian state, which began to be seen as a threat by the Roman Empire. Also, the Iearless king
Burebista got involved into the conIlict between Cesar and Pompeius, supporting the latter. Given that,
the roman emperor Iulius Cesar planned a campaign against the Dacians, but both Cesar and Burebista
were assassinated that year (44 B.C).
The Dacian state would aIterwards be lead by King Deceneu, who was the Highest Priest oI the
Dacians (we can notice that since those times the religion was a very important part oI the culture) and a
very cultivated man, as Iordanes quoted.

In 87 B.C Decebal would take over the state, as he was considered
to be very skilled at planning wars and also at their pursuance. That is the
reason why many wars were held in that period with the Roman Empire:
103-104 B.C and 105-106 B.C, when, Iinally, the Roman Empire conquered
Dacia. Starting Irom 106 B.C, Dacia became a Roman colony.

The Medieval Age
The medieval age was marked by diIIerent rulers (who are called in
Romanian 'domnitor), like teIan cel Mare (Steven the Great), Vlad epe
(internationally known as Dracula), Mihai Viteazul (Michael the Brave). Along the
years they had had many battles, Iighting Ior the independence oI the state and in
1541 the Iirst result was seen: Transilvania gained its independence Irom the
Ottoman Empire, even though it had to pay an annual giIt 'munus honorarium`.

uecebal
vlad |epes

The XIX
th
and XX
th
centuries
Alexandru Ioan Cuza was the Iirst ruler oI the Romanian state, who managed to unite on the 24
th

oI January 1859 Valachia and Moldavia. Also, he made several reIorms, in order to develop the
Romanian state: the tax reIorm (he established the personal tax and a contribution Ior the roads), the
agrarian reIorm.
In 1866 he had to abdicate and Carol de Hohen:ollern-Sigmaringen was the one that Iollowed.
Carol I had the longest rule in the history oI Romania (48 years) and in 1877 gained the independence oI
Romania. The Iirst Constitution was adopted under his rule, in 1866, which was modiIied in 1881, when
Carol I became king and the Romanian state, monarchy.
In 1914, Carol I died and Ferninand (his nephew, as he didn`t have any sons oI his own) was the
next king. Between the years 1914 and 1916, Romania didn`t enter in the First World War, as it was
neutral, but in 1916 Ferdinand decided it was time Ior Romania to have a word to say and entered the
war, on the side oI Antanta against Germany and Austro-Hungaria.
In 1918, Ferninand returned triumphant Irom the war. Also, the Greater Romania was Iounded,
as all the Romanian terittories were reunited into one (Transilvania, Bucovina, Basarabia). In 1922,
Ferninand was crowned as king oI the Greater Romania, through an outstanding ceremony at Alba-Iulia.
In 1926, Ferninand I died and his son, Carol II, was the heir oI the crown, but as he held a
scandalous liIe and Ior 3 years reIused to lead Romania, his minor son, Mihai, ruled the country between
1927 and 1930 with the help oI an regency. In 1930 Carol II returned Ior 10 years, but in 1940 he was
obliged to abdicate in the Iavor oI his son, who became king ,through God`s grace.
In december 1947, Mihai I was Iorced to abdicate by the
communists, who took over the country. Mihai was also Iorced to leave his
country and the Romanian citizenship was retired.
AIter Mihai`s abdication, the kingdom oI Romania became
Romanian People's Republic. In 1967, Nicolae Ceausescu was named the
Iirst president oI the country. Many crimes were committed during that
period, crimes which were analyzed by a Committee in 2006: the national
interests were abandoned aIter 1945, the political parties were destroyed and
their leaders were arrested, the repression oI the cults and many, many
others.




The language
The Romanian language is an indo-european language, Irom the italic group, oriental subgroup
and also one oI the Iive romanic languages, aIter Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian.
AIter the colonization oI Dacia, which became a roman colony, people started speaking a vulgar
latin. In the VII
th
century A.D, the Romanian provinces had a prolongued contact with the Slavic
population. That is why many Romanian words are Irom Slavic origins.










In numbers, the Romanian language has 71,6 romanic inIluences (30,3 latin inherited and the
rest is French and Italian inIluences) and only 14 Slavic inIluences.
There are also Romanian dialects such as aromanian, meglenoromanian and istroromanian,
which are in danger to become extinct The Romanian language spoken in the Moldavian republic was
called moldavian language by the URSS authorities, which became oIIicial in 1994.. Also, the moldavian
language is the same with the Romanian language, but only a Iew words and the accent diIIers.
Since January 2007, the Romanian language is an oIIicial language Ior the European Union.

Geography of Romania

With an area oI 238,400 km
2
and with
21.9 million people, Romania is the twelIth largest
country in Europe. Situated in the northeastern portion
oI the Balkan Peninsula, the country is halIway
between the Equator and the North Pole and
equidistant Irom the westernmost part oI Europethe Atlantic Coast- and the most easterlythe Ural
Mountains. Romania has 3,195 kilometers oI border. Republic oI Moldova lies to the east, Bulgaria lies to
uaclan subsLraLe
LaLln sLraLe

Slavlc
suprasLraLe
the south, Serbia to the southwest, and Hungary to the west. In the southeast, 245 kilometers oI Black Sea
coastline provide an important outlet to the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

Traditionally, Romania is divided into several historic regions that no longer perIorm any
administrative Iunction:
O Dobrogea is the easternmost region (SE).
O Moldova -in the East oI the Country).
O Wallachia- in the south oI the country, is divided by the Olt river into Oltenia on the west
and Muntenia on the east.
O The west-central region, known as Transilvania, is delimited by the arc oI the Carpathians,
which separates it Irom the Mamures region in the northwest; by the Crisana area, and by
the Banat region oI the southwest, which adjoins both Hungary and Serbia. It is these areas
west oI the Carpathians that contain the highest concentrations oI the nation's largest ethnic
minorities--Hungarians, Germans, and Serbs.

Hydrography: The Danube River is Europe's second longest river aIter the Volga, it rises in
Germany's Black Forest and Ilows southeastwards Ior a distance oI 2857 km course through ten countries
(Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine) beIore
emptying in Romania's Danube Delta. The river has become an important source oI hydroelectric power
and oI irrigation water Ior Iarming. Romania's rivers are mainly tributaries oI the Danube.
Main rivers: Danube (1,075 km), Mures (768 km), Olt (736 km), Prut (716 km) which Iorms
Romania's border with Moldova meets the Danube River just west oI the Danube Delta, Siret (596 km),
Ialomita (410 km) and Arges (344 km).
Lakes: approximately 2,300 lakes and over 1,150 ponds account Ior an area oI 2,650 sq. km.
Terrain: Romania's natural landscape is almost evenly divided among mountains (31 percent),
hills and plateaus Iull oI orchards and vineyards (33 percent), and Iertile plains (36 percent). These varied
relieI Iorms spread rather symmetrically Irom the Carpathian Mountains, which reach elevations oI more
than 2,500 meters, (2544- Moldoveanu Peak) to the Danube Delta, which is just a Iew meters above sea
level.
The Carpathian Mountains cross Romania Irom the north to the southwest. Around
Transylvania, the mountains Iormed Europe's longest volcanic chain; the only remaining volcanic lake is
St. Ana.
Natural resources: petroleum, timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt, arable land, hydro
power.
Climate: Temperate - continental; ranges between hot summers and very cold winters with lots
oI snow Irom mid December until the end oI March. Romania's average annual temperature is 11C in the
south and on the coast, 2C in the mountains. In June, July and August, the hottest places in Romania are
near the Black Sea coast, where average temperatures reach 24-30C.
Main Cities: Eight cities exceed 300,000 inhabitants: Bucharest 2,060,551 , Constanta348,575,
Iasi 339,728 , Timisoara 327,830 , Galati 326,728 , Cluj-Napoca 326,01 , Brasov 324,210 , Craiova
306,825.
!orts: On the Black Sea: Constanta (can take ships oI over 150,000dwt), Mangalia, Sulina (Iree
port).
On the Danube river: Turnu Severin, Turnu Magurele, Giurgiu, Oltenita, Cernavoda, Braila,
Galati, Tulcea.

Romanian !ersonalities

1. Michael of Romania
- aiestatea Sa ihai I Regele Romanilor, literally "His Majesty Michael I King oI the
Romanians";
- (born 25 October 1921) was the last King oI Romania, until Iorced to abdicate by the
communists backed up by orders oI Joseph Stalin to the Soviet armies oI
occupation on 30 December 1947. In addition to being the current holder oI the
dis-established throne oI Romania, he was also a Prince oI Hohenzollern until 10
May 2011, when he renounced this title;
- he is one oI the last surviving heads oI state Irom World War II.
. Nadia Elena Comneci
- born November 12, 1961 is a Romanian gymnast, winner of three
Olympic gold medals at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec,
Canada, and one oI a Iew gymnasts ever to be awarded a perIect score oI 10 in
an Olympic gymnastic event;
- she is also the winner oI two gold medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
- she is one oI the best-known gymnasts in the world. In 2000 Comneci was named as one oI
the athletes oI the century by the Laureus World Sports Academy.
. Gheorghe Hagi
- born 5 February 1965 in Scele is a Iormer Romanian Iootballer.
- he was Iamous Ior his passing, close control, long shots and was regarded as one oI the best
attacking midIielders in Europe during the 1980s and 1990s and is considered the greatest Romanian
Iootballer oI all time;
4. Gheorghe !opescu
- known as Gic Popescu (born 9 October 1967 in CalaIat) is a Iormer Romanian Iootballer
who played as a deIender, and was a key part oI the Romania national team in the 1990s;
- he played Ior a string oI European clubs in an illustrious career that saw him amass many
honours;
- his tactical knowledge as a deIender made him valuable team member in top European
competitions even until he reached his late-thirties.
5. Ilie Nastase -
- born July 19, 1946, in Bucharest, Romania is a
Romanian Iormer proIessional tennis player, one oI the world's top
players oI the 1970
- he is one oI the Iive players in history to win more than
100 ATP proIessional titles (57 singles and 45 in doubles);
- he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall oI
Fame in 1991;
- he is the second male player to win a Grand Slam without dropping a set and the Iirst one to
achieve this Ieat at French Open (1973).
6. Henri Marie Coand (June 7, 1886 November 25, 1972)
- was a Romanian inventor, aerodynamics pioneer and the builder oI world's Iirst jet powered
aircraIt, the Coanda-1910;
- he discovered and gave his name to the Coand effect.

7. Nicolae !aulescu
- born

October 30, 1869 July 17, 1931, he was a Romanian
physiologist, proIessor oI medicine and the discoverer oI insulin.
. !etrache !oenaru (17991875)
- was a Romanian inventor oI the Enligshtenment era;
- invented the world's Iirst Iountain pen, an invention Ior which the French Government issued a
patent on May 25.
9. Alexandru Ciurcu (29 January 1854, Sercaia 22 January 1922, Bucharest)
- was a Romanian inventor and publisher, Iamous Ior his invention with Just Buisson oI a
reaction engine; It used rocket propulsion and was successIully used to power to boat in 1886; - the two
men envisioned that such motors would later be used Ior air travel.

10. Botezatu George (1883- 1940)
- the inventor oI one oI the Iirs helicopters in the world.
11. Vlad epe
-known as Vlad Dracula, is best recognized Ior the legends oI the exceedingly cruel punishment
he imposed during his reign (1448, 1456- 1462 and 1476) and serving as the inspiration Ior the vampire
main character in Bram Stoker`s popular Dracula novel.
1. Mihai Eminescu (1850 1889)
- late Romantic poet, widely considered to be the most inIluential
Romanian poet;
- Famous works include LuceaIrul ("Evening Star"), Od n metru
antic (Ode in Ancient Meter), and the Iive Letters (Epistles/Satires).
1. Constantin Brncuyi (1876 1957)
- Iamous modern sculptor;
- was an internationally renowned Romanian sculptor whose works, which blend simplicity and
sophistication, led the way Ior numerous modernist sculptors;
- Iamous Brncusi works include the Sleeping use (1908), The Kiss (1908), Prometheus
(1911), ademoiselle Pogany (1913), The Newborn (1915), Bird in Space (1919) and The Column of the
Infinite (Coloana infinitului), popularly known as The Endless Column (1938). considered the pioneer oI
modernism Brncusi is called the Patriarch of odern Sculpture.

14. Nicolae Grigorescu (1838- 1907)
- was one oI the Iounders oI modern Romanian painting;
- paintings: ihai scpand stindardul (ichael the Brave dropping the flag), Intoarcerea de
la balci (The Return from the Fair).

15. George Enescu (19 August 1881, Liveni 4 May 1955, Paris)
- known in France as Georges Enesco;
-was a Romanian composer, violinist, pianist, conductor
and teacher;
- today, Bucharest houses a museum in his memory;
- Bacau International Airport was named George Enescu International Airport;
- many oI Enescu's works were inIluenced by Romanian Iolk music, his most popular
compositions being the two Romanian Rhapsodies (19012), the opera Odipe (1936), and the suites Ior
orchestra.

16. Maia Morgenstern (born May 1, 1962)
- a Romanian Iilm and stage actress;
- a symbol oI Romanian theater and Iilm;
- in the English-speaking world, she is probably best known Ior the role oI Mary, the mother oI
Jesus, in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ.
Cuisine
Romanian cuisine is a diverse blend oI diIIerent dishes Irom several traditions with which it has
come into contact, but it also maintains its own character. It has been greatly inIluenced by Ottoman
cuisine while it also includes inIluences Irom the cuisines oI other neighbors, such as Germans, Serbians,
and Hungarians.
Quite diIIerent types oI dishes are sometimes included under a generic term; Ior example, the
category ciorb includes a wide range oI soups with a characteristic sour taste. These may be meat and
vegetable soups, tripe and calI Ioot soups (shkembe chorba or iskembe), or Iish soups, all oI which are
soured by lemon juice, sauerkraut juice, vinegar, or traditionally bor (Iermented wheat bran). The
category tuic (plum brandy) is a generic name Ior a strong alcoholic spirit in Romania, while in other
countries, every Ilavour has a diIIerent name.
Romanian recipes bear the same inIluences as the rest oI Romanian culture. The Turks have
brought meatballs (perioare in a meatball soup), Irom the Greeks there is musaca, Irom the Austrians
there is the nitel and the list could continue. The Romanians share many Ioods with the Balkan area (in
which Turkey was the cultural vehicle), with Central Europe (mostly in the Iorm oI German-Austrian
dishes introduced through Hungary or by the Saxons in Transylvania) and, Iinally, Eastern Europe. Some
others are original or can be traced to the Roman or other ancient civilizations. The lack oI written
sources in Eastern Europe makes impossible to determine today the punctual origin Ior most oI them.
One oI the most common dishes is mmliga, a cornmeal mush served on its own or as an
accompaniment. Pork is the preIerred meat, but beeI, lamb, and Iish are also popular.
BeIore Christmas, on December 20 (Ignat's Day or Ignatul in Romanian), a pig is traditionally
slaughtered by every rural Iamily. A variety oI Ioods Ior Christmas prepared
Irom the slaughtered pig consist oI the Iollowing:
O carnati/crnati spicy sausages
O caltaboi/cartaboi sausages made with liver
O tob and piftie dishes using pig's Ieet, head and ears suspended in aspic
O toctur/tochitur pan-Iried pork served with mmlig and wine ("so that the pork
can swim").

The Christmas meal is sweetened with the traditional co:onac
(sweet bread with nuts) or rahat (Turkish delight) Ior dessert.
At Easter, lamb is served: the main dishes are roast lamb and
drob de miel a Romanian lamb haggis made oI minced organs (heart,
liver, lungs) wrapped and roasted in a caul.

The traditional Easter cake is
pasc, a pie made oI yeast dough with a sweet cottage cheese Iilling at the
center.
Romanian pancakes, called cltit, are thin (like French crpes) and can be prepared with
savory or sweet Iillings: ground meat, white cheese, or jam. DiIIerent recipes are prepared depending on
the season or the occasion.
Wine is the preIerred drink, and
Romanian wines have a tradition oI over three
millennia. Romania is currently the world's 9th largest
wine producer, and recently the export market has
started to grow. Romania produces a wide selection oI
domestic varieties (Feteasc, Gras, Tamioas ,
Busuioac), as well as varieties Irom across the world
(Italian Riesling, Merlot, Sauvignon blanc, Cabernet
Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Muscat Ottonel). Beer is also highly regarded, generally blonde pilsener beer,
made with German inIluences. There are also Romanian breweries with a long tradition.
According to the 2009 data oI FAOSTAT,
Romania is the world's second largest plum producer (aIter
the United States) and as much as 75 oI Romania's plum
production is processed into the Iamous palinca/tuic, a
plum brandy obtained through one or more distillation steps.
A plate oI srmlute cu mmlig, a popular
Romanian dish oI stuIIed cabbage rolls (sarmale)
accompanied by sauerkraut and mamaliga. The cabbage rolls
are usually garnished with sour cream, not lemon and olive.



Religion
For the Romanian people, religion is a very important part oI their lives, as they are educated to
believe in God. As prooI Ior the Iact that the romanian people are very IaithIul, along the centuries they
had Iounded many churches and monasteries, in the name oI diIIerent saints.
Religion plays an integral part in the lives oI Romanians. The overwhelming majority oI the
country's citizens are Christian. 86.7 oI the country's population identiIied as Eastern Orthodox. Other
Christian denominations include Roman Catholicism (4.7), Calvinism (3.7), Pentecostal
denominations (1.5) and the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church (0.9).
Romania also has a small but historically signiIicant Muslim minority, concentrated in
Dobrogea, who are mostly oI Crimean Tatar and Turkish ethnicity and number 67,500 people. There are
also approximately 6,000 Jews and 23,105 people who are oI no religion or atheist.

Tourism

Romania is a beautiIul country with many tourist attractions.
Our country is giIted with a very diverse landscape, Irom mountains- with the maximum
altitudes over 2500 meters ( the highest peak is Moldovan 2544 ) - to plains and ending with the seaside
and the Danube Delta.

The seaside is the most exploited tourist area in Romania. The Romanian Black Sea coast
stretches 245 km and is composed oI the Danube Delta and coastal lakes, amounting to a total length oI
163 km coastline and beaches that stretch over 82 km. The Danube Delta is a low alluvial plain, mostly
covered by wetlands and water. It consists oI an intricate pattern oI marshes, channels, streamlets and
lakes, she entered into the UNESCO World Heritage in 1991, is classiIied as a biosphere reserve.

Besides the great landscapes oIIered by our landIorms we have also :
O ancient towns Iull oI history such as: Alba Iulia, Brasov, Bucuresti, Cluj- Napoca, Curtea
de Arge, Sibiu, Sighioara, Sinaia, Iai, Timioara, Tulcea.;
O tourist objectives made by humans such as : The Happy Cemetery, The Orthodox
Monasteries Irom Moldova, The Parliament`s Palace ( Peoples House ), TransIgraan
road route, Bran Castle ( the Dracula`s Castle) , Pele Castle ( the home place oI the
Romanian royal Iamily ), and so on.

Natural resources are also important as the soil with primeval Iorests, wildliIe Iund exceptional,
mineral and thermal waters - mineral water ( Sangeorz-Bai, Tasnad, Vatra Dornei, Climneti,
Cciulata) thermal water (Iound and known Irom Roman times - Herculane, Felix, 1May ) that are used
Ior medical purposes but also Ior leisure. Also important are the underground resources as : salt, coal,
natural gases, oil, the largest untapped gold deposit in Europe (approximately 300 tons oI gold) Irom here
gold extracted since Roman times (Roia Monana). These resources have been exloatate Irom ancient
times .

Even though we have a great country with many touristic attractions and remarkable sights, these
are not known due to insuIIicient promotion, inIrastructure oI questionable quality oI our country and the
price-quality duo.

Traditions

As is natural, each country has its culture, it involves traditions, habits and belieIs unique. Our
country presents customs and traditions based by Irom generation to generation.
Ignatul : it is a habit that regards the preparations Ior Christmas, in the 20
th
oI December peoples
Irom the countryside sacriIice pigs and prepare the meat aIter old recipes. They prepare the Iood Ior the
Winter Celebrations.

Dragobetele : it is the equivalent oI Valentine`s Day but it is celebrated in 24 or 28
th
oI February

Boboteaza : marks the end oI the winter celebrations, in this day the Orthodox priests hallow
the water, and aIter the morning ceremony they go into people`s houses and Bless them and their houses
with Holly Water.

Mriorul : in the Iirst day oI spring 1
st
oI March, the boys the men`s give to the girls and
the women certain small objects like brooch, that have attached to them a red and white thread twisted.

th
of March : It is the day oI the mothers, in this day all the mothers receive cards and Ilowers
Irom their children, and Iemales receive Ilowers Irom the men.

Second day after Easter Celebration: in the North area oI the country young males go to girls
and sprinkle them with perIume. II a boy misses to spray a girl in that day,in the second day she will
sprinkle it with a bucket oI water .

Snzienele : are the Iirst row oI Ilowers that appear on the Iields at the beginning oI the summer.
In the night oI 23 to 24 oI June it is said that the skies opened and the the Iairies come into the world, the
youngs make a Iire and jump over it to. In the same day, the women make wreaths Irom this Ilowers and
decorate homes to protect them oI the Iairies.

ROMANIA
CHIRIAC Roxana-Antonela
DOMIDE Alexandru
IPLEA Alexandra
VERZE Ioana-Maria