Romania ( i/romeni/ In addition to the religious aspects, in Romania Easter symbolizes also the rebirth and the renewal

of daily life. It is usual on Easter morning, after the return of villagers from churches, for children to go to neighbors homes, to !bring wishes for luc" and wealth! in e#change for a red egg. $n %hristmas Eve, young people carol their village homes, hosts giving in e#change nuts, sponge ca"es, apples, pretzels and other delicacies. &he 'tar boys singing procession is a very important part of the Romanian %hristmas festivity. (uring the wee" between %hristmas and )ew *ear s Eve, in all villages groups of lads prepare for !bid!, a comple# system of customs and habits. In the evening, on the eve of the respective year which arises promising, are e#pected fol"lore dances/games+ !,rsul!, !%apra!, !-unghierii!, !%.iuii!, !/alanca!, !0ienii!, !/ascaii! and others.12345

6ol"loric dance group wearing Romanian traditional costumes in %lu78)apoca &he Romanian fol"loric costumes characterize own attributes of the Romanian people and contribute essentially to the definition of the ethnic specificity. %losely related to the human e#istence, the fol"loric costumes reflect over time, as they reflect nowadays, the mentality and artistic conception of the people. &he fol"loric costume has been developed along the people s history, being a genuine e#pression of coherent traditions throughout centuries. (istinct clothing ornamentation, traditional methods used for sewing and tailoring the pieces of clothing, and a wide variety of costumes from one region to another customize the defining spirit of the Romanian people. 6or women, one of the most important parts of the celebration costume is a "erchief called !maram.!. 9 !maram.! is made from a special fabric called !borangic!, which resembles sil", so that the te#ture of the material is very nice and soft. 9n important aspect is its transparency, given by the weaver in which it is made. &he !borangic! is obtained from sil"worms cocoons. Every woman grows the sil"worms in her own yard, feeding them with mullberry leaves. 9fter appro#imately : wee"s, the worms would hide in their cocoons and the person who s in charge of them should move the cocoons into the sun so the worms die and the sil" filament can be e#tracted. $nce all the filaments are e#tracted, they re put into a weaver and one woman starts ma"ing the !maram.!.12335 9lso, the fol"lore of Romania is defined by its mythology, branch of fol" literature that integrates a variety of ancestral habits, tales, fables and ballads, whose authors are anonymous. &he rural character of the Romanian communities resulted in an e#ceptionally vital and creative traditional culture. 'o, in the Romanian mythology were

conceived fabulous beings, unreal characters endowed with supernatural powers. &hese include Baba Cloana, a misshapen and recondite witch, Iele, inconstant virgins endowed with unapproachable ability of seduction and superhuman features, Muma Pdurii, a hag that lives in deep forest, Strigoi, troubled souls of the dead rising from the graves and Ft-Frumos, a ;rince8%harm hero that fights the griffons, dragons and witches to liberate his heart chosen, Ileana Cosnzeana.123<5 &he words !longing! and !mourning! do have correspondents in other language, but the nonfigurative character remains undecipherable and defines the specificity of the Romanian soul. Doina, characteristic only to the Romanian literary fol"lore, represents the lyric creation of the Romanian language, the most varied and comple# range of feelings, strongly rooted in its spiritual structure. In the Romanian fol"loric tradition, !doina! was played mainly orally or accompanied by a single instrument, being the song of elegy, played for self comforting and not intended for festive events because of its sober nature.