June 24, 2022: Celebrating the ROMANIAN BLOUSE Day

Romanian Literary & Socio-Cultural evening with ALICE & Friends Circle™ featuring our ancestral folklore

Romanian ethnography - old traditions, popular dances, legends & timeless wisdom

On Friday (June 24, 2022) we had a fabulous summer weather, and I was able to organize the Romanian Blouse Day, in a public park in Vancouver, by the side of the Pacific Ocean. This was the first warm day of the season, perceived by many as a beautiful blessing in itself given that up to the day before we had an unusually cold, wet and windy climate (in a way it felt that on June 24^th we all jumped from booths straight into sandals). 
At our group celebration that evening having above us a splendid blue sky, bathing in the warm rays of the sun and being touched by the gentle breeze of the Pacific Ocean was more than we could ask for...our hearts were filled with sincere gratitude!

Also, I would like to mention that after such a prolonged social austerity in our region, this was the first ‘in person’ / outdoor event of the year at our Circle ... needless to say that we all were so happy to reunite, appreciating more than ever the spirit of togetherness.

On the other hand, as you all might know, The Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse (Rom: "Ziua iei"), each year on June 24^th, has become a global event celebrated on six continents, 55 countries, 130 cities, with lots of gatherings throughout the world organized by Romanians who are proud of their ancestral heritage…in my opinion, this is a noble effort that has contributed decisively to the rebirth and a refreshed interest in our traditional Romanian culture. The Romanian blouse, "ie" by its original Romanian name, is not a simple traditional peasant blouse, but it became a symbol of Romania, with its legends, stories & significance. 

For the members of ALICE & Friends Circle™ this was a marvelous occasion, which allowed us to join the movement with national pride and honest appreciation for our ancient roots.

Aside of that, June 24 marks the Midsummer Day – “Sânzienele” in Romanian folk beliefs.
For your reference, a brief traditional legend (about “Sânziene”) is published in comments section.

At our gathering that evening, at the welcoming table my guests were greeted with a large tray of hands sanitizers (as the safety protocol was closely observed) and another large tray with several distinctive gifts I specially prepared for them (I offered each lady a manually crafted head flower garland and to each gentleman a “tricolor” bracelet)…I was so happy that my gesture brought them so much joy!

After we all settled in and my opening remarks were delivered, I presented a concise summary about the cultural significance of the Romanian blouse (which is our traditional “ie”) and its uninterrupted existence over centuries.

Next, our dear friend Dorina read us a very nice poem, relating to the theme, which is published in comments section.

Then our friend Sandu had the floor introducing the group several old Romanian folk dances.

Once that beautiful music began, we all caught the momentum and slipped on the wings of music. Being outside, in a public place, lots of people were stopping by to watch us dancing, visibly attracted by the magnetic beat of those musical notes, while taking lots of pictures with us….we didn’t mind that at all and we freely continued with our dance. It was nice, it was sunny, it was joyful and we all were very happy.

• Here is the video clip with all of us playing an old Romanian dance, called “Hora Moroşenească”.
        For your reference, here is a short description of what is the Romanian “Hora”: 

Excerpt: “….’Hora’ is the oldest and most widespread Romanian folk dance. Passed down from generation to generation, the dance is played by women and men alike, in a large circle, holding hands. Steps are simple, back and forth, sometimes combined with a lateral movement. The pace is right and anyone can play it.

The Romanian popular culture offers the opportunity to observe the genesis and evolution of spiritual values. Therefore, the circularity of the ‘hora’ reminds us that the circle, as a cosmic formula, is a closed universe. The first mention of the ‘hora’ was made by the chronicler Dimitrie Cantemir in his book ‘Descriptio Moldaviae’, in 1716. This happened almost around the time when the first description of folk music was made, respectively fiddlers. It dates from 1688 and appears in the ‘Bucharest Bible’, written by Serban Cantacuzino.

The ‘hora’ can be named according to the place where it comes from (like ‘Hora de la Orhei’, or ‘Hora Moroşenească’) or it can be named after a person or an event (in whose honor it is performed, like ‘Hora miresei’ or ‘Hora nunţii’, et.)…”. (Fragment source: The Romanian Government website)

Additionally, here is another video clip with us dancing “Braşoveanca”
(this is very well known traditional Romanian dance that has its origins in Transylvania).

We ended our dancing program with another “hora” (dancing in a circle)…all in one made it for a really, really nice and unifying experience!

Dancing together the Romanian “hora” on that fresh green grass, abundantly sprinkled with pretty lawn daisies seemed to be like a passage descending straight from an old traditional legend of our homeland! It was surreally beautiful…a beauty that went straight to our hearts!

Further, we all enjoyed a rich selection of delicious foods (many of them separately wrapped and others cooked by deli stores), which ignited pleasant conversations around the table and extended a type of socialization we all dearly missed.

The time we spent together that special evening was relaxing & impressive in every way, making us realize that in fact we were creating new splendid memories!

Now, as I write this briefing for you, I am deeply touched recognizing that certain heartwarming moments would be simply unforgettable, and once again I would like to thank my guests for their companionship, ongoing support, loyalty and above all, for their beautiful friendship!

Until our paths will meet again on this wavelength, I’m sending along a new bunch of best wishes to each for a wonderful rest of the season!

With sincere appreciation,

Alice 🌻

You have to experience a given culture in order to fully understand it!

This event has been delivered in Romanian Language, featuring Romanian culture. 

Message gratefully received from “OBSERVATORUL”, from Toronto

Please use the automated translator installed at the bottom of the page to translate this message into any language you wish…thank you!

(In Romanian Language)

"Bun găsit!
Mulţumim pentru gândurile bune pe care le primim cu bucurie.
O altă frumoasă iniţiativă a grupului ALICE & Friends™
Felicitări pentru organizare şi mobilizare!
Publicat cu plăcere articolul d-voastră.
Sănătate şi numai bine pentru întreaga familie şi pentru prietenii care vă sunt aproape în toate cele.
Cu prietenie,
Puiu Popescu”

● ARTICLE featuring our event on June 24, 2022, published by OBSERVATORUL (from Toronto)

A previous event I organized on the same theme: The ROMANIAN BLOUSE Day – 2021

Some of my additional greetings referring to the same theme: The ROMANIAN BLOUSE Day – 2022, 2021, 2020

NOTE: Dear readers, please be advised that on this website each of the previous postings, pertaining to the recurrent annual themes, portray a different perspective of the subject/s presented (same theme/s, but a different outlook without duplication due to the cultural richness of the specific topic/s discussed).