June 24, 2023: Celebrating the ROMANIAN BLOUSE Day

Romanian Socio-Cultural evening with ALICE & Friends Circle™

featuring our ancestral traditions, popular dances, legends & timeless wisdom

Example of an old  Romanian stitch pattern

As the wheel of time keeps rolling, on Saturday – June 24, 2023 I gladly organized the Romanian Blouse Day, in a wonderful natural setting in Vancouver, by the side of the Pacific Ocean. 2023 is the third year in a row our Circle is celebrating this beautiful summer fest, occasion which apparently turned into a global movement observed by many Romanians, at home and throughout the entire world.

Also, I would like to emphasize that on December 1, 2022, (on Romania’s National Day), UNESCO has decided to
inscribe the Romanian traditional blouse (Ro: "Ia") on their list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The morning of this very special summer day was a bit cold, but around noon time the shining sun showered us with its warm rays, bringing upon so much joy, once again proving that we are loved! I was truly happy that I could meet in person with my friends for this very special event.

On the other hand, I would like to mention that we could speak a lot about traditions, legends, customs, etc. and many people might wonder what relevance could have these rather old fashion concepts in our modern, consumerist world, where technology (more than anything else) seems to play a central role (...isn’t it?!...), and when so many people nowadays live in large cities, completely disconnected from the forgotten traditions of their elders?!

Personally, I truly believe that our ancestral traditions carry lots of invaluable insights and timeless wisdom, which have the potential to enrich our lives and unite us in this rapidly changing world. Uncovering these old practices and concepts, we uncover the values, beliefs, and emotions that have transcended many generations. Our traditions could give us a real sense of continuity and belonging, as well as a true connection with the insights of those who came before us, while transmitting knowledge and providing a solid foundation for social cohesion and emotional well-being…truly significant!

Now, for your reference, I would like to refresh that June 24 marks also the Midsummer Day – “Sânzienele” in Romanian folk beliefs, as well as the feast of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist (in the Romanian Christian Orthodox culture). “Sânziene Day” (Ro: “Ziua de Sânziene”) is one of the most beautiful, exuberant and intuitive holidays of the summer – an old popular holiday that marks also the summer solstice. This holiday is associated with light, with fire, with sun, with the sacred and the profane, with heaven and earth, in essence with life itself; this special day actually celebrates the connection with nature and life, with the Romanian intuitive spirit, and with all what it is miraculous, as well as timeless wisdom of our ancestors and with our ancient roots.

While at this page, I’m glad to share with my Romanian speaking friends 2 books (in pdf format) from the Romanian literature (both written in Romanian language…I’m sorry, at this moment, I don’t have them in English).

● Book #1: “Nopțile de Sânziene” (de Mihai Sadoveanu) – here you can download the pdf

● Book #2: “Noaptea de Sânziene” (de Mircea Eliade) – here you can download the pdf

Further speaking about my event, I would like to share that this year as well, at the welcoming table my guests were greeted again with a large tray of hands sanitizers (as the safety protocol continued to be observed) and another large tray with several distinctive gifts I’ve prepared again for them (I offered each lady a manually crafted head flower garland and to each gentleman a “tricolor” bracelet) and all of them really appreciated my gesture…I was truly happy to bring them joy!

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

Next, my friends shared (to the best they each knew) the traditional folkloric customs from their regions as well as few well-known summer habits.

Then we all were ready to dance and the musical notes of the Romanian “Hora” enveloped us…please, follow this link if you wish to get a ‘taste’ of it…enjoy!

Dancing together with my friends the Romanian “Hora” on that fresh green grass, brought along a special sense of gratitude, exuberance, unity, energy and above all, true joy….it was really beautiful!

Then we all enjoyed our delicious foods, had few glasses of good wine (legally permitted for consumption in that public area) all ‘garnished’ with pleasant conversations and relaxing socialization….

As usual, time was running fast, but having the chance to catch up with each other and talk from heart to heart, really made a huge difference…truly pleasing!

Wrapping up my brief summary, once again I’m extending my sincere appreciation to all my friends who were by my side this special summer day! 
Until we meet again, my very best to all!

Alice

“Tradition keeps the flame alive.”

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

● Previous events I organized on the same theme: The ROMANIAN BLOUSE Day – 2022, 2021

● My greetings referring to the same matter: The ROMANIAN BLOUSE Day – 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020

● Few articles of general interest about the Romanian Blouse Day:

“Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse celebrated on June 24” |
“Universal Day of Romanian Blouse, during 'RomanIA Autentica' Festival in Paris”

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).