PARTNERSHIP: June 2026 – Honoring the ROMANIAN BLOUSE Day

 Celebrating the rich heritage of the Traditional Romanian Blouse Day in Vancouver

Social-cultural event organized in equal partnership by Consulate General of Romania in Vancouver & ALICE & Friends Circle™

     The artistic and the unique cultural vibrancy of the Romanian ancestral heritage was brought to life during the event organized in partnership by Consulate General of Romania in Vancouver & by ALICE & Friends Circle™.    

     The event, held in the iconic Granville Island (a truly representative landmark for Vancouver) brought together members of the local and international community, who have a shared passion for arts and culture.

     On this special occasion, we all were delighted to have in the audience several representatives of the Consular Corps of BC (based in Vancouver).

     After the opening remarks were delivered by Alice then Hon. Stefana Rotaru took the stage for her speech on the cultural significance of the Romanian traditional blouse and sharing with the audience that in June 2024, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim proclaimed June 24th as “The Romanian Blouse Day in Vancouver”; she also took a moment to thank the event sponsors [(RE/MAX City Realty (rep. Camelia Manea) & Insurance by Dana (rep. Dana Ciocan)] and to all participants for joining us today, reminding that despite the business of the city, during 2026 FIFA Cup in Vancouver, we all managed to gather in such a beautiful and sunny day!

     At this event we were also pleased to have with us Hon. Gabriel Rotaru (who is Consul General of Romania in Vancouver and the Head of the Romanian Diplomatic Mission here, as well as Minister Plenipotentiary of Romania in Canada) who also delivered a beautiful speech about the cultural significance of the “Romanian Blouse Day”, about the Romanian heritage and about our very own event of the day.

     Then Dr. Iurascu (Associate Professor of Cultural Studies, at UBC) had a heartfelt talk about the Romanian Blouse (listed on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity), who graciously transitioning from very well documented historic materials to personal perspectives.

     The program of the day continued with the traditional folkloric songs and dances offered by the Romanian Treasure Society and few poems recited by Teodor Trandafir, who is a well known elder from the Romanian community in Vancouver.

     Our time together continued with two mini-interactive workshops on Romanian traditional embroideries (offered by artisan Lucretia Cioata) and natural flowers braided wreaths (offered by florist Katy Horvath), where our guests had the opportunity to participate, to ask questions and to learn new skills. We wrapped up the day with extensive socialization and good cheer!

     It was a real joy to have with us Rompost TV (the only Romanian television station in Vancouver) and Ada Bucur (a professional photographer who captured many special moments).

     We all were truly delighted to see that our event drew attendees from across Metro Vancouver and most of them were wearing traditional outfits, making all of us realize the beautiful evolution of our Romanian traditional blouse (also known as “ie”) from its folkloric roots to our modern days.

     Personally, I’m truly delighted that initiatives such as this could have the potential to further strengthen Vancouver’s position as a real hub for multicultural artistic expression and for a vibrant cross-cultural dialogue; through such events, our community gains a deeper understanding of ancestral traditions, while promoting cultural exchange and mutual appreciation.

Sincerely,

Alice

This event has been delivered in Romanian & English Languages, featuring Romanian culture.

● For your convenience here is the Press Release for this event.