Saluting the Romanian tradition called “Mărțișor”

On Friday (March 1, 2019) I was delighted to be able to meet at a public library with a group of friends to celebrate an ancient Romanian tradition, called 'Mărțișor'. 

Before I will give you the usual, concise, update on how things went, I would like to briefly elaborate a bit on what “Mărțișor” really means. The name “Mărțișor” (mərt͡siˈʃor) is the diminutive of “Marț”, the old folk name for March (“martie”, in modern Romanian language), and literally means "the little March". On the other hand, the actual “Mărțișor” is made of a small decorative object, tied to a white and red string, with two hanging tassels, which is offered customarily on the 1^st day of March to girls, women & men (in some parts of the country) as it is believed that the wearer will stay strong and healthy throughout the entire year ahead. In the old times “Mărțișor” was regarded more as a protective talisman, but in modern days, and especially in the urban areas, most of its talisman properties got lost and “Mărțișor” became more a symbol of friendship, love, appreciation and respect, as well as a symbol of the coming spring in addition to the snowdrop flowers. (In the comments section I’m posting a more elaborated description of the history & the legend of “Mărțișor”.)

For this very occasion (this evening's event being called "LEGENDA MARTISORULUI"), personally, I’ve crafted a number of “Mărțișoare” and I was truly happy to be able to gift each of my guests with…each lady that night was glowing with joy.

Our group this time was fairly large and we all were pleased to have with us again two guests of honor – Dr. Ovidiu Grecea together with his wife. Dr. Grecea is Consul General of Romania in Vancouver, Head of the Romanian Diplomatic Mission here as well as Plenipotentiary Minister of Romania.

Dr. Grecea transmitted us all a beautiful message of peace, highlighting again the importance of effective communication and productive collaboration.

Additionally, Dr. Grecea brought us a number of special “Mărțișoare” especially hand crafted by a group of young students from an elementary school from Bucharest (Romania), accompanied by a kind letter, initialised by all those children; personally, I found this gesture truly heart touching!

Aside of that, two other guests (Maria & Dana) also brought “Mărțișoare” for each participant, creating even larger waves of joy and excitement.

After all the gifts were distributed, we continued our program with the cultural section, which was meant to focus on the legend of “Mărțișor” as well as sharing regional customs inherited from our ancestors.

All the presenters that night (Dorina, Lidia, Ileana, Ligia, Monica, Dana, Camelia, John and Teodor) highly spoke about this Romanian tradition (called “Mărțișor”) ….different legends were re-iterated, poems were recited (some are published in the comments section below) and fond memories were refreshed….facts that made each of us recall the childhood times filled with such unforgettable fragrance…you know, those little special memories, which last a lifetime!

The time we spent together flew by very, very fast and by the end of the night, we all enjoyed a well garnished selection of light refreshments, which allowed for prolonged socialization. Definitively, a beautiful evening filled with many special moments and for these I’m sending along my sincere gratitude to each participant that night. Until next time, best wishes to all!

Alice

Mesaj primit înspre publicare din partea Domnului Dr. Ovidiu Grecea* şi al Doamnei Liliana Grecea

Draga Alice, am ajuns cu bine acasă, parca mai bogați sufletește și intelectual, mai bucuroși că am avut ocazia, privilegiul și onoarea de a fi împreună cu niște oameni deosebiți, atât de erudiți, de binevoitori și de înțelepți. Desigur că, un merit deosebit îl ai tu care prin stăruința, tact, perseverență și gingășie ai reușit ca să aduni niște adevărate repere ale românilor-canadieni din Vancouver. Fie ca acești primi pași în prag de primăvară să aducă revigorarea adevăratei calități umane și de înaltă ținută, de adevărata probitate profesională și morală, de reprezentativitate a sevei sănătoase românești pe aceste meleaguri. Sperăm să auzim numai de bine și să ne revedem sănătoși și voioși la alte asemenea întâmplări ale lui Alice cu ... comoara minunilor de caractere frumoase prin simplitatea lor și atât de puternice, prin sensibilitatea sufletească pe care o împărtășesc cu o deosebită generozitate.

Cu sentimente prietenești,

Liliana și Ovidiu Grecea

*Domnul Ovidiu Grecea este Consul General şi Ministru Plenipotenţiar al României la Vancouver

“Our culture, our traditions, our language make the foundation
upon which we build our identity.“

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

● A previous card I've created referring to "Mărțișor" – 2019 

● Fotogallery published on their website by the General Consulate of Romania in Vancouver

● ARTICLE featuring our event on March 1’19 offered by OBSERVATORUL (from Toronto)

“March 1” – a day to celebrate spring return

On "March 1" some European countries celebrate (un-conventionally) the beginning of spring, when small tokens of appreciation, mostly flowers, are exchanged amongst friends.
Wishing you & your friends share this beautiful custom, meant to harmonize even more your existing relationships.

“Ultimately the bond of all companionship, whether in marriage or in friendship, is conversation.” (Oscar Wilde)

Love is in the air – Happy VALENTINE’s Day!

Dear friends, by this note I’m wishing you a wonderful Valentine’s Day, filled with much love, peace and joy!

LOVE is the bridge between you and everything.

~ A brief historic background ~

       Valentine's Day is named after ‘Saint Valentine’, a Catholic priest who lived in Rome in the 3^rd century. There are many stories about St. Valentine and over time these stories grew into the legend we know today.

       In our days, the Valentine's Day became an annual festival celebrating the romantic love, friendship and admiration. Every year, on February 14, people honor this day by sending messages of love and regard to partners, family and friends expressing their affection.

     While Valentine's Day is celebrated in most countries, different cultures have developed additional traditions for this. The greeting cards especially crafted for the occasion usually are decorated with pictures of cupid, hearts & flowers, while containing few sentimental rimes, emphasizing how special the receiver is, becoming easily recognizable all over the world. With the rise of technology, the Valentine's Day customs diversified even more, but continue to have LOVE at the core.

Alice’s Book Club – WINTER session of 2019

This Friday evening (on February 8’19), I was truly happy to be able to organize a teleconferenced gathering with some of my dear friends in order to cover the winter session of our social book club. Each of my guests were also invited to bring along a freshly made cup of herbal tea to enjoy as discussions would unfold. Joining the debate from the comfort of our living rooms made us all completely ignore the cold weather outside that we are still facing these days (a real winter with lots of snow).   

We started our evening together with a pleasant conversation and then we began the work….reading, commenting, analyzing, debating, sorting, voting, all together made each of us totally forget the time, but at the end we all were glad to choose a beautiful novel for our next book club session, which is scheduled to happen (in person) by the end of spring; we all are looking forward to that with much anticipation...it will be great! 

Needless to emphasize how delightful it is to team up with positive people, willing to focus on beautiful matters. Aside of that, I believe that no matter how much stress one might have at times with work or with the countless aspects of the daily life, it all slips away when you lose yourself in an activity that you really like.  

On the other hand, while at this page, I would like to quickly mention few valid points the scholars usually emphasize in their papers about the benefits of reading (in essence, why it helps to read at least a bit every day):
 - Reading books allow readers to gain better insights into human nature (you could gain interesting and helpful knowledge that never can be taken away from you)

- Readers become more sensitive to the emotions of other people, quality which seems to disappear in today’s world

- Good literature of any language improve and expand the comprehension skills; also, at the same time, by considering all the aspects involved, you could become even more versed with your critical and analytical thinking (the more skills you have, the better equipped you are to tackle any challenges that sometimes life might present). Additionally, a well written novel could 'transport' you to different places, while an engaging article might distract or keep you in the present moment allowing relaxation to occur. 

- A book always stimulates the brain (amazingly enough, through reading new brain pathways are created and the existing ones become even stronger, facts that assist with the short-term memory recalls as well as mood stabilization).  
So, once again dear friends, please be kindly reminded that the journey of a life time starts with the turning of a page. 

Until our paths will meet again on this wavelength, my best wishes to each of you for a peaceful rest of winter.

Alice

“The reading of all good books is like having a conversation with the finest minds of the past centuries.” (Descartes)

January 2019: Eminescu & Romania's Culture Day

January 15, 2019: An evening of poetry featuring Mihai Eminescu & Romania's National Culture Day

Today (Tuesday - January 15'19), I was very pleased to meet with a group of dear friends, via teleconference, to honor the memory of MIHAI EMINESCU (1850-1889), who is considered the most famous & influential Romanian poet, as well as the last major representative of the European Romanticism, and a significant promoter of the enlightened nationalism.

Aside of that, it is timely to mention that ever since 2010, the National Culture Day of Romania it is celebrated every year on January 15, which is also the day marking the birth of the greatest Romanian poet, Mihai Eminescu.

Our evening together commenced with a short array of mundane remarks and after we settled in, we began the program. This time my guests were invited to bring with them a freshly made cup of tea so they could each enjoy as the conversations would progress.  

Firstly, I was glad to present them an audio fragment from the famous poem called “Luceafărul“, recited in duet by Gheorghe Cozorici & Ion Caramitru.

Then, briefly speaking, our evening unfolded as per below:

– Our friend Dorina Aldea read us all a list of interesting facts, less known about Mihai Eminescu. On the topic, she wrote an article as well, which she sent over for publication (with Dorina's permission, the article I'm referring to is posted in comments section)

– Ileana M. was kind to share with us how this poet impacted her life and then she recited for us the poem, called “Rugaciune” (the original it is published in the comments section)

– Then Teodor T. brought a generous number of personal remarks about Eminescu’s contribution to the Romanian culture as a poet, novelist, journalist and philosopher, as well as being a great patriot. He also reminded us of our old school professors who persevered in emphasizing the value and depth of Eminescu’s creation. Subsequently, Teodor shared with us a number of personal compositions about Eminescu, beautifully crafted

– Next our friend Camelia G. had a short and beautiful personal expose about the significance of the poet’s contribution to our culture, from her perspective. Then she reminded Eminescu’s famous poem, called “Glossa” and recited the poem called “Criticilor mei” (the original is published in the comments section)

– The evening continued with Lidia’s contribution, who discussed the poem called “Pe langa plopii fara sot” (this poem is published in the comments section below, both in the original language and an English version as well). Then she mentioned Eminescu’s love for nature in general and for linden trees in special. Also, Lidia mentioned that her accompanying tea for our evening together was made of linden flowers.

– Then our friend Ioana R. expressed her heartfelt pleasure for joining the group and how delightful it was for her to hear how impactful Eminescu was for each of the presenters up to that moment, and how many beautiful poems were brought into conversation. Also, she mentioned her own experience and how Eminescu impacted her life as well, sharing with us the memory of a precious book with Eminescu’s poems that she received in the past from a famous Romanian Conductor. Heart touching, indeed! Then she recited for us the poem called, “Cand Marea” (the Romanian version of this poem is published in the comments section)

– Our night together followed with Rodica’s contribution. She was kind to share with us some family memories from Radauti (situated in the historical region of Bukovina) and how close to her family at that time Eminescu’s poems were.  She also recited for us a poem called “Colind pentru Eminescu”, written by Grigore Vieru (the original is published in the comments section)

– Then our friend Dean Phillip reiterated Eminescu’s geniality as well as his extraordinary abilities in journalism and philosophy. Even though Eminescu didn’t have many degrees, even though he attended a number of University courses in Vienna, from his writings one could tell how advanced and well-rounded his thinking was for his time; needless to say that his writings were, are, and will continue to be for generations to come inspirational in many ways.

– After that, our dear friend Manuela C. shared with us her gladness of belonging to our circle as well as her views about the universality of Eminescu’s writings and the thought she pondered upon was ‘the eternal contemporaneity’ of this amazing poet.

– Further, our friend Monica T. shared her state of gratitude for our evening together and then she recited for us the poem called “La steaua care a rasarit” (the original is published in the comments below)  

– Also, Iuliu T. joined us sharing a beautiful song interpreted by Ion and Doina Aldea Teodorovici, called “Eminescu”.

– Then, our next presenter was Maria M., who told us all how delightful she was to be part of this evening. Then she mentioned a dear poem called “Mai am un singur dor”, and Teo was kind to recite it for us all (the original is published in the comments section below).
– Last but not least, our friend Dana S. expressed her satisfaction that she was able to join us for this festive evening, refreshing how nourishing it can be to stop once in a while from the daily rush and just simply enjoying a cup of tea, in company of good friends while talking about poetry at its best.

As discussions progressed, when appropriate, I was also truly happy to be able to intercalate in between some presentations few audios, such as: the poem “Si daca” (by Mihai Eminescu, interpreted by George Vraca), "Ion Creanga - A doua scrisoare catre Mihai Eminescu" (recited by Radu Beligan), and the beautiful poem called “Dintre sute de catarge” (in a musical arrangement, performed by 'Pro Musica').  

The time we spent together flew by very quickly, and my friends expressed again their regrets as there is still so much left to talk about, but knowing that there will be a “next time” we adjourned for the night.

Once again, from my heart to each of my dear friends, a genuine “THANK YOU!” for joining me so together we could honour the poet we all love and respect. 

Until we meet again, my warmest regards to each of you!

Alice

“I understand that a man can have everything having nothing and nothing having everything.” (Mihai Eminescu)

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

2019 – Happy NEW YEAR!

Good bye, 2018! Welcome 2019!

Dear friends,
As the wheel of time is turning once again making another spin, I wish you and yours a wonderful 2019, filled with peace, joy, prosperity and good health!

Wishing that this New Year all your dreams turn into reality and all your efforts into great achievements.

❄❄❄❄❄

❄ HAPPY NEW YEAR! ❄ FROHES NEUES JAHR! ❄ LA MULTI ANI PENTRU NOUL AN! ❄ BONNE ANNÉE! ❄ FELICE ANNO NUOVO! ❄ FELIZ AÑO NUEVO! ❄ ΕΥΤΥΧΙΣΜΈΝΟΣ Ο ΚΑΙΝΟΎΡΙΟΣ ΧΡΌΝΟΣ! ❄
❄❄❄❄❄

New Year's Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic 2019 (highlights) – video

December 2018: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas is the perfect time of the year to express our love for those we care – Merry Christmas, dear friends!

❄ FRÖHLICHE WEIHNACHTEN! ❄ CRĂCIUN FERICIT! ❄ BUON NATALE! ❄ Καλά Χριστούγεννα! ❄

Charity on the 1st day of winter (December 2018)

Winter has arrived, and outside it is cold, wet and windy! It is December (December 22, 2018) and the entire world is preparing for Christmas, but unfortunately there are still many people without a warm shelter, seriously incapacitated and in a dire need of some basic, simple necessities.

With a few modest donations collected from several friends as well as my financial contribution, today I’ve managed to organize a small group of dear friends so together we could prepare a number of bags filled with some basic winter necessities (such as winter toques, gloves, wool socks & scarfs) for the homeless people on East Hastings Street. Regrettably, we couldn’t comfort them all, but at least we were able to offer a shy help to a handful.

Why am I sharing this gesture with you? Definitively not to show off, but rather to demonstrate (to ourselves & to whoever is willing to listen) that IT IS possible to make a good difference in the world without being filthy rich. 

On the other hand, by this note, I’m also extending my sincere appreciation to my husband and to my dear friends who, at this busy time of the year (right before Christmas, when everybody is super busy with cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc.), found few hours so we could work together on this charity project.

In closing, the message to pass along it is more of an encouragement, as any time you can, wherever you can, be good & do good, because kindness it is always free!

Be the change you wish to see in the world.

December 21, 2018: Joyful WINTER, dear friends!

Blessed it is the season which engages the entire world in a conspiracy of love.

 “In the midst of winter, I found within me an invincible summer.” (Albert Camus)

Winter solstice: a short scientific briefing 

From an astronomic perspective, on December 21^st, 2018, it is the winter solstice (also called the ‘hibernal solstice’), which marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year for all the people who are living in the Northern Hemisphere. 

According to the definition of the seasons, the winter solstice also marks the beginning of winter season, which lasts until the vernal equinox (March 20 or 21 in the Northern Hemisphere, or September 22 or 23 in the Southern Hemisphere). 

After the shortest day of the year slowly turns toward a greater length, this will embrace again the return of the sunnier days and the coming of spring.

WINTER (by Antonio Vivaldi) – audio

December 2018: Celebrating the Romanian Centenary

~ An evening of poetry, history & Christmas cheer, featuring Romania's National Day ~

Before too long, I am glad to share that on Friday (December 14’18) I was truly happy to be able to meet with a fairly large group of dear friends in order to celebrate the Romanian Centenary as this special year would end up soon. Our gathering this time was a bit different than usual, but without any doubt, enjoyable in every way.

The evening together unfolded with a cheerful & well garnished potluck & after that we all settled around, in a large circle so we could start with our cultural section. 

We began our program with the Romanian Anthem (since we were honoring the Romanian Centenary), followed suit by the Canadian Anthem….needless to say that our hearts open widely, as the musical notes filled the room with such a profound sense of unity and heart touching national pride, in the most genuine sense.

The evening continued with a number of interesting presentations, when my friends evoked important pages of Romanian history; they brought along old photo albums with dear ancestors who created those pages of history, they shared original compositions (poems, songs & essays) especially created for the occasion, a large genealogical tree and many heart warming life stories that were shared in such a genuine manner….some of them I will elaborate below.
For instance, we were pleased to have with us that evening our friend Doina, whose ancestor is the Greek-Catholic Bishop Iuliu Hossu.   

Portrait: The Greek-Catholic Bishop, Iuliu Hossu
Iuliu Hossu was a Greek-Catholic priest, Bishop of the Cluj-Gherla Diocese (1885-1970) and a very well-known historic figure (biography), who in the year 1918, read to a 100,000 Romanians the ‘Alba Iulia Proclamation’ which officially states the unification of Transylvania, Bessarabia and Bukovina with the Romanian Kingdom, during the reign of Ferdinand I. 
In the comments section I am publishing few historic articles & video links (both in Romanian & English languages) with background info, featuring Bishop Hossu.

Portrait: Ligia Oancea

Also, on Friday, our friend Ligia Oancea, a talented music conductor and song writer (biography), brought along a personal composition – the poem called “Mi-e dor”, which (with Ligia’s permission) I am happy to be able to publish in the comments section.
Aside of that, we were delighted to hear from Ligia about her roots (Ligia is a descendent of Stârcea family), as she brought along her genealogical tree covering the last 600 hundred years. With Ligia’s permission for this website only, I’ve put together a concise collage, which reflects her sharing. 

Further, our friend Dana offered a brief expose referring to Emmanuel de Martonne and Robert Ficheux – two French geographers who allocated many years of research accurately mapping the Central Europe, as well as Romania.

Besides, Dana presented a centenary medal produced by a group of Romanians from diaspora; this distinction is accompanied by a special parchment listing a chart of a 100 famous Romanian historical figures.   

Our evening together continued with a lovely presentation offered by our dear friend Dorina Aldea, who wrote an article about the Romanian Centenary & a beautiful, heart-felt essay  (the original versions are written in Romanian Language and Dorina sent them along so I could publish both in the  comments section).

Another meaningful input was brought along by our friend Dean P., who further elaborated on the contribution of the Romanian Bishop Hossu to the Romanian history, describing it all in an educational manner.
Then our friend Ioana shared few personal memories adjoining Christmas family traditions.
And last, but not least, our dear friend Teo Trandafir delighted us with a personal poem as well as few remarks concerning the Romanian history and the Romanian Christmas traditions.

After all presentations were delivered, we raised our voices, singing together the famous Romanian song, called “Treceţi batalioane Române Carpaţii” (“Romanian Troops, Cross The Carpathian Mountains”) that made all our hearts beat faster, filling them with gratitude and appreciation for the many sacrifices our ancestors made so the Romanians would live nowadays in a peaceful, united and rejoiced country.

The toast that followed was unanimous: “TRÃIASCÃ ROMÂNIA MARE!” ("Longlive the Greater Romania") – we raised our voices & our glasses with (non-alcoholic) champagne to honor this beautiful moment of togetherness, and national pride.

Additionally, our group happiness was followed by a bouquet of very well-known Christmas carols, and with glowing hearts, we did sing them together, each rewinding in our minds precious childhood moments.

The time we spent together was relaxing and impressive in every way, without realizing that in fact we were creating lasting memories!
Now, when I write these line to you, I am deeply touched recognizing that certain heartwarming moments would be simply unforgettable, and I would like to thank each of my friends for their companionship.

On the other hand, I would like to briefly mention that at this time of the year, when Christmas is literally around the corner, all my guests were having busy agendas (mine not being an exception either), but despite the heaviness of their schedules, my dear friends walked the extra mile to spare few hours squeezing into their calendars our gathering – needless to say that my appreciation for all and each of them goes way beyond any words!
So, once again my dear friends, a big & heartfelt THANK YOU to each of you, & until we meet again, I'm wishing you all, happy, blessed and peaceful holidays!

Alice 

“A nation’s culture resides in the hearts of its people.”

     ● A page of old history: Portrait Bishop Iuliu Hossu

      ● A page of current history: Portrait Ligia Oancea

Snapshots from our time together (Friday - December 14, 2018)

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

● An additional greeting I've created referring to Romania's National Day: Happy 100th anniversary, Romania! 

● ARTICLE featuring our event on December 14, 2018, published by OBSERVATORUL (from Toronto)