Observations

When we enter the world, we are absolutely at peace with ourselves, totally unaware of what is awaiting us in this special journey, called “life”. But the magic of worldly life begins to unfold gradually.

Despite the fact that each person has been granted goodness to begin with, unfortunately, some are slowly enfolded in the wraps of desire, greed and lust which in turn fill them with arrogance and anger, beginning to lose their peace of mind, patience, humanity, love and compassion, as the ugliness of stress and anxiety steadily build up into their beings.

Others, turn into kind, sincere, good and cheerful people, who instead of envying they choose to appreciate, who instead of discouraging they learned how to restore hope, to inspire trust and to stimulate courage.
Here I’m talking about those beautiful people who instead of looking arrogantly, cold, empty, superiorly or ignoring, they give a warm helpful hand, offering unconditional support, in a loving, discreet and simple manner. I simply love those ones! Most of the time, they are the ones who like to take care of flowers, they admire the flights of birds and don’t crush any ants under their foot, they peacefully contemplate a sunrise or a sunset, they enjoy the clear skies or the stars, they take time to listen to the waves of the ocean, to the sound of the wind, or to the rustle of the forest. Yes, I’m referring to those beautiful people who live life with enthusiasm and gratitude, with meaning and grace, with honesty and dignity. I strongly believe that it is important to be aware of the magical charms of this world, to protect ourselves from going astray, and to offer ourselves (and to each other) stress free lives, filled with kindness.

In my opinion, it does help to smile at every chance we get, not because life has been easy, perfect or exactly as we anticipated, but because we choose to be happy and grateful for all the good things we each have in our lives and all the problems we know that we don’t have.

Every new day comes with a new beginning...make it bright!

January 24’22: Union of the Romanian Principalities

An old page of Romanian history: The Little Union of the Romanian Principalities

Each year, on January 24^th Romanians celebrate the Unification Day, which is the day when the Romanian Principalities united in a single national state, under the rule of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, who was the initiator of several reforms that set the basis of modern Romania.

On such occasion, in Bucharest (the capital city of Romania) and in almost all major cities of the country, many military parades and ceremonies are organized, festive flower wreaths are deposited at the monuments of our national heroes, and people united in the traditional circle dance, called “Unity Hora” (Romanian: “Hora Unirii”). Most of the ceremonies in Bucharest take place on the Patriarchal Hill (the place where in 1859, Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected are Ruler of Romania).

At this moment, I wish all Romanians to continue to strive
to live in harmony with each other!

● Documentaries: "24 ianuarie 1859 - Nașterea statului Român modern"  | "Lecţia de istorie - Unirea de la 1859"

● An old Romanian song featuring this historic moment: "Cobora cerul pe ape"
● A previous post on the same theme: The LITTLE UNION Day – 2021

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). 

January 2022: Eminescu & Romania’s Culture Day

Annual celebration dedicated to:

The Day of January 15, 2022 – the anniversary of Mihai Eminescu & Romania's National Culture Day

Reference to January 24, 2022 – Little Union of the Romanian Principalities

On Saturday (January 15, 2022) I was able to organize the annual Mihai Eminescu Day, emphasizing Romania’s National Culture Day. Unlike the years before, this time the historic date of January 24^th has been included into the evening’s agenda as well. 
Given the extensive ongoing pandemic related restrictions and rigorous lockdowns for social activities, for safety reasons, the ‘on-line’ format was chosen again.

At this reunion, Hon. Grecea was invited (Dr. Grecea is Consul General, the head of Romanian Diplomatic Mission in Vancouver & Plenipotentiary Minister of Romania in Canada).

This time I began the evening with 2 short video clips: My first VIDEO-CLIP is highlighting Mihai Eminescu and Romania’s National Culture Day.  Romania’s National Culture Day has been celebrated for the first time on January 15th, 2011, and since then, the birthday of the poet Mihai Eminescu (January 15, 1850) has also been the day when culture as a whole is celebrated in this country. "On the National Culture Day, we recognize the role of the Romanian cultural personalities in the modernization and democratization of Romania, in getting in line with the European values. The exemplary involvement of thinkers, artists, promoters and founders of cultural institutions in asserting the identity, statehood and national unity of Romania will remain inscribed in capital letters in the chronicles.”

My second VIDEO-CLIP is briefly about The Day of the Unification of the Romanian Principalities (Romanian: "Ziua Unirii Principatelor Române", ori "Ziua Micii Uniri"), each year celebrated on January 24, in order to commemorate the unification of the Romanian Principalities (Moldavia and Wallachia), also known (unofficially) as the "Little Union" (on 24 January 1859 under prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza).

Then the program continue with Hon. Grecea’s speech, which was long and filled with lots of personal remarks, amongst other things stressing Eminescu’s geniality as well as the importance of unity.

This time I was happy to have with us straight from Romania, the author Luniniţa Aldea, whose speech was concise, interesting and to the point. Writer Aldea has such a warm and pleasant personality, always polite and respectful and it is a joy to have her around. Also, at this time our dear friend Luminiţa, reminded us about Mihail Kogălniceanu's speech when Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected ruler of Moldavia, on January 5, 1859.

Next, the other guests of the evening shared their perspectives about Eminescu, about culture, about the Romanian history, about current times & personal memories.

Our dear friend Dorina, nicely penciled Mihail Kogălniceanu, who was the Prime Minister of Romania (Oct.11, 1863-January 26, 1865), under Alexandru Ioan Cuza. Kogălniceanu was also a lawyer, historian, publicist and one of the most influential Romanian intellectuals of his generation.

Also, since today we are celebrating Romanian Culture’s Day, here are few additional names who honored the Romanian Culture over time:
⚪ Ion Luca Caragiale – was a Romanian playwright, short story writer, poet, theater manager, political commentator and journalist. Leaving behind an important cultural legacy, he is considered one of the greatest playwrights in Romanian language and literature, as well as one of its most important writers and a leading representative of local humour 
⚪ Ion Creangă – he was one of the main representatives of Junimea, an influential literary society with which he nonetheless parted during the second half of his life. His work, spanning 4 decades, covers the ground between Neoclassicism, Realism, & Naturalism, building on an original synthesis of foreign & local influences
⚪ Lucian Blaga – who was a Romanian philosopher, poet, playwright, poetry translator and novelist

⚪ George Călinescu – who was a Romanian literary critic, historian, novelist, academician and journalist, and a writer of classicist and humanist tendencies. He is currently considered one of the most important Romanian literary critics of all time, alongside Titu Maiorescu and Eugen Lovinescu, and is one of the outstanding figures of Romanian literature in the 20^th century
⚪ Vasile Alecsandri – who was a Romanian poet, dramatist, politician and diplomat. He was one of the key figures during the 1848 revolutions in Moldavia and Wallachia. He fought for the unification of the Romanian Principalities, writing "Hora Unirii" in 1856 and giving up his candidacy for the title of prince of Moldavia, in favor of Alexandru Ioan Cuza. He became the first minister of foreign affairs of Romania and was one of the founding members of the Romanian Academy. Alecsandri was a prolific writer, contributing to Romanian literature with poetry, prose, several plays, and collections of Romanian folklore, being considered, alongside Mihai Eminescu, which admired and was inspired by the writings of Alecsandri, as one of the most important Romanian writers in the second half of the 19th century
⚪ Constantin Brâncuși –  was a Romanian sculptor, painter and photographer who made his career in France. He is considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20^th century and a pioneer of modernism
⚪ Ștefan Luchian  – was a Romanian painter, famous for his landscapes and still life works
⚪ Nicolae Grigorescu – who was one of the founders of modern Romanian painting. Having studied at École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he had contact with Pierre-Auguste Renoir, after which he left Paris to join the Barbizon school, where he adopted the „en plein art” way of painting. Several of his works were featured, among others, at the Universal Exhibitions in Paris. For most of his last decades, Grigorescu spend time either painting in Paris or, especially after 1890, in Câmpina, where he started his famous series of pastorales. He was named honorary member of the Romanian Academy in 1899
⚪ Ion Andreescu – who was a Romanian painter of great renown, considered of the founders of modern Romanian painting. Influenced by Nicolae Grigorescu, he left Romania for Paris to further his education. He began attending the private arts school Académie Julian and at the same time he was accepted at Salon, Paris, where he exposed two paintings, "Start of Spring" and "The Fair in Romania". He then moved to Barbizon, he mastered plein-air painting. Here he worked alongside artists such as Nicolae Grigorescu, Corot, Millet, and Monet
⚪ Alexandru Djuvara – who was a Romanian writer, journalist and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania 1909-1910)
⚪ Zoe Dumitrescu-Bușulenga (since she has been mentioned several times during our gathering) – she was a Romanian comparatist and essayist. A native of the national capital Bucharest, she was educated at its main university, going on to become a professor there. Together with a focus on interdisciplinary studies, she was noted for devoting several studies to Mihail Eminescu. Meanwhile, Dumitrescu was a dignitary of the Romanian Communist Party. Following the Romanian Revolution, after several years spent in Rome, she retired to a monastery.

Now, briefly talking about culture…what is this culture that everybody is always talking about? How is this culture shaping our every day’s life?

According to definition, culture is “an umbrella term which encompasses the social behaviour and norms found in human societies, as well as knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities and habits of the individuals in these groups.” No matter where someone is born, we each are part of a particular culture. More often than not we are intrigued by other cultures, and each culture is an integral determinant of who we are as individuals. So, what exactly is it then? Simply put, culture is the unique characteristics of a group of people. Culture is made up of many elements, some more obvious than others. Culture is the clothes we wear, the language we speak, the food we eat. Culture is our customs, our beliefs, and our values; it is part and parcel of our religious beliefs, superstitions, philosophy and mythology. 
Culture determines what is acceptable and unacceptable in any society. Social norms are borne out of culture. It is manifested through our art, music, dance, architecture, technologies, and writings. And within a culture, there are smaller cultures which have their own behaviors and norms. Culture affects how people behave and interact with each other, it helps people build relationships with others when they understand other cultures and perspectives. It’s also good to understand how much in common we have with other people even if at first glance their cultures might seem completely different. We are all humans and have similar needs, hopes, fears, and things that make us happy. It doesn’t mean, however, that our cultural differences don’t matter at all. A better strategy in life is to acknowledge that differences exist. The world is becoming more and more diverse as different languages, religions, economic and cultural groups blend together. We need to appreciate and understand different cultures and establish relationships with people from other backgrounds. This is the only way to build successful communities, improve our living conditions, and solve problems.

Now, once again about our gathering...for me, it was an "interesting" evening that for sure I will never forget!!!
In closing, one more time, many thanks to my nice, polite and kind guests of the evening…until next time my best regards to each of you!

Alice

“The truth is our master, we don't master the truth.” (Mihai Eminescu)

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

● Previous events I organized on the same theme: Eminescu & ROMANIA’s CULTURE Day – 2021, 2020, 2019
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).