“DRAGOBETE” or the Romanian Valentine’s Day

Observed annually on February 24, Dragobete is a Romanian holiday that not only celebrates the end of the harsh winter and the arrival of spring, but also it is a day to celebrate love and romance – much like a Romanian St. Valentine’s Day. 

I hope the coming spring would bring you joy, dear friends!

● A brief historical background
“DRAGOBETE” is a day rich in traditions, which differ from region to region. In general, nowadays, many Romanians exchange gifts with their partners as a way of showing their affection for each other.

On the other hand, according to one of the many legends on the matter, this day is also known as the day of "The Engagement", "The birds accompanying" or "The birds wedding." According to a popular belief, birds gather in flocks, "courting", in an indescribable turmoil &, until the end, they’ll find their pair. Together they build the nest in which to grow their offspring. Consistent with the same old legend, the birds that do not find their pair now, they remain single until next year.

Another legend says that “Dragobete” was the son of “Baba Dochia”, who is connected with the return of spring. The traditional story tells us that in the ancient times, young men and women together would go to search the meadows for fresh spring flowers. Nonetheless, a beautiful, old, tradition worth sharing further!

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). 

February 2020: Happy VALENTINE’s Day!

Dear friends, I wish you have a blissful day, generously filled with peace, kindness and joy!

LOVE  is  the  universal  language  of  the  heart.

● A previous post on the same theme: VALENTINE's Day – 2019

Beauty of COMPASSION

According to many, compassion is remarkable in every way because this wonderful ability allows you to understand the emotional state of another human being, while at the same time involves kindness, thoughtfulness and the willingness to help someone in need. In very basic terms, compassion is simply caring

"Feed the birds" (short video clip)

about someone or something. 

This advanced moral virtue of a positive connotation is a trait many are born with, but in other cases it can be learned, acquired, and/or further enhanced. Compassion has a number of significant qualities, and here I’m enumerating a few: patience and wisdom, kindness and perseverance, friendliness and determination.

In our days and age, one might be tempted to believe that compassion doesn’t exist any longer, but I assure you that it does. Look around you, and you would be amazed of how many people with a true altruistic behaviour are out there…for instance, people involved in philanthropy or charity work have compassion, volunteers helping sick people or sick animals have compassion, people who smile on a regular day and offer someone an honest compliment have compassion, people who listen attentively and offer a word of encouragement have compassion, and the list goes on, and on, and on.

A life full of love and activities you care about is truly enjoyable. The empathy and the genuine thoughtfulness that compassion bring along are rewarding because are helping you appreciate even more every aspect of your own existence. It has been well documented by many reputable studies that compassionate people are positive and lead a fulfilling life.   

On the other hand, scholars believe that compassion is essential for any society in order to function well. Arthur Schopenhauer affirmed many times that “compassion is the basis of morality”. Having a population with a compassionate mindset, allows them to better see, hear and understand the needs of others, and choosing to assist someone in need would help people build a stronger foundation of ethical habits, which will benefit the entire country.

We could easily see that in fact compassion has the potential of becoming pivotal to everyone’s support network. In small or big communities around the world, compassion could impact many levels of existence – from personal to societal, by forming kinder people.

In my opinion, compassion is extremely important because it leads to kindness, positivism, harmony and peace. Learn it, teach it, practice it and share it! 
Yes, I totally agree that at times is not always easy to bring compassion into your daily life, but is so worth trying! As many people say, compassion is 'love in action'. This is an ideal we each could strive for, whether we express it through small gestures, through random acts of kindness, or in more varied and subtle ways, because far from being just a societal nicety, compassion has a great evolutionary potential. 

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries; without them humanity cannot survive."

 

Significance of ORIGINALITY

Originality is an attractive state desired by many, and achieved only by few people. But what is this originality, is it important and how we each could achieve it?

By definition, originality is the ability to think independently and inventively, while producing a new piece of work which is totally distinguishable from reproductions, clones or other derivatives. Originality can take many different forms and according to a number of scholars, the concept of it is culturally contingent.

Throughout the history, the most original people achieved their level of success because they each had a passion to follow and in order to achieve it they continuously were coming up with many new ideas. They each understood their uniqueness, their talent and choose to use it. Many writings and documents reveal that originality always has been generated by inspiration, intelligence, understanding, wisdom and a broader perspective. Needless to say that pursuing your dream/s, being true to yourself, knowing your values and creating a vision about a particular project for instance, always was, is and will be based on perseverance, tedious work, consistency and a genuine desire to succeed.

On the other hand, for some people originality is not necessarily important, because it might require too much of an effort, and stepping out of the comfort zone is something not many are willing to undertake.
In my opinion originality is very important because it encourages you to always come up with fresh ideas or new perspectives to old ideas, it expands your horizons, it boosts up your confidence and it brings you more joy. Being aware of your own characteristics, skills and talents allows you to be who you really are at the core level, and that’s also significant.

Achieving originality boils down to being unique or to do something new, which is different than being creative. Creativity is the act of creating things (expressed extensively in writings, drawings, theater, music, etc.) and it is possible to be creative without being original. Originality is based on novelty and this takes you back to square one, to self-analysis, encouraging you to know thyself and grow from there. As the elders used to say, find you talent and use it!

As I wrap up here my brief exploration on this matter, I would like to refresh what many said before me and I’m sure will continue to say in the future: every person has unique gifts and those gifts give him or her the power and the opportunity to accomplish great things, if he or she would learn how to use those gifts and focus them onto the right direction.  

Be yourself because an original always is worth more than a copy.