Tuesday, March 8, 2022

March 8, 2022: Happy INTERNATIONAL WOMEN's Day!

International Women's Day (observed each year on March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women throughout the world, evolving over time and becoming what it is today.  
It has been recognized all across that women are pillars of strengths, able to stand by your side during your hardships, always willing to help the best way they can (being like a silver lining in your darkest clouds), and kindly cheering you during your successes.
I guess that March 8th is the only day of the year when women of this planet are thinking the same, regardless of their nationality, social status, weight, culture, or any other differences society or nature may plant in between them & this is simply beautiful! I wish that women would never forget how valuable their contribution is!
Wishing all the women I know a very happy, healthy & safe International Women’s Day, filled with goodness, warmth and lasting happiness!
● A brief article I wrote about women: "Being WOMAN"
● My previous greetings on the same theme: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN's Day – 202120202019
NOTEDear 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)

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

March 1, 2022: “Mărțișor”

I wish that the coming spring will wrap your soul with the fresh and rejuvenating fragrances of its splendid flowers, reminding you what it means to smile, to be good, to be kind, to be grateful, to love and to be loved! 
I wish that you would open your souls to that as the fresh flowers open their petals to be caressed by the sun’s rays. Blissful spring, dear ones!
● Refresher: brief background info about “Mărțișor”
“Mărțișor is an old tradition celebrated all over Romania every year, on March 1st.
The name Mărțișor is a diminutive of March (“Martie” in Romanian language). It is believed that the person who wears the red and white string would enjoy a prosperous and healthy year. Not long ago, in the countryside, people used to celebrate the “Mărțișor” by hanging a red and white string at their gate, window, cattle's horn and shed to protect them against the evil spirits and to invoke nature's regenerative power.
In eastern Romania (Moldova and Bucovina), the red and white string was complemented with a small (gold or silver) coin. After wearing the coin for twelve days, the women would buy fresh cheese with it hopping that their skin would be healthy and beautiful the entire year.
According to archaeological research, the “Mărțișor” traces its history more than 8,000 years ago. Some ethnologists believe that the “Mărțișor” celebration has Roman origins, others support the theory that it is an old Dacian tradition.
In ancient Rome, the New Year's was celebrated on the 1st of March. March ('Martius') was named in the honor of a Roman god, called “Mars”. Mars was not only the god of war but also the god of agriculture, which contributes to the rebirth of vegetation. It seems that the Dacians also celebrated the New Year's on the first day of March. Ample spring celebrations were consecrated to this event.
In the old times, “Mărțișor” (Ro: “mărțișoare”) were made of small river pebbles, colored in white & red, stringed on a thread & worn around the neck, to bring good luck & good weather, from 1 March until the first trees would bloom. When the first trees were flowering the Mărțișor were hanged on tree branches.
Nowadays, on March 1st, Romanians buy silky red-white threads (Ro: “șnur”) tied into a bow to which a small trinket is attached and offer them to their (female) family members, friends and colleagues to show friendship, respect or admiration.”
The cultural practices associated to the 1st of March in Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova and Romania (“Mărțișor”) were inscribed in 2017 on the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
● My previous greetings on the same theme: Mărțișor – 202120202019
NOTEDear 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)

Thursday, February 24, 2022

February 24, 2022: “DRAGOBETE” Day

We all know that February is clearly a month when love is in the air, in anticipation of the spring to come. And, DRAGOBETE is another great occasion to celebrate love in all its varieties. But unlike Valentine's Day, DRAGOBETE (lovers' day in Romania) is not only about roses, heart-shaped chocolate, jewelry, and love letters; it is more about being tender to your significant other by showing them your appreciation and love not through material objects but rather through your attention and presence, which is truly beautiful! This celebration offers the world an additional perspective on Romania’s rich cultural heritage, mystical folklore and old traditions.
Whether single or married, DRAGOBETE is a festival for the entire community, which comes together to celebrate love and the fecundity of spring, since this traditional custom brings something for everyone and that’s what makes it such a joyful event. Happy “DRAGOBETE”, dear ones!
Wishing you a warm, lovely and peaceful day, as well as a fragrant spring to come!

● My previous greetings on the same theme: DRAGOBETE” Day – 20212020
NOTEDear 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)

Monday, February 14, 2022

February 14, 2022: Happy VALENTINE’s Day!

 Wishing you a day filled with Happiness, Love, Peace, Gratitude and Kindness!
JOY  is  the  song  of  the  heart!
● My previous greetings on the same theme: VALENTINE's Day – 202120202019

Sunday, February 13, 2022

LOVE & the approaching Spring of 2022

~ Romanian literary evening featuring Valentine’s Day, “Dragobete” & “Mărțișor” ~
Time is passing by faster than we realize taking us a bit closer to spring, and with this in mind, on Sunday (February 13’22) I was happy to put together our annual gathering featuring Love, the rebirth of nature & few traditional highlights - Valentine’s Day, “Dragobete” & “Mărțișor”.
Aside of that, at this time, lots of social restrictions are still in place in our province so the on-line approach has been adopted again.  
VIDEO-CLIP

After my introductory remarks were delivered, I opened the evening with a short
VIDEO-CLIP I’ve created for the occasion, emphasizing the chosen concepts in a descriptive manner, while warming up the group conversation to come.
I was glad to notice that this was well received by my guests.

Then our program continued and my friends shared openly their thoughts in a relaxed and relaxing fashion, from heart to heart, from soul to soul, from mind to mind.


That evening, our dear friend
Dorina, reminded us few old legends (including the "Legends of the Snowdrop flower" - published in comments) that we all enjoyed.

Bringing back plenty of dear memories and expressing personal perspectives in a simple, authentic and genuine manner, brought upon us all a very satisfying sense of peace and inner joy, which I’m very appreciative of.

Extrapolating, I would like to refresh that according to notable scholars, Love is the most powerful force that people are capable of, and here are some concepts:
- The highest form of Love is the unconditional love…this is encompassing “charity”, “compassion” and “the love of & for the Creator”
- It has been observed that more often than not, love is more important than money
- Multiple studies have shown that people with less love in their lives are more likely to feel depressed (love is probably the best anti-depressant, because one of the most common sources of depression is feeling unloved)
- Understand that love is a learned skill, not something that comes from hormones or emotions; it is “an act of will”, based on good communication that helps people feel known and understood (we all know that there are always core differences between people, no matter how good or close they are, but having a good communication in place, it is much easier to find the common ground that works well for all parties involved).

Also, I’ve noticed that during our evening together, comments frequently drifted toward the significance of friendships in our lives, and my guests mentioned that for them having good friends is also important and meaningful, perspective that I totally agree with.
Additionally, here are few remarks about the importance of friendships in our lives, as issued by academics who studied human relations extensively:
- Friendships could feel as close as family, and (just as with family) it takes work (such as: spending quality time together, helping and encouraging each other, being honest with each other, etc.) if you want to build and maintain a lifelong relationship 
- Love, Friendship and Respect bring people together, but ONLY the mutual respect makes the friendship survive a long period of time
- Sharing interests is a key component to a lasting friendship (for instance, sharing similar hobbies or world views would be far more important than having the same taste in clothing or coffee)
- In order to stabilize and grow a relationship, you need to maintain regular contact….either you meet in person or call each other (checking frequently is a proof that you care and at the same time it allows for deeper conversations to happen rather than just basic updates)
- Being available when your friend invites you to an activity it is crucial in order to keep the friendship going (we all know often life gets busy & it is easy to get so wrapped up in our daily routine & friends usually understand that, but if you are always too busy for your friend then you might need to re-evaluate your priorities).
To further accentuate the importance of friends in our lives, in the comments section is an article to this regard…in essence, it is the story of an old man diagnosed with a terminal disease, who went back to his birthplace, and by reconnecting with his roots as well as good old friends he managed to completely revert his illness.
A truly inspiring article
(and here is the relating video) featuring a real life situation. Additionally, here is another short video with a similar message.

In closing, as I wrap up my briefing, I would like to share that despite the fact the our gathering that evening was rather cozy, our talks were ample and enjoyable, proving once again that in a busy world it is truly amazing to find few souls with whom you could entertain talks about the philosophy of life.
Definitively, a beautiful evening filled with lots of special moments and for these I’m sending along my most sincere appreciation to each participant who responded to my invitation. Until next time, my warmest regards to all for a pleasing spring to come!
Alice
“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”
This event has been delivered in Romanian Language, featuring Romanian culture. 
● Previous events I organized on the same concepts: Love, Spring &“Mărțișor”– 202120202019
● Some of my additional greetings referring to VALENTINE's Day – 2022202120202019 
"Mărțișor" – 202120202019   "DRAGOBETE" – 20212020
NOTEDear 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)