Socializing: CANADA Day 2021 – Morning Coffee Talks

Each year, on July 1^st is Canada Day (“National Day”), and on Thursday morning (July 1, 2021) I was happy to meet on line, for a short while, with a small group of available friends to cross reference notes about Canada – the beautiful country we all live in!

Somehow, the 1^st of July this time appeared to be slightly more relaxed than the previous one, still left thought with numerous pandemic related restrictions in place, observed to various degrees throughout the entire realm.

But "Canada Day" is "Canada Day" and we each did our best to honor the occasion. Without any doubt, for every Canadian this is the perfect time of the year to slow down and ponder (at large) about the many things we are blessed with (as Canadians), such as peace, wonderful nature, clean air, pure waters, splendid landscape!

At today’s dialogue table (under my brand of “Morning Coffee Talks with Alice”), I’ve invited again few people belonging to different generations, eager to listen to their renewed perspectives about their life in Canada, about their experiences (good or lesser), about their dreams and about their plans for future….all in one, genuine gratitude was nicely emerging around the circle.

Once again, to each and every guest of this gathering, HAPPY CANADA DAY, dear fellow Canadians, many thanks for joining me this time and for honestly sharing your thoughts with the rest of the group…your contribution is truly appreciated!

This event was featuring the Canadian life & culture.  

● A previous event I organized on the same theme: CANADA Day – 2020

● Some of my additional greetings referring to CANADA Day – 2020, 2019

July 1, 2021: CANADA Day

Canada Day is the day we all think about how far we've come, it is a day we reflect on what it means to each of us to be part of this beautiful country, it is a day to ponder and honor. Every year, on July 1^st, Canadians across the country and around the world show their pride in their history, culture and achievements…a special day, when many festivities are held throughout the entire realm, since 1868. CANADA indeed reflects well the old concept of unity in diversity, and diversity in unity.

Congratulations to you, Canada…and once again, a very happy Canada Day to one and all!

● My previous greetings on the same theme: CANADA Day – 2020, 2019

June 24, 2021: Celebrating the ROMANIAN BLOUSE Day

Romanian ethnography and folklore - ancestral legends and traditions

Beautiful day on Tuesday (June 24, 2021), when I organized an evening assembly featuring the Universal day of the Romanian Blouse, highlighting at the same time relevant concepts pertaining to Romanian ethnography and folklore, as well as ancestral legends and traditions. 

Aside of that, I would like to remind that our province slowly continues to reopen further and further (in staged phases), but since I still can sense a significant amount of anxiety in the air, for the time being, I've decided to continue with my events on line.  

At this gathering, I was very happy that Consul Grecea could join the group (Honorable Grecea is the General Consul of Romania and Head of the Romanian Diplomatic Mission in Vancouver, as well as Plenipotentiary Minister of Romania in Canada).

After all my guests arrived, I delivered my opening remarks and then I’ve presented a condensed slide show (published below) featuring the fundamental concepts of the Romanian Blouse (Ro: 'Ie'), as well as highlighting another old tradition, called 'Sânzienele' (or 'Drăgaica' in some parts of Romania).

Before I will give you a general overview of the talks that happened, for your convenience, below are some reference details:

a) Background info about the UNIVERSAL DAY OF THE ROMANIAN BLOUSE

The Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse (Ro: 'Ziua Iei') is celebrated each year on June 24, all around the world, since 2013….over the last few years, this occasion has become a truly global event celebrated on six continents and in more than 55 countries. This movement grew exponentially, with an audience of millions of people around the world, fact which contributed decisively to the rebirth and a renewed interest in traditional Romanian culture.

This festivity (the Day of the Romanian Blouse) entered the annual program of museums and cultural institutions in the country and abroad, being marked both by the Romanian embassies and by the diplomatic missions of Romania. Generally speaking, these blouses are very beautiful and highly regarded by many, being considered special "ethnological artifacts, communicating through hand-embroidered symbols the identity of their wearer".

On this day, Romanians and all those who love and appreciate the Romanian culture, are asked to wear a traditional Romanian blouse or shirt.

b) Background info about 'SÂNZIENE'

Also, in Romanian folk beliefs, June 24 marks the Midsummer Day, called 'Sânzienele' (or 'Drăgaica' in some parts of the country) – a summer festival which celebrates nature and fertility (fecundity). According to several legends, 'Sânzienele' are very beautiful girls who live in forests or areas unexplored by people, “considered to be the fairies of the field, giving special powers to the flowers and the weeds, which are turned into medicinal herbs around the June 24 celebration. It is not a coincidence that all the plants stop growing after the day of Sânziene.” On the same day (June 24) Christians celebrate the birth of St. John the Baptist.  

Then the evening continued with Consul Grecea’s talk, which re-emphasized the historic significance of the Romanian traditional blouse ('Ie'), its authenticity, as well as its beautiful continuity over centuries. (note: another personal message from Consul Grecea is in comments section).

After that, each guest of the evening spoke about his or her regional outfit (the Romanian blouse as well as the other component elements of their traditional costumes) interweaving these descriptions with the popular legends, traditional festivals (such as 'Călușarii' & 'Junii Brașovului') of the area to which they belong to.

All the myths, stories, poems, songs or personal perspectives shared that evening were full of warmth & genuine emotions, which warmed our hearts even more (to some bringing even a playful tear into the corner of an eye), leading to a general state of peace & profound well-being, while bringing so much joy to our souls! 
The evening ended with the famous Romanian song, called “Cu caciulile pe frunte” that our friend Teodor start singing for the group & then we all joined in!
We all experienced such a special & uplifting sense of unity…truly beautiful! Without any doubt, a splendid evening well spent together with likeminded friends.

In winding up, given that people on this part of the world just celebrated Father’s Day (few days ago), at this time I’m sending along my very best regards to all fathers who are part of Alice & Friends Circle™ wishing them good health, joy and happiness!

Until we meet again, best wishes to all for a pleasing summer!

Alice

It is very inspiring to observe how a tradition gathers enough strength to go on for centuries.

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

June 24, 2021 – Universal Day of the ROMANIAN BLOUSE

June 24 has been recognized and celebrated around the world as the Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse. This circumstance marks the Midsummer Day, also known as “Sânzienele” in the Romanian folk beliefs. Also, it is important to mention that “the Romanian Blouse has been an international symbol of the Romanian culture and a source of inspiration for some of the world’s greatest fashion.” Initiated and coordinated by the online community La Blouse Romaine, in 2013, this type of celebration is an opportunity to publicize and further broadcast an old and beautiful Romanian cultural tradition.

My warmest regards to all who observe this occasion & continuously promote the Romanian identity outfit – “ia”.

June 24 marks the Midsummer Day – “Sânzienele” in Romanian folk beliefs. 

● A previous post on the same theme: The Universal Day of the ROMANIAN BLOUSE – 2020

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). 

June 20, 2021: SUMMER solstice

This year the annual summer solstice is occurring on June 20^th, marking the longest day of the year, as well as the beginning of summer!

On the first day of summer, I’m wishing you all a pleasant, safe and peaceful new season!

● My previous greetings on the same theme: SUMMER Solstice – 2020, 2019

June 20, 2021: Happy FATHER’s Day!

Each year, many fellow Canadians observe Father’s Day on the third Sunday of June. This is a statutory holiday loved by lots of people, but beyond this, it is also the perfect day to show respect and appreciation to fathers all across. Just like mothers, fathers are important too….love them, cherish them and celebrate them.

A loving father gives strength to a family!  

● My previous greetings on the same theme: FATHER's Day – 2020, 2019

June 1, 2021 – INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN's Day

 To all who observe this, HAPPY INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN's DAY! 

On the first day of the meteorological summer, the attention to protecting the interests of children is drawn all across the world, while new emerging issues are examined thoroughly. What is also very important on this day, is addressing the sustainability topic: children are probably the most important and the most appropriate segment of the world's population for environmental discourse, as they represent the future generation. Numerous initiatives are taken upon on International Children's day, in order to educate future adults on how to better take care of the planet - today and in the years to come.

● My previous greetings on the same theme: INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN's Day – 2020, 2019

Alice’s Book Club – SPRING session of 2021

As the current spring is nicely unfolding around here, on Friday (May 28’21) I was very happy to be able to meet with few friends for my seasonal book club session, this time discussing relationships.

On the other hand, since lots of restrictions relating to this prolonged pandemic are still in place (to different degrees, in different areas), I continue to choose the available technology, having our meeting on line.  

Now, the topic of the evening (“relationships”) is actually really vast, and I truly believe that in life it is extremely important to know how to build healthy relationships, how to keep them and how to terminate them if they become toxic.
During our gathering this time, I think we just barely scratched the surface, but nonetheless, we addressed a number of significant aspects. Aside of that, participants were given ahead of time reading materials issued by two big Universities, but beyond that they each brought along many personal perspectives. It was really great to notice how easily my guests engaged so openly in conversation, bringing at the dialogue table different standpoints relating to the subject of the night. 

Like I always do, in my public briefing, I won’t get into very specific details, keeping confidentiality in mind, but I will pencil below only several highlights, worth considering, as well as several concepts extracted from classics:
- Relationships cannot grow without proper (& effective) communication; if communication starts to fade this would have a negative impact on your relationship/s
- Sometimes you learn more about someone at the end of a relationship than at the beginning (pay attention to details in order to avoid potential disappointments) 
- As we go through life, we understand that it is not important to have many relationships (or very many friends), but it is more important to have true relationships 
- It helps to understand that the relationship you have with yourself is the most important relationship in your life
- Choose your relationships wisely; being alone will never cause you as much loneliness or headaches as having the wrong relationships
- No relationship is ever a waste of your time; if it didn’t bring you what you wanted, for sure it taught you what you don’t want
- When a relationship is over, leave; don’t continue to water dead flower (keep toxic people far away)
- Great relationships are based on honesty and clarity, not on guessing or mind-reading / - Communicate respectfully, even when it is uncomfortable or uneasy
- Always remember that in a relationship, someone’s effort is a reflection of their interest in you (if the effort is not equal you might need to reconsider)
- Wise people believe that good relationships do not depend on how well we understand someone, but it depends on how well we manage misunderstandings
- A great relationship is about two important things: first, it is about finding out similarities, and secondly, it is about respecting differences
- It is important to know well your entourage, so make sure everybody in your ‘boat’ is rowing and not drilling holes when you are not looking.
We wrapped up the evening all agreeing that it is paramount to keep our relationships positive, remembering that quality is way more important than quantity.

Also, here I’m sharing with you two materials I put together a while ago, relating to this theme, called:
“Importance of FRIENDSHIP” & "Few additional words of wisdom about relationships".

As I conclude my briefing, once again much gratitude to these beautiful friends who made time to be able to join my seasonal book club….their kindness very encouraging and their support is always highly appreciated! Until we meet again, my warmest regards!
Alice

Time is precious, so make sure you spend it with the right people.

Few additional words of wisdom about relationships

As we each walk our own path, we encounter lots of beautiful illustrations teaching us to be wise…yes, I’m referring to that collection of experiences and virtues that shape our vision in life. For your reference, below I’m sharing few words of wisdom, which I find worth sharing further….enjoy this light reading!

Insights concerning relationships
′′Let go the people who are not prepared to love you. This is the hardest thing you will have to do in your life and it will also be the most important thing. Stop having hard conversations with people who don't want change.
- Stop showing up for people who have no interest in your presence. I know your instinct is to do everything to earn the appreciation of those around you, but it's a boost that steals your time, energy, mental and physical health.
- When you begin to fight for a life with joy, interest and commitment, not everyone will be ready to follow you in this place. This doesn't mean you need to change what you are, it means you should let go of the people who aren't ready to accompany you.
- If you are excluded, insulted, forgotten or ignored by the people you give your time to, you don't do yourself a favor by continuing to offer your energy and your life. The truth is that you are not for everyone and not everyone is for you.
- That's what makes it so special when you meet people who reciprocate love. You will know how precious you are.
- The more time you spend trying to make yourself loved by someone who is unable to, the more time you waste depriving yourself of the possibility of this connection to someone else.
- There are billions of people on this planet and many of them will meet with you at your level of interest and commitment.
- The more you stay involved with people who use you as a pillow, a background option or a therapist for emotional healing, the longer you stay away from the community you want.
- Maybe if you stop showing up, you won't be wanted. Maybe if you stop trying, the relationship will end. Maybe if you stop texting your phone will stay dark for weeks. That doesn't mean you ruined the relationship, it means the only thing holding it back was the energy that only you gave to keep it.
This is not love, it is attachment. It is wanting to give a chance to those who don't deserve it. You deserve so much, there are people who should not be in your life; be mindful of that and keep things simple and clear (for yourself and for those involved).
- The most valuable thing you have in your life is your time and energy, and both are limited. When you give your time and energy, it will define your existence. When you realize this, you begin to understand why you are so anxious when you spend time with people, in activities, places or situations that don't suit you and shouldn't be around you, your energy is stolen. You will begin to realize that the most important thing you can do for yourself and for everyone around you is to protect your energy more fiercely than anything else. Make your life a safe haven, in which only ′′compatible′′ people are allowed.
- You are not responsible for saving anyone. You are not responsible for convincing them to improve. It is not your work to exist for people and give your life to them! If you feel bad, if you feel compelled, you will be the root of all your problems, fearing that they will not return the favours you have granted. It is your only obligation to realize that you are the love of your destiny and accept the love you deserve.
- Decide that you deserve true friendship, commitment, true and complete love with healthy and prosperous people. Then wait and see how much everything begins to change. Don't waste time with people who are not worth it. Change will give you the love, the esteem, happiness and the protection you deserve.

“Wisdom is the supreme part of happiness.” (Sophocles)