Today I will tell you a bit about our traditions related to love. Dragobete is something like Saint Valentine but more Romanian. It is celebrated on 24 February.
We have many rituals that are practiced on this day. But first, let me tell you a bit about the history of this day. It is really an old holiday that dates from Dacian times. Dragobete is, as the legend says, a beautiful guy with black hair and green eyes who spreads the love a bit like Cupidon and teaches people to love. It is said that when his time came to die, Mother of God transformed him into a plant called in Romanian Năvalnic or translated into English the dashing.
There is another legend about the Dragobete. He is again pictured as a beautiful young man who tried to seduce the Mother of God. The Mother of God transformed him into a plant.
This plant is called Năvalnic. It is usually put by young women in a little bag made of silk and placed near their breasts to charm the young men.
On the Dragobete, all the birds seek their mate to make their nest and have little new birds. On this day is not good to sacrifice any animals so you won’t ruin their mating. All the animals should be well fed.
On this day, all the young men and women who live in the countryside ( because the tradition is still kept there) are going into the forest and looking for spring flowers ( if it is not raining, if it is, they all gather at someone home and they are celebrating). Young men are chasing the girl they like, and if they can catch the girl, they can kiss her. The young women, after they get the flowers, dry them and put them to the picture of a Saint and they keep them there till Sânziene ( another Romanian holiday)
Dragobete is the prolific day to cast a spell or more than someone. Today the love spells are made. In parts of the country, old women go in the forest looking for specific plants. After they find the plant, they put some sugar, flour, and honey at the plant’s root while they say the girl’s name.
The legend says that the people who don’t celebrate Dragobete will be sick all year and have a bad year. Also, the young couple that doesn’t kiss each other on this day will break up this year.
If you hear a hoopoe on this day, you will be all year hard-working. If it rains on this day, the spring will soon come and be beautiful.
This day is not good to sew or if you live in the countryside to work the land. It is good to clean your house to have a good year.
If there is still snow on the day before Dragobete, you can take it and use it for all kinds of spells all the year. It is called the snow of the fairies.
On this day is not good to argue with someone, another way you will have a bad year. Also, on this day, you shouldn’t cry because another way all the year will be wrong for you.
Today, people go and get plants that will be dried and used for spells or just as natural remedies.
I hope you enjoyed it!