THE ROMANIAN TAG

Today is the 1st of December, the national day of Romania. Great Union Day (Romanian: Ziua Marii Uniri, also called Unification Day) occurring on December 1, is the national holiday of Romania. It commemorates the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia, which declared the Union of Transylvania with Romania.
       
This holiday was set after the 1989 Romanian Revolution and it marks the unification of Transylvania, but also of the provinces of Bassarabia and Bukovina with the Romanian Kingdom, in 1918.

On December 1, 1918 (November 18 Old Style), the National Assembly of Romanians of Transylvania and Hungary, consisting of 1,228 elected representatives of the Romanians in Transylvania, Banat, Crişana and Maramureş, convened in Alba Iulia and decreed (by unanimous vote) “the unification of those Romanians and of all the territories inhabited by them with Romania.”  
The Resolution voted by the National Assembly stipulated also the "fundamental principles for the foundation of the new Romanian State". It was conditional, and demanded the preservation of a democratic local autonomy, the equality of all nationalities and religions.

On December 11, 1918, King Ferdinand signed the Law regarding the Union of Transylvania, Banat, Crişana, the Satmar and Maramureş with the Old Kingdom of Romania, decreeing that “The lands named in the resolution of the Alba-Iulia National Assembly of the 18th of November 1918 are and remain forever united with the Kingdom of Romania.”

Prior to 1948, the national holiday of Romania was set to be on May 10, which had a double meaning: it was the day on which Carol I set foot on the Romanian soil (in 1866), and it was the day on which the prince ratified the Declaration of Independence (from the Ottoman Empire) in 1877. In Communist Romania, the date of the national holiday was set to August 23 to mark the 1944 overthrow of the pro-fascist government of Marshal Ion Antonescu.

Romania celebrates its national day, also called 1918 Union Day, with military parades and public speeches given by national leaders in cities such as Bucharest and in Alba Iulia (the “union city”). Many people in Romania have the day off work and school.

 The Romanian flag is flown on National Day in Romania. The national flag is a tricolor blue, yellow, red, with colors arranged in vertical bands of equal size. It has a width-length ratio of 2:3. The 3 colors symbolize 3 Romanian provinces – Wallachia (yellow), Moldavia (red), and Transylvania (blue). The national anthem “Deşteaptă-te, române!” (Awaken thee, Romanian!) is also performed. The anthem is a symbol of unity, courage, and patriotism among Romanians.     source: wikipedia.org / eugenlucan.eu / timeanddate.com/holidays/romania/ziua-nationala
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 I decided to skip the subject I had originally planned for today's post and write this tag instead. I inspired myself from The British tag, adapting it to the Romanian specifics. I proudly present you THE ROMANIAN TAG!

1.What are the Romanians drinking ?

We love to drink quite a bit, we are a happy, fun-loving, hospitable nation. We drink beer and wine (we have our own brands, like Timisoreana for beer and Cotnari for wine), we also like a lot Tuica (a fruit brandy containing about 50% alcohol by volume, made from fermented plums), Palinca (a type of Tuica with more than 60% alcohol).

We also drink as appetizers Zmeurata (made from raspberries), Visinata (sour cherries), Secarica (carraway seed), Afinata (blackberry), and many, many others. We also love a traditional a soft drink specific to the Romanians : the Socata, made from elderberry flowers.

2. Specific Romanian food ?
The Romanian cuisine is a diverse blend of different dishes from several traditions with which it has come into contact, but it also maintains its own character. It has been greatly influenced by Ottoman cuisine, while it also includes influences from the cuisines of other neighbours, such as Germans, Serbs, Bulgarians, and Hungarians.

Quite a few different types of dishes are sometimes included under a generic term; for example, the category ciorbă includes a wide range of soups with a characteristic sour taste. These may be meat and vegetable soups, tripe (ciorbă de burtă) and calf foot soups, or fish soups, all of which are soured by lemon juice, sauerkraut juice, vinegar, or traditionally borş. We also cook sarmale (cabbage or grape leaves stuffed with ground pork, rice, and sometimes nuts. They are served with sour cream).

3. Favourite Romanian food ?

I adore the  tripe soup, sarmale, yum!! and the traditional Romanian sausages.

4. Favourite quintessentially Romanian pastimes?

We love to spend quality time with our loved ones, especially during the holidays, for example, in my family we traditionally put up the Christmas tree the day before Christmas together and we sing traditional Romanian carols.

5. Favourite Romanian origin word ?

According to the specialist Ion I. Russu, there are 160 Romanian words of Dacian origin (representing, together with derivates, 10% of the basic Romanian vocabulary). One of my favourite words is codru (wide old forest) from Vulgar Latin codrum. It is a very used and loved word, especially in Romanian poetry.

La mijloc de codru... (Mihai Eminescu) 
La mijloc de codru des
Toate păsările ies,
Din huceag de aluniş,
La voiosul luminiş,
Luminiş de lângă baltă,
Care-n trestia înaltă
Legănându-se din unde,
În adâncu-i se pătrunde
Şi de lună şi de soare
Şi de păsări călătoare,
Şi de lună şi de stele
Şi de zbor de rândurele
Şi de chipul dragei mele.
6. Romanian Slang ?

This is the most used expression : baftă = good luck

7. Favourite sweet ?

We have papanaşi (some fried, roll-shaped pastry filled with sweet cheese and jam, and with sour cream and marmelade topping). One other popular dessert is alivenci (a custard tart originally from the Moldova region, prepared with corn meal and cream cheese or salty cheese and sour cream). It is the Romanian language alternative to cheesecake.

8. Favourite Romanian pub ?

It is all about Caru' cu Bere. A true living legend and one of the oldest breweries of Bucharest, it was opened for the first time in 1879 in the old inn of Zlatari and 20 years later it moved to Stavropoleos Street where it dwells even today.
An important role in the history of Caru' cu Bere was played by Nicolae Mircea and his family from Medias. Along the years, he managed to make Caru' cu Bere one of most beloved places of leisure from Bucharest. Today, Caru' cu Bere plans to revive the old tradition. Upstairs, in the brewery, the unique recipe of the house's beer together with a menu of traditional dishes and the old traditional Romanian music will revive the memory of old tastes.

9. No.1 Romanian person ?

I love Tudor Gheorghe (He is a Romanian musician, actor, and poet known primarily for his politically charged musical career and his collaborations with well-known figures of late 20th-century Romanian poetry.
His recording career, spanning fifty years, has explored many traditions in Romanian music, from folk, religious music, the anti-communist anthems of Jean Moscopol to popular music of interwar Romania, at times embracing even children's or classical music. For most of his career, he has performed with a guitar or cobza with no backing musicians or vocalists but, starting in the early 2000s, he has incorporated orchestras, choirs, and tarafs into his performances.) 

Here's one of my favourite songs : 

 10. Favourite shop / restaurant ?

For the traditonal, old Romanian food, drinks and music try Jaristea restaurant. "Those who are looking for singing locals: Calul Balan, Pisica Neagra, Lussana, Parisiana, Leul si Carnatul, go round and descend astonished Calicilor bridge, where the halting places are sanctified long time ago.

Now, all joined at Jaristea, transcending time and dusts, wars and hate; here, The Ancient Court Jilts are waiting for those that are waiting for an unforgettable evening. We, Jaristea, are the only witnesses and the only remnants of a past world, a world that we bring into life together."

11. What Romanian song pops into your head?

I love this style : Romanţă (a vocal or instrumental musical piece, sung in a poetic and sentimental mood. It appears as an accessible and expressive melody, on the background of piano and guitar orchestral arrangements). One of my favourite songs is Pe langa plopii fara sot (poem by Mihai Eminescu).

I am proud to be a Romanian! I love my country, I think it's one of the most beautiful countries in the world. It has it all : beautiful, majestic mountains; green, rolling hills; gorgeous plants and animals; an unique Delta, a fabulous seaside, monasteries and palaces, monuments and historical places and last but not least the Romanian joie du vivre, the hospitality, the warmth that make the Romanians such a special nation. Come and visit us, we are worth it! Happy Birthday Romania !