Dragobete, the Romanian version of St. Valentine's Day

On February 24, the day when the Orthodox Christian church celebrates The Finding of St. John the Baptist's Head, the Romanian folklore celebrates the day called Dragobete. Dragobete was the god of love in the Romanian pantheon, protector of love and good spirits.

Dragobete, the God of love and cheerfulness in Romania, called also the Hedad of spring or the Head of summer, is the son of Dochia. He is identified with Cupid, the god of love in Roman mithology, and with Eros, the god of love from  the Greek mithology. Locally, he is called the Hothead, handsome young man, who makes girls and young women get infatuated with him. He was transformed by the Virgin Mary into the flower called Heart’s tongue (Phyllitis scolopendrium). Dragobete was celebrated by the young people from the villages until the mid 20^th century on February 24 and 28 or on March 1 and 25. 

In Romania, Dragobete was the day when the girls and boys put on their best clothes and, if the weather was good, they used to go out in the forest singing and looking for the first spring flowers. The girls used to gather snowdrops, violets, and other spring flowers, which they used to put near the religious icons and saved them till the holiday called Sanziene (Bedstraw, on Midsummer Day), when they threw them in the rivers. If they happened to  find wild strawberry flowers (Fragaria vesca), these flowers were gathered in small bouquets and they were put in the girls’ washing water whille they chanted:” Wild flowers of strawberry / Picked on February/ Let all people love me/ Send bad things away from me”.

On the Dragobete morning, the girls and young women used to gather the fresh snow, melt it and use it to wash their face and hair, believing that people would like better their face and hair.

On this day, usually the boys and girls would meet at one house and invoke the Dragobete to bring them their loved ones, and those who had no lovers hoped to find their own lover, so that they would be loved till the next Dragobete holiday. This meeting usually became a big party, with food, drink and dances. Sometimes the boys went to other neighbouring villages to celebrate Dragobete, singing and shouting over the hills, having fun.

People also believed that on Dragobete the birds that did not migrate would gather in great flocks and chirped and chose their mates and started to biuld their nests. The birds that could not find their mates would have no chicks during summer. The old people celebrated Dragobete to protect them against colds and other illnesses.

Romanian version:

La 24 februarie, in ziua cand ortodoxia sarbatoreste Aflarea capului Sf. Ioan Botezatorul, spiritualitatea populara consemneaza ziua lui Dragobete, zeu al tineretii in Panteonul autohton, patron al dragostei si al bunei dispozitii.

Zeul dragostei si bunei dispozitii pe plaiurile carpatice, numit si Cap de Primavara sau Cap de Vara, este Dragobete, fiul Dochiei. El este identificat cu Cupidon, zeul dragostei in mitologia romana, si cu Eros, zeul iubirii in mitologia greaca. Local, este numit Navalnicul, fecior frumos care ia mintile fetelor si nevestelor tinere, metamorfozat de Maica Domnului in floarea cu acelasi nume. Dragobetele a fost sarbatorit de tinerii satelor pana la mijlocul secolului al XX-lea la 24 si 28 februarie sau la 1 si 25 martie. In ziua de Dragobete pasarile nemigratoare se strang in stoluri, ciripesc, se imperecheaza si incep sa-si construiasca cuiburile.

La noi, Dragobete era ziua cand fetele si baietii se imbracau in haine de sarbatoare si, daca timpul era frumos, porneau in grupuri prin lunci si paduri, cantand si cautand primele flori de primavara. Fetele strangeau in aceasta zi ghiocei, viorele si tamaioase, pe care le puneau la icoane, pentru a le pastra pana la Sanziene, cand le aruncau in apele curgatoare. Daca, intamplator, se nimerea sa gaseasca si fragi infloriti, florile acestora erau adunate in buchete ce se puneau, mai apoi, in lautoarea fetelor, in timp ce se rosteau cuvintele: "Floride fraga/Din luna lui Faur/La toata lumea sa fiu draga / Uraciunile sa le desparti". 

In dimineata zilei de Dragobete fetele si femeile tinere strangeau zapada proaspata, o topeau si se spalau cu apa astfel obtinuta pe cap, crezand ca vor avea parul si tenul placute admiratorilor.

 De obicei, tinerii, fete si baieti, se adunau mai multi la o casa, pentru a-si "face de Dragobete", fiind convinsi ca, in felul acesta, vor fi indragostiti intregul an, pana la viitorul Dragobete. Aceasta intalnire se transforma, adesea, intr-o adevarata petrecere, cu mancare si bautura. De multe ori baietii mergeau in satele vecine, chiuind si cantand peste dealuri, pentru a participa acolo la sarbatoarea Dragobetelui.

 Se mai credea ca in ziua de Dragobete pasarile nemigratoare se aduna in stoluri, ciripesc, isi aleg perechea si incep sa-si construiasca cuiburile, pasarile neimperecheate acum ramanand fara pui peste vara. Oamenii batrani tineau aceasta zi pentru friguri si alte boli.

 Dragobetele era sarbatorit in unele locuri si la data de 1 martie, deoarece se considera ca el este fiul Dochiei si primul deschizator de primavara.

 Obiceiurile de Dragobete, zi asteptata candva cu nerabdare de toti tinerii bucovineni, au fost in buna parte uitate, pastrandu-se doar in amintirea batranilor. Iar in ultimii ani, Dragobetele autohton risca sa fie dat cu desavarsire uitarii, el fiind inlocuit de acel Sfant Valentin ce nu are legatura cu spiritualitatea romaneasca.




Bibliography:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragobete


http://www.e-transport.ro/DRAGOBETE_OBICEIURI_DE_DRAGOBETE_ZIUA_INDRAGOSTI-i41-news25867-p82.html

http://www.studiidecaz.ro/index.php?ifile=text_full&id_text=290&id_text2=10e2407cd8164a94a0b2d7565def0bc9&caption=DRAGOBETE-SARBATOAREA-DRAGOSTEI-LA-ROMANI