The newest addition to NATO, Romania is a country in SE Europe having the size of New York and Pennsylvania combined and a population of about 23 million. Separated from the Balkan Peninsula to the south by the Danube River, Romania shares borders today with Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Ukraine, and Moldova. Its southeastern frontier follows the Black Sea. 

The Romanian people descend from the ancient Romans and the Dacians, an ancient Thracian tribe native to the land now called Romania.  The majority of Romania's citizens are ethnic Romanians, but there are also many ethnic minorities, Hungarians, Saxons, and Rroma (Gypsies) being the largest ethnic groups. Most Romanians follow the Orthodox Christian religion and speak a Romance language close to Italian or Spanish.
 

Gainesville

Romanian StudentAssociation

-an UF organization since 1999 –

invites you during March 2003 to visit the Romanian display at Marston Science Library 

What do we get together for?

 

Food and fun and fashion 

(the best dancing dancing parties around),

futons (for the ones new in town),

friendship (eventually) and

football (soccer, that's it).

We come together to celebrate the National Day of Romania (December 1st) or anything Romanian in town. Join us for the gymnastics show AEROS at Center for Performing Arts, March 25, 8p.m!

Do you want to be part  in any of the above? Write us at romanian@grove.ufl.edu

Visit us on web at  http://grove.ufl.edu/~romanian
The following individuals put in the time and sweat equity that made this display possible:

Adriana Nenciu

Costel Rotundu

Mircea Marcu

Nicoleta Apetre

Oana Mocioalca

 Pompiliu Diplan

Raluca Rosca

  Stefan Craciun

Valentin Tirsoaga

We are grateful to Mr. Simion Alb of Romanian National Tourism Office, New York branch for support with promotional materials about Romania, for this display, as well as during the last five years.

We want to thank the Map and Image branch of Marston Science Library for graciously loaning us the displayed maps of Romania , Balkan region and Central and S-E Europe.

 MARTISOR –the Romanian Equivalent of Valentine 

Romanian men and women send each other greetings, MARTISOR, not on Valentine's Day, but on March 1st. The Valentine tradition dates back to the Lupercian festival of ancient Rome, a celebration of sensual pleasure. At the end of the 5th century, the Pope replaced it with a festival on the 14th honoring the martyred Bishop Valentine.

In Bulgaria and Romania, a very similar custom goes back at least 2,000 years to Thracian and Dacian times. On the first day of March, people wish each other health and happiness and place a decoration made of red and white woolen threads on their clothes or on their wrist. This is a called a "Marteniza" (MART -EH- NEETSA) in Bulgaria, "Martisor" (MUR -tsee -SHOR) in Romania.  Martisor is also a diminutive from "Martie", the Romanian name for March. The red and white colors symbolize the end of winter (white) and the coming of spring (red). 

In recent years cards are sent with greetings, copying from the Valentine cards that have become so popular in western European countries and North America. Charms of various shapes and images are strung on twisted red and white strings and attached to these cards. According to Romanian tradition, young men give these charms to their sweethearts. Girls and women also exchange martisoare with each other, and parents may give one to their young children. The charms are worn on the lapel from March 1 through March 9. 

This martisor display is our gift to you, as a wish for happiness, good luck, and good health.