Spring in Romania is coming with light steps.
The weeping willows by the lake sprouted yellow-green buds; the poplars on the aspen trees were excitedly puffing out their brown buds on the branches; the grasses that had been under the ground all winter were quietly emerging and breathing the spring air happily; there were more kinds of flower stores and more pedestrians on the roads.
There are thousands of white gulls floating on the lake, with gray wings and orange claws and beaks. The slightly cold spring breeze wrinkles the lake water, making these gulls float up and down with the water waves, as if someone has put thousands of white paper boats floating on the lake. Their tails pouted as they swam, reminding me of the manual pressure well in the yard when we were kids. Because of the lake’s vast surface and abundant Food sources, hundreds of white-crowned waterfowl also inhabit here. They are covered in black, with only a splash of white on their heads, and their beaks are pointy chicken beaks, but they have no flippers, and strangely enough, they are actually good swimmers! In winter, there were about thirty white swans and flower swans (probably a mix of black and white swans), but when spring came, they flew away to who knows where.
I used to come to the lake for a walk, and I would see the spectacular sight of white-crowned waterfowl and swans treading water in groups. People who live by the lake often bring bread and cereals to the lake to feed, then you will see another scene of gulls flying and chickens jumping for food.
The sun is not too strong, and there is a middle-aged fisherman fishing leisurely at the lake. A three- or four-month-old wolfdog was staring at the lake with its ears frozen, when it suddenly barked mischievously, scaring away the fish and some of the water birds in the lake, and then ran away happily at the call of its owner.
The Life of Romanians has changed a lot under the Wuhan virus Epidemic. People here like to do a face-to-face salute (where people hug, press their cheeks together and make a kiss on the cheek with their mouths, but there is no real kiss, only a real kiss on the cheek from a particularly close Family member or friend), but nowadays almost no one does it when they meet. And just about everyone wears a mask when they go out, friends and family walk around a lot less, and people rarely hug each other anymore.
But March is here after all, spring is here, and Romanians who have been holding back for more than a year are coming out of their homes for the vibrant and hopeful March Festival.
Every year, from March 1 to March 8, is the Romanian March Festival, and on March 1, the boys prepare a lot of Mărțișoare (the plural is called Mărțișoare, the singular is Măr Mărțișoare (the plural is Mărțișoare, the singular is Mărțișoare) is a small rope woven with red and white cotton thread, on which hangs a small pendant or pin and other accessories. Girls would hang both these ornaments and the small red and white string proudly on their chests, and the more Mărțișoare they got, the better the girl’s popularity.
Speaking of the origin of Mărțișor, there is a meaningful legend: according to the legend, in ancient times, the sun in the sky turned into a girl who came to Earth, unfortunately she came to Earth and met a terrible demon, who kidnapped the girl and confined her in a palace covered with ice and snow. Without the sun, the earth became dark, and people began to become fearful and sad. A brave young man learned where the girl was imprisoned, he fierce fight with the demon killed the demon, rescued the girl, but he himself also died because of blood flow, his blood flowed in the snow, but the snow and ice will cover it. The girl returned to the sky still into the sun, but no one knows where the brave young man. The sun’s rays shone on the place where the boy had bled to death and melted the snow, and a snow lily grew out of that place, with its bright green leaves and white holy flowers.
Since then, people have used red and white cotton threads tied to the snowdrops to commemorate them, white representing the man’s noble character, wisdom and courage, and red representing the sun girl who brought light to the people. On March 1, the Mărțișor is used to convey good wishes to friends and relatives, and gradually formed a tradition in this country. Similar customs are found in Moldova, Bulgaria, Albania and Macedonia, but in Moldova it is the girls who give Mărțișoare to the boys.
Starting from March 1, men also give flowers to ladies they know, and it is not too late until March 8. Especially March 8 is International Women’s Day, when Romanian ladies basically receive gifts such as flowers or candy from men. I gave my neighbor a box of candy and also received a gift from my neighbor: a beautiful pot of long-lived flowers.
When it comes to the day of March 9, it is a traditional Christian holiday in Romania and Moldova. In memory of the 40 saints who were martyred in Sebaste, in many villages in the countryside people collect garbage from their yards and houses, burn it and have the young people cross it so that the young people will be free from evil and disease all year round, and then scatter the ashes around the trees and in the gardens.
On this day, people also make a dessert Soup or snack in the shape of a figure of eight to distribute to neighbors or friends and relatives. The dessert soup or snack is called Mucenici. The soup is made with flour in a small figure 8 shape, then boiled with walnuts, added with honey and sugar, and made with cinnamon (another neighbor of mine gave me a big bowl); and the snack is like making sweet bread, with butter and sugar and baking powder in the flour, twisted into a big figure 8 shape, like two round teacups together Then, brush with honey and sprinkle with chopped walnuts, bake and eat (this is a little tricky to do, so you can buy it in a confectionery store).
On March 9, the new year begins and people in the countryside start working on the farm, and spring goes further and further away. This means that the traditional Romanian festival of March is almost over. Soon people will welcome the beautiful summer.
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