subject: What you did not know about Romania [print this page] What you did not know about Romania What you did not know about Romania
Romania is a country of eternal beauty, magnificent crossed by the Carpathian Mountains, which is linked her entire existence. Throughout history, this land was coveted by the great empires of the time, which raised many gates in the country's development.
This isolation had a good side, helping to protect its undulating plains, the majestic peaks, pine forests and marshes full by the birds. The Romanian forests teeming with the largest population by the brown bears, wolves and lynxes in Europe.
In the mountains are still deeply rooted traditions, its people still live by old rules.
Although religion is Christian, many pre-Christian traditions of the Geto-Dacian people, are still present in everyday life, and life flows like a few hundred years ago. Mountain people strongly support the Geto-Dacian origin, contradicting the historical theories of Latinity, which is observed in the traditions and costumes, entirely characteristic of the ancient Geto-Dacian people.
The medieval painted monasteries, wooden churches, castles and fortresses or ruins that tell from the Roman occupation period, whisper secrets of the past everywhere.
Only few places from Europe still preserve a lifestyle closely linked by the ancient traditions, as is seen in isolated communities from Romanian Carpathians.If you happen to visit Romania, do not avoid areas with strong ancient traditions, such as villages in the Apuseni Mountains, the ancient Dacian fortress at the foot of Retezat isolated villages from Bukovina and Maramures.
Blessed with an enduring legacy Countryside, Romania still has deep roots in mythology. Since there are beliefs pertaining by the supernatural beings, fairies, witches, spirits and vampires, which standeth beliefs since time immemorial. Often these beliefs are related by the need for a better times, favorable for crop, but also by the fear of the unknown.
Many of these beliefs have been absorbed into the Christian faith, introduced in Dacia during the Roman Empire. Even today in many churches you can see many non-Christian symbols like the sun, moon, and zodiac signs.
In the northern region of Maramures and Transylvania Beauty myth meets Forest. Irresistibly beautiful, it attracts pastors lonely in her arms. Once he succeeds in entangling they are savagely attacked.
Miorita is one of the most popular myths of Romania. Two shepherds companion plot to kill and to steal sheeps. Miorita, one of his sheeps, he hears and, according to the ballad, its because it prevents the owner to avoid danger. Instead of opposing and run, the shepherd resign in front of the dead, embracing his fate.
For Westerners, the most famous is the myth of Dracula. A superstition from Eastern Europe say that irreconcilable souls may come from the grave and can survive by sucking the blood of living people, which helped to popularize this myth. In Romania and neighboring countries, Bulgaria and Serbia, ghost stories are common. From the moment Bram Stoker's novel was filmed, Romania has become synonymous with the character. Stoker's character has no a correspondent in historical reality, Prince Dracula being a prince of Wallachia, was born in the Transylvanian city of Sighisoara. Real name was Vlad Tepes, nicknamed "Dracula", meaning "son of the devil" or "son of the dragon", the nickname that comes from the title given to his father Vlad II by Sigismund of Luxemburg.
If you visit Romania, I recommend you go to places where the past meets the present, because there you will find the spirit of communion with nature, spirit that we lost long time ago.
What you read in this article is only an insignificant part of what can be said about Romania. There are many other things that have not yet been said, and waiting to be discovered. There are things that, once discovered, can change the whole concept of this small country, but significant for what it represents in human history.
Try to look beyond of deceptive appearances and you will discover a unique culture in the European context.
