Everybody loves holidays. They are a welcome break from the drudgery of daily chores and busy work schedules. Holidays are when you get the time to refresh and revitalize your system, enjoy a quiet period of rest or indulge in a hobby, get on with that unfinished job at home or just have a nice time with your near and dear ones. That is what the Romanians do on their holidays listed below.



Now public holidays are not exactly like weekends. For one thing, they can fall bang in the middle of a week. However, they are not enjoyed by everyone. People, employed with certain public services, like the police, hospitals, municipalities, public transport etc and factories that have a continuous production process cannot be on leave en masse on these holidays. Such people are offered compensatory leave subsequently to be availed within a certain period of time.

The Work Code in Romania specifies the following holidays at present. The 1st and 2nd of January are holidays on account of the New Year. Easter Holidays can be in either April or May depending on your religious requirement.

The 1st of May is observed as the International Workers' Day. Again, the 1st of December commemorates the unification of Transylvania with the Kingdom of Romania leading to the formation of modern Romania in 1918. It is celebrated as the National Day of Romania. The Christmas is celebrated with spirit on the 25th and 26th of December.

The 24th of January commemorates the unification of Moldavia and Walachia, a very important occasion in the history of evolution of Romania as a nation state under the leadership of Alexandru Ioan Cuza as the leader of both the provinces.

There are a few other holidays on the Romanian calendar that are celebrated with a great deal of merriment. Women's Day is observed on 8th March, and it is a time when women of all ages are pampered. Children wish their mothers and students their female teachers. Husbands shower gifts and flowers on their wives. Women usually celebrate by throwing parties for women only. Likewise, Children's Day is observed with festivities all over Romania on 1st June. Art competitions and sports contests for different age groups of children are a special feature of that day.

Romanians are not lacking in patriotic fervor, and this is borne out by a number of holidays observed with the motherland as the theme. Heroes, who fought for the country in different ages, are remembered on Ascension Day. The National Flag Day is observed on 26th June. The Romanian national flag, by the way, has three colors - red, yellow and blue. The color red represents the sacrifice of the heroes, who spilled blood for the country. The color yellow stands for the prosperity, associated with a golden harvest. Finally, blue represents hope for the better future.

National Anthem Day is observed on 29th June. The Romanian national anthem begins with "De steapta-te, romane!" It means "Romanians, fight for your rights!". The present constitution of Romania was adopted on the 8th of December, 1991, and the day is commemorated as the Constitution Day.

Finally, there are two holidays, which are very special for the youth of the country. The first is known as Dragobetele and is like the Valentine's Day. No wonder it is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm in Romania. The second one is a very special day, observed on the 1st of March. On this date the male population of Romania, including its children, gives small lucky charms as gifts to their loved ones. Actually, the gifts are meant for girls and women only.