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2. In the old days, around the 1st of
March, mostly on February 24, people
celebrated Dragobetele ( Valentine's
Day, Spring). Perhaps the month of
February was considered the spring,
and on the 24th was the beginning of
the agricultural year. It is when the
nature wakes up, the birds do their
nests, and people, especially young
people, enter in resonance with it .

3. Mythological deity similar to Eros or Cupid, Dragobete is
considered to be Dochia’s son, a very handsome man. He
was a Dacian god who, as a "cosmic nose" officiated in the
sky, in early spring, the weddings of all animals . Over the
years this tradition has spread to humans . On Dragobete
Day, girls and boys meet to keep their love all year, as birds
do when spring comes.
The birds’ custom takeover was deeply motivated, since birds
were seen as messengers of the gods, the Greek word " bird "
meaning even "message of heaven."
Dragobete is also the god of good mood and on his Day
many parties are held, where the youth can find their
partners, why not for their whole life. 

4. In older times, in villages, it could be heard
everywhere the saying : “It’s Dragobete kiss the
girls."

5. Romanian folk belief says that those
who attended the Dragobete, were
safe from diseases all year. So in the
morning, got dressed up with the best
clothes, the young people met in the
village center or in front of the church.
If the weather was favourable, they
started singing in the woods or
meadows, and in groups, they were
looking for snowdrops and other
miraculous plants (used for love spells).
If the weather was bad, they gathered
at home and some of them played
games and told stories.

6.  Young boys and girls talked in
forest around burning fires. The
girls would gather violets and
incense, they kept them near
icons are then used in various
charms of love.
 In some places, it was a tradition
that older girls to gather water
from unmelted snow or from the
flowers of strawberry. This water
was kept with great care
because it had magical
properties (it was said that this
was "born of fairy smile") and
may make girls beautiful and
loving. If there was no snow, girls
gathered rainwater (for washing
hair), when Dragobete was held
in March.

7.  At lunch, the girls began
to run down to the
village in southern
Romania. This quest is
called "racer ". Every boy
followed the girl he liked.
If the lad was fast
enough and the girl liked
him, too, then they
kissed openly. The kiss
was a playful
engagement of the two,
at least for a year. Often
such engagements
became true.

8.  The community was very
interested in what was
happening, because now
they could find out how
many weddings would
there be. In the afternoon
there was the party, where
everyone, whether was a
member of a couple or not
,danced, sang, felt good,
because it was said that
young people who didn’t
have a good time on
Dragobete would not find
their pair that year.

9. LOVELOVE
 Women used to touch a man from
another village on Dragobete Day to be
loving and caring all year and also had to
give good food to the backyard poultry,
birds of heaven. No creature was
sacrificed on Dragobete. Often, the boys
also spent Dragobete in the neighboring
villages, to have a good summer .

10.  It was believed that
Dragobete would help
householders to have a
better year than the
previous one. People did not
work on days of religious
holidays, only cleaned
houses. The daring girls who
worked, were "punished" by
Dragobete. Even though he
punished women, he was
considered the protector
and good luck of lovers.
Young people, in general ,
considered Dragobete a
genuine Romanian Cupid .