On December 1^st we celebrate Great Union Day in Romania! We wish a very happy celebration to all our amazing Nobel team members from Romania! You are dearly appreciated in our team and we are very grateful to have you in our multicultural Nobel family.

Last year, on the occasion of Romania’s National Day, we learned about this beautiful country’s history, geography and so much more, but this year we want to actually experience what it’s like to be living in Romania nowadays.

With the help of our lovely Nobel Country Ambassador from Romania – Alexandra Roxana Ceoranu, we are happy to share with you below some interesting aspects of the Romanian culture, food, daily life, travel attractions and more:

• Some of the most common Romanian superstitions include:
  • If your right palm itches, it means that you will receive some money. On the other hand, if your left palm itches, that means that you will give some money.
  • You should be careful if your nose itches: that means that you might get beaten/slapped.
  • If your foot itches, that means that you might go on a journey.
  • Once you go out of the house, don’t return! Even if you forgot something at home, don’t go back to collect it. If you do, you’ll have bad luck all day.
  • Another thing that brings bad luck is opening an umbrella inside the house.
  • Breaking a mirror is a terrible thing, as it apparently brings seven years of bad luck.
  • Some Romanians also believe that whistling inside the house brings bad luck. Moreover, your whistling might summon negative forces into the house.
  • Spilling salt on the dining table means that there will be a fight in the family.
  • Putting more plates on the table means that you will have guests. For example, if you plan on having three people for dinner, and you put four plates on the table, you should expect a guest soon.
  • If you have the hiccups, it means that somebody is thinking or talking about you.
  • If young women sit on the corner of the table, they will never get married.
  • Never make payment on Mondays, as that means that you will make payments, hence lose money, all week.
  • Romanians also avoid leaving their handbags on the floor, as this also means that they’ll lose money.
  • On the good side, rain on the wedding day means good luck and lots of money.
  • When it comes to offering flowers, you should always bring an odd number of flowers. Bouquets with even numbers are reserved for funerals, so offering such a bouquet on any other occasion is believed to bring bad luck (and even death).

• One other important National Day that is celebrated in Romania besides the Great Union Day is Romanian Navy Day.  The celebration takes place on August 15 on the riverfront, with demonstrations of military exercises, exhibitions of military equipment, naval games and competitions. In the evening, the sailors perform a torchlight retreat along the route City Hall – Logistics Group (navy barracks).

• Besides vegetables (potato, beans, tomato, cucumber), meat (ham, salami, sausages), dairy (cheese, butter, yoghurt), eggs and bread are always part of a typical Romanian meal. Here is a list with the most common food in Romania:
  • Ciorbă de burtă (traditional tripe soup)
  • Mici / mititei (Romanian meat rolls)
  • Sarmale (cabbage rolls or stuffed vine leaves)
  • Mamaliga (polenta)
  • Slaninuta afumata cu boia (smoked bacon)
  • Salată de icre (roe salad)
  • Salată de Vinete (eggplant salad spread)
  • Frigărui (Romanian kebab)
  • Papanași (cheese pancakes)
  • Cozonac (sweet bread)

• Football is the most popular sport in Romania. Gheorghe Hagi, who played for European Champions Cup title, is the most famous Romanian player, known internationally.

• A family of four estimated monthly costs of living are $1,956.4 (9,264.7 lei) without rent. A single person estimated monthly costs are $568.2 (2,690.8 lei) without rent. Cost of living in Romania is, on average, 50.7% lower than in United States. Rent in Romania is, on average, 80.2% lower than in United States. Other everyday life prince ranges:
  • One-way ticket (local transport)                $1
  • Monthly public transportation pass (regular price) $30
  • Taxi start $1
  • Taxi 1km $1
  • Taxi 1hour waiting $9
  • Gasoline (1 liter) $2
  • Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre $250 – $563
  • Apartment (1 bedroom) outside of City Centre $200 – $423
  • Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre $420 – $1126
  • Apartment (3 bedrooms) outside of City Centre $334 – $700

• Romanian families usually have 1-2 children. Grandparents and extended family often live nearby. It is common for both parents to work in families that live in larger cities, but mothers will often stay at home in families that live in the country side.

• In Romania, the state ensures equal access to all levels and forms of pre-university and higher education. Under the Education Law the general mandatory education in Romania is 10 grades and includes primary, secondary and high-school education. The education system comprises the following levels:
  • Early education (0-6 years), which includes:
    • Ante-preschool level (0-3 years) – nursery;
    • Preschool level (3-6 years), where there are three levels – youngest group, middle group and oldest group;
  • Primary education, which includes:
    • The preparatory classes  (grade 0) (6 year old);
    • Grades I-IV (7 – 11 years old);
  • Secondary education, which includes:
    • Lower secondary education:  grades V-VIII;
    • Higher secondary education, or high-school: grades IX-XII, along one of the following lines: theoretical, vocational or technological;
  • Vocational education – has a duration of 3 years and can be followed by those who have passed the VIIIth grade. After finishing it, a qualification in the field (e.g. mechanic, electrician, etc.) is obtained;
  • Tertiary non-university education – has a duration of between 1 and 3 years and provides a professional qualification in fields such as: computer science, agriculture, health, economics, tourism, etc.
  • The national higher education is organized in universities (of state and private accredited), academies, or schools of superior studies, and the system has 3 levels of university studies:
    • Bachelor’s degree studies – 3 or 4 years in length;
    • Master’s degree studies – 1 or 2 years in length;
    • Doctoral degree studies – 3 years in length.

• Romanians love dinner parties and they will use every opportunity to gather some friends around their table. If they invite you for dinner, you should expect a copious meal with many courses and delicious deserts. The host tries their best to impress you and expects compliments for their cooking. 

• If you like the food, the dinner party host will always insist that you have second and even third helpings. Invoking a small stomach will not spear you the insistence. Many people may find the insistence very annoying, but in Romania this is good manners.

• When offered food, Romanians will first politely refuse. But don’t be fooled. The “no, thank you” only means that you’ll have to insist!

• If you’re planning to visit Romania, our country ambassador Alexandra suggests the following itinerary:
  • Discover the capital of Bucharest.
  • Visit Bran Castle: The home of Dracula.
  • Explore the beauty of Peleș Castle.
  • Drive the famous Transfăgărășan Highway.
  • Climb 1480 steps to Poenari Citadel.
  • Visit the Historic town of Râșnov.
  • Visit the Liberty Bear Sanctuary.
  • Explore the city of Brașov.

• Tucked away in the Transylvanian countryside of Romania lies Castelul de Lut Valea Zânelor, in translation “Clay Castle of the Valley of Fairies”. This quirky, soon-to-be-open hotel is made entirely of clay, straw, and sand, with all 10 rooms having their own unique style. The structure itself was built by the craftsmen from Maramureș, a region in Transylvania known for beautiful wooden churches.

• Alexandra also recommends Canionul Șapte Scări (Seven Stairs Canyon) from Timișul de Jos.

• The Eurasian lynx is the official national animal of Romania. This medium-sized wild cat is very common throughout Russia, Scandinavia, and many other mountainous regions of Asia and Europe. It is also protected by the national government. The best chance of seeing a lynx is in Romania. Of the 2800 lynx living in the Carpathian Mountains, 2000 of them are found in Romania.

• Horezu ceramics is a unique type of Romanian pottery that is traditionally produced by hand in the area of the town of Horezu in Olten (Vâlcea county), close to the famous Horezu Monastery. It reflects many generations of ceramic development knowledge and skills, which is why Horezu pottery craftsmanship was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List in December 2012.

• A special word for Romanians is “acasă”. Often translated to ‘at home’, this word describes a feeling of belonging in addition to a physical place. Acasă is the place where you feel comfortable, where you have family. It’s a place where you’re happy and where you feel you belong. As many Romanians work abroad, this word is often used to refer to their home in Romania, as it’s a place filled with memories and emotions.

• Some weird, yet funny expressions that only make sense in the Romanian language include:
  • A Romanian is not “surprised”… his “face has fallen off” (I-a picat fața).
  • A Romanian won’t “lose temper”…his “mustard will jump off” (Îi sare muștarul).
  • A Romanian won’t “lie to you”… he’ll “sell you doughnuts” (Vinde gogoși).
  • A Romanian doesn’t “suddenly get it”… his “coin drops” (Îi pică fisa).
  • A Romanian is not “extremely tired”…he’s “cabbage.” His life is not “chaotic”… it’s “cabbage.” And his room is not “a complete mess”…it’s also “cabbage” (Varză).
  • A Romanian doesn’t simply deem an effort “useless”… he says it’s “a rub on a wooden leg” (Frecție la picior de lemn).
  • You don’t “drive a Romanian nuts”… you “take him out of his watermelons” (Îl scoți din pepeni).
  • A Romanian is not “crazy”…he’s “gone on a raft” (Dus cu pluta).
  • A Romanian won’t tell you to stop “wasting time”… he’ll tell you to stop “rubbing the mint” (Freca menta).
  • A Romanian won’t say that something is “cool”… he’ll say it’s “concrete” (Beton).
  • As a Romanian you don’t “fool yourself”… you “get drunk with cold water” (Te îmbeți cu apă rece).
  • A Romanian hasn’t been “scammed”… he “took a spike” (A luat țeapă).