I know, I know, Valentine’s Day was last week. But I wanted to tell you about some memories I have related to this.
I was born and raised in Romania, so in my first 21 years I got to know the customs there. When I was a child, we didn’t know Valentine’s Day existed, we didn’t celebrate it. But we had another day that was very similar to it. It was the “Marcisor” day. On March 1th, the boys gave the girls a small pendant or brooch with a white and red string.

The essence of the holiday was the same as that of Valentine’s Day: if you received a gift like this, someone liked you. For us girls, this was women’s day and we always looked forward to it with great excitement. This tradition is known and observed not only in Romania. I heard that also exists in Slavic countries.
Nowadays, it has changed a bit and looks more like Women’s Day than Valentine’s Day. In general, boys and men buy and give these kinds of gifts to every woman they know. Interestingly March 8th is also celebrated as an official women’s day.
If you like this tradition, you can celebrate by buying a red and white gift for yourself or your loved one. I also have some red and white jewelry, check them out.