Dragobet

Dragobete ( rum. Dragobete ) is a character of Romanian folklore , the son of Baba Dokia .

The traditional festival dedicated to Dragobet is celebrated in Romania and Moldova ^{[1] [2]} on February 24 and is the equivalent of Valentine's Day . In antiquity, it was believed that spring begins on this day, nature wakes up and birds get engaged, and a person should participate in universal joy. In the mythological tradition, Dragobet looks more like Eros or Cupid than Catholic St. Valentine. This image was taken from the ancient Dacians , for whom he was the patron saint of animals. Romanians transformed him into a patron of love .

February 24 in Romanian villages was usually a big holiday. It was believed that those who participate in this celebration will be free from diseases for the whole year, first of all from fever , and Dragobet will bring abundance to the owners this year. On this day they said: “Dragobete kisses girls” ( rum. Dragobetele sărută fetele ).

On this day, the young men and women met in front of the church and went to the forest to collect the first spring flowers. In the south of Romania, in the county of Mehedinci , the following custom existed. The girl was returning from the forest at a run. She should have been pursued by her boyfriend. If he caught up with the girl, and she, too, was in love with him, then she had to kiss him in front of everyone. It was believed that they were now engaged. Thus, during the holiday, it became clear what weddings will be next autumn.

Old people were also busy that day, they sacrificed animals, as it was believed that this would increase the number of weddings. To be loved for a whole year, women had to touch men from another village. Girls in the evening collected the last remnants of snow, which was called "snow fairies." Water from this snow was used throughout the year as a means to preserve beauty and for love spells.