A Guide to the Romanian People | Unlocking the Secrets of Romania

[@dargaard3339]

there was a romanian joke when God give each country riches we turned last in line and God said : "Well guys you came last I'm afraid all good gifts are gone except how to make haz de necaz". Haz de necaz translates into get amused by the bad situation. And that's not really a bad thing it's a way to break through a tough spot and push past the life difficulties. It's a positive way to deal with trouble as you don't let that trouble defeat you. It's the winner attitude... it's the never give up or "I laugh in the face of danger".

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Thank you for the positive vibes. 😊

[@MAKDavid-1]

Was this in late 19th century when your country and identity was invented?Is this Avram Ianco type of claim?

[@dargaard3339]

@@MAKDavid-1 the country was "invented" long before. from Dacia. we just choose a bad name for it - Romania.

[@MAKDavid-1]

@@dargaard3339 You are not Deutsch-Dutch-Dacian but a identity lost “Bulgarians” that are a mix of people on its own claiming to Olah-Vlah-Vlaxi Romani meaning Gypsies and many other things like being Romans and rest of absurd nonsense.

[@MAKDavid-1]

@@dargaard3339 There where Bulgarians,Serbi and Olah-Vlah-Vlaxi Romani that Ottoman’s have dealings with in that Southern corner amongst which Vlah-Vlaxi Rumi,Romi,Romani ….still are part of Turkish population for those that converted to Islam couldn’t live in a Christian land after Ottoman Empire fell apart and Romania as a state and identity was invented and say invented because it obviously rejects to be even associated with actual Vlah-Vlaxi Romani people that historical where known to have existed before Romania as state was invented. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_people_in_Turkey

[@MamaRose777]

Ciao! I am also a foreigner of Afro descent that has married into a Romanian family. It is truly a blessing to be able to raise my son with Romanian values, and I can't wait to be fluent! 🥲 Te iubesc România 💙💛❤️

[@robinkadjocic3558]

bine ai venit frumoaso!!!!

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

You are soo sweet, happy to be in this journey with you.

[@sebastianlup]

Welcome home!

[@AGENTURMP]

We welcome you! Be blessed!

[@MamaRose777]

Multumesc foarte mult tuturor si La Multi Ani!! 🎉🎉🎉🥳

[@steppenwolf1872]

So pleasant to see a kind woman from far abroad telling something good about our culture.I wish you all the best!

[@brakaduun]

Du-te-n puii mei :))

[@endercomunistu]

Regarding the insults, a quote from a football owner in Romania refering to a football official is edifying: "I argued with Mitică Dragomir, but without insults. He called me an oligophrenic, I called him a bitch, but we didn't insult each other."

[@zhongyao3250]

Hai că ai tradus-o bine! Moare Jiji de plăcere...

[@sabinas4407]

Nice

[@dameanvil]

00:29 🤣 Romanians use humor to navigate difficult situations, which makes them brave and confident. 02:21 🎂 In Romania, people can celebrate more than one birthday due to "name days" associated with saints, resulting in multiple celebrations per year. 05:36 🏡 Romanians are industrious and always working on projects, whether at home or in the village, reflecting a strong work ethic and a forward-thinking mindset. 06:16 🗣 The Romanian language, known for its romantic qualities, also boasts an extensive and historical variety of insults, often perplexing to outsiders. 10:23 🚫 Romanians are known for their openness and honesty; they express opinions directly and may not sugarcoat feedback, emphasizing straightforward communication. 11:04 🏠 Many Romanian homes have cellars filled with pickled foods, jams, and alcohol, showcasing a unique cultural tradition of preservation and homemade products.

[@nd.t]

we dont celebrate multiple birthdays. we celebrate the person's name. the confusion comes from wishing the person "la multi ani" which means "(to live) many years". this is also used on the new year's eve. you may also hear it, rarely, when relates to convicted politicians - wishing the convict "many years (in prison)".

[@MAKDavid-1]

@@nd.tHow is in any of it Romanian?

[@nd.t]

@@MAKDavid-1 not sure why you ask me. i argued against the statement that romanians "celebrate more than one birthday" and the confusion of the way it was explained.

[@MAKDavid-1]

@@nd.t The name day is not a Romanian thing in particular at all but I understand that to some from a different continent is a thing they never encountered.

[@nd.t]

​@@MAKDavid-1 where did i say it's a romanian thing? can you read again what i wrote? your replies are totally beside the discussion.

[@Alex_Urs]

Thank you for promoting our country and culture! I am glad to see people like you making a new life here and picking up our culture and way of living!

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Thank you so much!

[@lordmemnoch518]

@@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie you should try visiting Cluj-Napoca next. The people are nicer and kinder by the way :)

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

@@lordmemnoch518 yeah I will definately try it out, thank you for the recommendation.

[@JANINE-D]

@@lordmemnoch518 🤮

[@Wearefree83]

We romanians are very direct to anyone but in a positive way. We joke a lot and we are very sarcastic people.

[@Roma_Aeterna_SPQR]

The sarcasm is a heritage from the communist times. It was a defense system, a way for us to say something, without actually speaking it, because there were things that couldn't be said. One thing that pops my mind is little shows, like stand-up comedy: In a room full of people, one guy says jokes for the crowd. Of course, at least one of the regime's spyies had to be present to see what they talked about and if they spoke badly about the regime. The guy saying the jokes was like: "Our country has the best living standards in Europe!" (*or something like that), and everyone was on the floor, laughing. The spyies were like, "wtf are we going to report? F-it. It's all good.". 😂

[@MrGeoNexus]

Also we are so sensitive. We make jokes that for others can be rude, but we stick to jokes. For example : we say nigga or tipsy not to offend , it's simple and non judgemental. Black is back , just w color and if you're back ..no problem, relax !

[@bob7AZS]

Margareto, fata draga, eu cred că tu iubești Romania mai mult decât muuulti români nativi! Bless you! ❤

[@VitallieIorga]

Loved watching this video! I have just subscribed to the channel. It's really relaxing and interesting to watch your content, Margie.😜

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

🥹 Thank you so much for this kind words.

[@Yellenascovers]

4:00 I think we tell each other "La mulți ani!"= Happy birthday!, but translated word by word, it's like we wish the other person to live many many more years. We say happy birthday on January the first, because it's a new year, then on the person's birthday and then once more, if the said person has a saint name. In our calendars, the Christian ortodox one, there are certain days dedicated to celebrating/honouring a certain saint. So if you have their name, people tell you happy birthday or happy name day on that specific day. Fun fact: On St Andrew's day is a national holiday and our government gives us the paid day off.

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Thank you for sharing this. I saw this the other day. Its really nice.

[@catalindeluxus8545]

That is so cool some Africans are choosing to experience my beloved România. Sănătate și numai bine, sper să continui să te integrezi cu bine în societatea noastră :)

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Mulțumesc mult de tot. You are so kind.

[@BrakhianSoldier]

If your name is Maggie then I think it's abreviated of "Margaret" which in Romania is the name of a flower. We have a special holiday that celebrate the people with flower names, called "Florii". We celebrate twice: a birthday - for the day you were born and an onomastic - for the day of your name saint. Some people have more saint names but usually celebrate one of them only.

[@as22dark]

Her name is Margie, not Maggie. Read again.

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Such a good explanation. Thank you and I am now looking foward to hearing La Multi ani on the holiday for celebrating flower names.

[@vladvanessa]

So many people celebrating their name on Florii day: crina, camelia, florin, florentin/a, iasmina, delia, laur, violeta, viorel, narcis/a. 😁

[@claudiutanase8549]

Your observations about Romanians are very accurate and very true.

[@priestaurelsas329]

Was a blessing for you when you descover România . God bless you to enjoi

[@pictopoezia]

this is so cute! thank you for putting a smile on my face today.

[@L2Xenta]

Sometimes a person is named after a saint because his birthday is close to the date that celebrates that saint... so you get some fun things like calling the same person to wish them "La multi ani!" basically just a few days apart. But "La multi ani" doesn't really translate to "Happy Birthday", we don't have this exact saying in Romanian, we don't wish them 1 happy day of birth. "La multi ani!" accurately translates "to many more years!" - so wishing the person a long life, in a cheerful way , which would suggest many more good years of life, as 1 year has passed since the previous celebration. Then you would enter a short or long conversation where you would also wish them all the best, and good health at the start... depending on your relation with that person, on their age... etc. Yes insults are tolerated in Romanian between ppl that know each-other well-ish usually . I guess we rarely do this with our elders however... unless its some unique relationship in that funny way, but it would have to be encouraged by the elder. It's true what you say... Romanians are usually always up-to something, we call it being "bun gospodar" , which would be a good care-taker of your "domain". Mostly applies to the ppl living in houses with some land around. But ppl living in the city can also get quite busy doing things either at the country-side or of a different... urban type. But I guess not all of us, some just like to chill out after work, or maybe I'm the exception to the rule. Cheers.

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

So profound! I feel validated. Thank you for sharing, Romanians are interesting and so much to learn from as a culture.

[@frankgradus9474]

Thanks awfully !

[@mariarevnic6415]

To add some details to that, we might use "La mulți ani!" (similar but not quite "Many happy returns") as a general good wish for everything (birthdays, when toasting, on New Year's Eve). The other thing about birthdays, a person does not have more than one birthday, because in Romanian we make the distinction between birthday ("zi de naștere" - zi=day, naștere=birth) and namesake day ("onomastică"). That being said someone might have one birthday and two namesake days (let's say they are named Maria Georgiana, they can celebrate their "onomastică" in April on the feast of Saint George and in August or September, or both -it depends on the region- on the feast of Virgin Mary). But I think this will only be the case with the Orthodox and Catholic Christians and not other religions or denominations who do not recognize the Christian Saints. Also I wouldn't expect a gift on my namesake day. I think a good wish, some flowers or some sweets are more than enough, but not a fully fledged birthday present.

[@mickael1277]

@@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie , I'd like to add one more thing. When a Saint is celebrated, it is actually the Saint's birthday and the people that are aware of that, won't celebrate it just because they share the same name, but most do. If someone would say happy birthday to me on Saint Michael day, I would say that it's not my birthday, so not everyone acts the same way.

[@Mayhamsdead]

You are very observent and endearing about the particular things that stuck with you. There are cultural diferences from one city to another in Romania, but at the very core, all the the things mentioned in the video apply to your average Romanian. It's actually quite refreshing seeing someone from a different culture learn and appreciate their host country. Regarding the direct way they say things, it's never with malice, but subtlety might not be a strong point. Like all cultures, there may be traditions, habits , or just generally less savory things you will witness. Don't be afraid to point them out and/or question them. Regardless - great video. I hope you'll have a pleasant stay!

[@alexandrurizan7196]

Margie would be short for Margarette, I presume, so you have Sf. Margareta, and also one week before Easter we celebrate anyone with a name derived from a flower, and margarets are flowers. so you actually have 2 celebrations on one name. Congrats :)

[@irimiaradu-silviu5764]

Simply said : Multumesc! Glad to see that you love Romania!

[@madalinamarinescu932]

Thank you for taking interest in Romanian culture ; wishing you the best

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Thank you! 😃

[@realjx313]

Preserves, pickles and so on, as well as smoked meat, sausages, are specific to areas that have winter as there are no crops in the winter but people still need to eat so each culture has figured out how to preserve food for the winter. Winter is the biggest difference in lifestyle in the countryside between temperate areas and tropical areas. And Romania is only 56% urbanized so the traditional lifestyle still has a big impact.

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Perfect explanation to pickling and smoking. Thank you for sharing.

[@herminexd]

I love to see you finding joy and beauty in things we Romanians take for granted or simply don’t appreciate as “special “ ,, it really makes me, as a Romanian think more on the day to day and to find beauty in the small traditions. Thank you! 🙏🏻

[@MangoTheJellyCat-ms3ll]

It's always fun to see your culture through the eyes of a foreigner, appreciate your observations and enjoyed your reaction to our quirky ways. We are very welcoming and we can give you a Saint's name day. Your name is close to the name of Sf Maria Magdalena, who is celebrated on July 22nd :) Even if you may not be an Orthodox, you can still learn about the lives of the Saints,they were truly inspiring people who we honour on "our name days"

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Wow, thank you! I love it... I will mark the date.

[@alexandruianu8432]

@@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie Margie is derived from Margaret, right? That would make it a flower name, so you have the Florii (Palm Sunday), a week before Easter.

[@MP-ck6nx]

Spot on, absolutely spot on with all your cultural insights. Your Romanian pronunciation is also great 🙂

[@stevenkanyanjua6369]

nice I have learnt alot.

[@realjx313]

Go into puii mei is derived from a nastier version but the P word gets replaced here to make it milder. Sometimes P words get replaced with picioare, pui, pupaza and so on - so other terms that start with a P, just ti avoid the foul word and make it milder.

[@clarakam3858]

Send you love from Bucharest. Humor is the way to pass bad moments sometimes😂❤

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

❤

[@toshenstv5022]

Nice work 👏

[@Wearefree83]

Îmi place părul tău! Arată minunat. I like your hair. It looks amazing.

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Thank you.

[@PB-ix4bk]

Great video! I am born April 9th too! 🎉

[@CosminTruta]

Thank you very much for the kind presentation that you delivered in your video. On the topic of "Haz de necaz", here's a bonus tip: Fortunately for the people who can laugh at themselves when they're at the bottom of a bad situation, doing so not only empowers them, but also dis-empowers and trivialises their enemies.

[@nb4394]

Felicitári, pentru ce faci ♥️👏👏👏👍👍👍

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Mulțumesc

[@shaothetao5398]

​​@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie Hi!! I'm Romanian from Moldova. I love your videos!! I'm from the village. My girlfriend is also from Kenya, from Nairobi haha Her name is Nancy. You actually do have A NAME BIRTHDAY that you have to celebrate because your name comes from Margaret which is a flower name so you have to celebrate it by FLORII or DUMINICA FLORIILOR - The Sunday Of Flowers it is the last Sunday before the Easter Sunday. That is when all the Romanian people with flower names celebrate their birth names. Keep up the great work!! Habarikiwe na maisha marefu yenye amani na furaha. 🙏❤️

[@boureanumihai]

In terms of name "birthdays" most people do not expect big gifts such the ones for their birthdays but usually something to drink or flowers are given. The ones celebrating are usually treating their friends with a drink as well. Also your name is very close to Margaret which has the celebration on 16 of November so La multi ani for tomorrow

[@nicojourney]

I'm glad you like Romania, you seem very fascinated by our way of doing things 😁 One thing about your video, the background music was distracting, I like listening videos while I cook and it was hard for me to focus on what you were saying. Maybe you can do some videos where there's an intro and outro but the rest of the content does not have music. Looking forward to more videos🤗Goodluck!

[@ionelghiorghita688]

To be jokes resilient is a way of "treating“ the vanity. If you are not jokes resilient you are not considered a good team member. So if you are reacting bad to the usual jokes or bad words s-o you are considered stupid and people will avoid you or stay away of interacting with you.

[@iosifberei7681]

Te-am gasit intimplator si imi pare ceva interesant , de acum iti voi urmari postarile. Bun venit !❤️❤️❤️

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Thank you.

[@TheShibangelist]

You are so sweet and kind, thank you for your video about my country When it comes to celebrations, romanians do not miss the occasion to have a party, the more the merrier, thus if your name is derived from St Mary or St Jhon , there are a couple of ce;lebrations of those saints during the year, now if your name is Maria-Ioana, your friends are screwed cause your name day will be celebrated at least 5 times during the year and they always have to bring a gift Margie - that would be the diminutive from Margareta - which is Margarit ( the flower ) so you would celebrate your name day on the Sunday Before Easter ( de Florii ), invite everyone, expect small gifts and lots of fun Insults make us resillient to others trying to insult us. Imagine your friends insulting you all your life, there's nothing a stranger can say to you to affect you that your friends haven't already said to you during your lifetime, this is why we do not understand "being offended" ... that's why you are insulted, to get offended. Now if you get offended, you are the weak one in our culture. You are supposed to be civilized and educated, control your emotions and not let some insults affect your mindset and behaviour, if you do, you are weak Pickles are the things that historically gave us long life in this area of the world, considering the position of our country and it's climate. Studies have shown that pickles help healthwise, providing you with bacteria and micro-organisms needed by stomach and guts, specially during winter times when not alot of veggies are available

[@GabiBrooks]

Your Romanian pronunciation is on point! ❤

[@EmilNicolaiePerhinschi]

Romanians used to celebrate only the namedays, celebrating the birth day is something new. You don't have to send gifts for every nameday, only if you're invited to a party and even then bringing a bottle of wine or a cake would be enough, else saying "La multi ani" (in English that would translate to "Live long and prosper" ;-) ) is more than enough. Margie would be on June 20, with Saint Marina (also called Margareta).

[@as22dark]

Slow down girl, why are you so nervous? You're gorgeous, so no reason to run out of our sight..😁😘

[@alexandrupanica3761]

I have been many times în Kenya in the port and city of Mombasa, stayed at the CityBlue CreekSide Hotel, a great hotel by the way, waiting for my ship. I interacted with many local people and found them really friendly. The minus in Mombasa were the roads, as I remember.

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Wow glad you enjoy bein my country, equally loving Romania. The coastal region in Kenya is really beautiful.

[@razvancarstea4567]

I hope you went on some mountain trekking or hiking sessions while here, we have amazing mountains..

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Not yet! But it is in my bucket list.

[@razvancarstea4567]

Keep in touch if you really wanna do it, my wife has a trekking group.

[@cerasellabaniseanu]

I don't know what family are you in, but in my circle of people we don't insult each other. I would be offended if someone insult me and I will not insult anyone because I know they will be offended. I wish for you better people. And welcome to România! I am happy for you, if you like it here.

[@qwertyqwerty-zi6dr]

You are very accurate about us and very cute!😅

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Thanks 😅

[@meron6913]

I'm still in culturalshock phase. lol. from kenya here but learning the culture slowly. :)

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

😊 thank you for joining in.

[@samyciuta493]

Du-te-n puii mei! 😂😂😅❤

[@Wearefree83]

We insult in a joke mode way😂 but you're right. The romanian language is so rich in many things. We don't get offended a lot like the western societies

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

So true! 😊

[@mihaiserbu8447]

So cute !!! 😊

[@geozaharia3715]

Numele Maggi provine de la Sf. Margareta, care apare în calendar pe 16 noiembrie. Chiar dacă nu știi, e sfânta ta ocrotitoare, poți să-i ceri ajutorul uneori.

[@luxrose1194]

Sfânta Margareta nu e în calendarul ortodox.

[@geozaharia3715]

@@luxrose1194 Mai caută în calendarul ortodox (mai amănunțit, unde sunt trecuți mai mulți sfinți ai zilei, nu cel de perete obișnuit), vei găsi la 16 noiembrie Sf. Margareta a Scotiei, e considerată Sfânta ortodoxă.

[@luxrose1194]

@@geozaharia3715 Cum poate fi Margareta , regina Scoției , o sfântă în calendarul ortodox ? Poate că e sfântă în Biserica Greco catolică , dar nu în Biserica ortodoxă . ( Am căutat în Sinaxar și bineînțeles că nu e Sfânta Margareta la ortodocși ).

[@alexia2189]

Hey! I think in South America and Mexico, people celebrate name days as well. They also celebrate a lot of saints like in Romania

[@tudorionut4997]

it's nice to see a new video from you😋

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Thank you and there is more to come!

[@kylesavage4525]

We have the same thing in Greece with name days. Throughout the year only 151 days are without any saint's name day. Many of these days even celebrate multiple saints as well although some of these names are similar. However many of these names are extremelly rare to come across and their naming days are unknown to the vast majority of people. As far as gifts for these days i'd say it depends greatly on the person. Some host parties or small gatherings where u should bring at least a wine or some kind of dessert while others treat their close friends and families to a restaurant/tavern or something like that. Some people bring some kind of treats in their workplace or school. I remember back in school during the name days of the most common names there were tons of kids walking around at break with boxes of sweets. Sometimes even the parents of the celebrating person do that as well. The most common wish we have is 'Χρονια Πολλα' pronounced 'Hronia Polla' (the 'H' is not silent) which means 'I wish u to live many years' but we use it for birthdays, name days and even on several big holidays and national days.

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Really, I did not know this. Thank you for sharing this. ❤ Very good explanation.

[@TheGiugulugu]

yes that's true ! (Haz de necaz)making fun about problems, our hard times romanian cure 😅!! thank you for ure video , so sweet to see people talking so nice about our culture !! 🤗

[@AndradaBpixel]

Yes, exactly, we use "La multi ani!" for all purposes. It roughly translates to "may you/ we live long" and the implication is that of a long, prosperous life. We use it for birthdays, anniversaries, name days, weddings and bapthisms, NewYear;s and other holidays and for pretty much any joyous occasion. It is accepted and used by both religious and non-religious ppl, ppl sing "La multi ani" and "Multi ani traiasca" (which means the same thing but slightly rephrased) when bringing out birthday or anniversary cakes, priests sing it after having wed/bapthised someone, one might even hear employees sing it when a company celebrates an aniverary. If you;re looking for an English word to replace this, you can use "Congratulations!" or "Blessings!". Not everyone celebrates their name day and you;re not really expected toi bring a birthday gift. Just wish the person a happy name day and,if there;s a gathering, bring wine or cookies. I think that the most celebrated are: St. Mary because it;s during summertime, when the weather allows for picnics and bbqs and ppl have the day off; St.John, which is the last winter holiday, the 12th day of Christmas if you will, so ppl are in that whole holiday spirit; and St. Andrew which is the day before the NationalDay and most ppl have the day off. These are also very common names and ppl often have more than one in their family/ friends circle and there are variations for both men and women for each saint. About the swear words: yes, we do have plenty, many of them have a very literal and nasty meaning. Some, like "Du-te-n puii mei!" or "Ceapa ma-tii!" are used out of habit but actually started off as a way of avoiding or masking nasty words, like when people say "Holy cow!" or "FFfffarts!"

[@zhongyao3250]

"Ceapa/ceașca/scoica mă-tii" and "puii mei" are mild euphemisms for "harsher" terminology... They mainly appear linguistically as a result of phonetic partial symmetry or image transfer, acting like metaphors. Now this proves high imagination on the part of the people, sanguine temperament, huge linguistic diversity and prolificity and also high humour and spirituality, as the insulted person very seldom takes the swear literally and feels insulted. These so-called insults and swears, part of the Romanian slang, are rather stress relievers and usually make the salt and pepper of the Romanian language. Even Chinese (a highly metaphorical language) is poor when it comes to swearing compared to the rich imagery of Romanian...

[@nicolaeionescu6538]

Well, If you said you got a little confused about it, the thing with the birthdays is like this: birthday is, of course, one. Yes, many people are named after various saints, and also many people have more than one name. So if your name is Ioana Elena, you get to celebrate on your birthday, on St. John's day (7th of January) and on St. Constantin and Hellen (21st of May, I think), that's why some people celebrate more than once or even more than twice. The same saint doesn't appear more than once in the calendar (except for St. Mary, which is celebrated twice, but that's a longer story, no need for more confusion). Celebrating your name day is of course, optional, no one is gonna look bad at you if you're too busy to invite friends over or bring sweets at the office (although that's very common) but you do get La multi ani wishes :)

[@aurelianstanica2708]

Cultures develop over time due to various factors, one of which is the climate and seasons. In Kenya, the tropical climate allows for year-round food cultivation, including during the winter. In Romania, however, there isn't as much food that can be grown in winter. As a result, people must preserve food such as flour for bread, meat, pickles, jams, fruits, etc. Additionally, drinks like palinka and wine are also preserved. Romanians are generally busy, but autumn is the busiest time. In Romania, the expression "La multi ani" is commonly used, which translates to "to many years," expressing a wish for a long life. While the literal translation is different, "La multi ani" is the equivalent of "Happy birthday" in English. When translated word for word from English to Romanian, "Happy birthday" becomes "zi de nastere fericita." Thus, "La multi ani" makes more sense for Romanians who celebrate both their saint name day and birthday. Translating expressions, especially those involving emotions like insults or swearing, can be challenging as the meaning may not be the same. Thank you for your hard work, subtle observations, and for appreciating us.

[@stefanpestritu2308]

Regarding gifts when celebrating someone's name day, those shouldn't be expensive or extravagant. Those kind of gifts tend to be for actual birthdays. Instead something more symbolic to that person or even related to the saint is fine, or something like a chocolate box or a flower bouquet is also fine. Even if your gift ain't the best no one will think about it or say it out loud so don't stress about it :))

[@VonThalberg]

9:38 - Yes, we know it's quite perplexing for foreigners, but cussing is so rooted in our culture, that we don't only use it for insults... matter of fact, the stronger the friendship bond a Romanian has with another, the more they will cuss and insult each-other because regardless of what they say, they both know it comes from a place of love and respect. It's also important to note that most of the times it comes down to the intonation when you cuss/insult someone. Based on that, it can be interpreted as a friendly greet, or a mean, hateful insult. The insult element is so prevalent in Romanian culture, that a scholar took interest in the deep study of it and how it is influenced by social status, origin and regions of Romania. It was Erling Schøller in 1971.

[@m0t0b33]

I noticed that most misconceptions come from the translations of well-wishing from one language to another. Like for instance in English you have "happy birthday" for birthdays, "happy anniversary", etc, and they're pretty self-explanatory, but in Romania we say "la multi ani" for every one of these occasions. And it mostly translates as "to many more years", because we wish people to celebrate more years in those joyous occasions, whereas the English ones are more "in the moment" kinda deals. So on namesake day (onomastica, in Romanian), that's why we say "la multi ani" to someone named after a saint, on the day on which we celebrate that saint, to wish them many more years of celebrations... another common well-wish for the onomastica is "sa traiesti cu numele", meaning we wish people a long life, as long as the existence of the name.

[@Panosky]

As a Romanian, I'm most proud of our swear words vocabulary. When I lived in other countries I found it soooooo vanilla wow...I bonded most with Greek malakas 😂

[@Panosky]

Go into my baby chickens is just a sugar coating of the insult go into my d**k.

[@marius3115]

The multiple "birthdays" explaination...many romanians have saints names as you very well noticed. For example Ion Gabriel Popescu...will celebrate his actually birthday date and the name days when St John (Jan 7th) and St Gabriel (Nov 8th) are on calendar. Now in english you say "Happy birthday!" , but in romanian we say "La multi ani!" which translate in "May you live many years!" and we use this expresion in birthdays and namedays as well.

[@stai.jos.ai.2]

You are a good observer

[@groovytau]

You might be celebratind your name day during the “Florii” as your name sounds similar to the flower “margareta”, but I could be wrong

[@AGENTURMP]

The name celebrations thing is more of a way to get together with friends, eat and drink. If someone excpects anything but flowers i think they are ...not very nice.

[@Meta-trope]

As a romanian definitely not rasist, when I see foreigners, especially so different as a race can be, I tend to want to stare at them with admiration both for how different and interesting they might be and with delight that Romania gets to be more mixed and enriched in the cultural exchanges. How bad can those foreigners feel when they might see me staring expressionless at them? 😅

[@nelutusan]

Nice ❤

[@CozyHome2023]

Hello Margie, I came across your video by chance and I'm happy to see how much you enjoy my home land. I'll try to explain the birthday situation: we actually have 1 birthday and 1 or 2 name days, depending the name you were baptised with. On the name day is not your birthday, is the birthday of the saint whos name your carry and you celebrate. This is not as much a Romanian tradition as it is common in ortodox religion. In Greece, for example, is the same, a celebration for your name day. Same goes in many balcanic countries where orthodox religion is spread. And yes it can get a bit expensive, but any gift is appreciated, it doesn't need to be expensive as long as it shows that you put consideration in it, proving that you care. As a Romanian with birthday and 2 name days, trust me, for the other side is not cheap also, to keep invite people over, feed them, give them drinks and sweets. 😂 The point is to be with your beloved and spend good moments together.

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Thank you for this detailed explanation and examples.

[@dargaard3339]

margie seems related to both maria or magdalena. so I think you can celebrate your name too when it's saint Mary. when then christianity came to romania we had many celebrations that we're called pagan. however ancient romanians (dacians) also used to have a single god and that's why christianity came easily in romania. also they tried to replace some of the old celebrations like Wolf day (dacians were called the wolf people) churches replaced that celebration with saint Andrew (Andrei). so many saints replaced ancient romanian celebration. some other celebrations are Dragobetele (now Valentine's day or lovers day). Martisor celebration was still kept as it was in dacian times as it is also in Bulgaria (if you horizontally cut bulgaria with a line, the northen part used to be part of Dacia). Geto-Dacians were from 5th BC to 3rd AD, and in my opinion we are still Dacians even though we call ourselves Romanians know but this is another long discussion that you may not be interested of.

[@babanovac0232]

As a Romanian, it's nice to hear something good about my nation, but I think this presentation is slightly idealized :))) We have many shortcomings that we, the natives, know much better than any foreigner :D

[@smarandagames842]

The name day its not a birthday. Its a saint name day. The confusion might be created from the fact that we say "La multi ani!" for both days(we also do for other occasions like the New Year and when people drink instead of Noroc). "La mulți ani" translates roughly to "To more years" which wishes more years of living(with health, happiness, etc). It is usually not celebrated as a birthday but some people do celebrate it by drinking 😂 (as a funny excuse). I don't think anyone would expect a present for the name day, "La multi ani" should be enough.

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Thank you for sharing.

[@doce7678]

There is a difference between the birthday and the name day (called in Romanian ''onomastică''), even though we Romanians wish each other the same: LA MULȚI ANI, which means ''To many years''/ "I wish you to live many years" . Happy Birthday in English means a happy birthday, (I wish you a happy day of your birth). We just say LA MULȚI ANI (I wish you to live many years), in all cases, including at the end of the year when the English say Happy New Year. Romanians simply say: LA MULȚI ANI (I wish you to live many years)!

[@vladimator1842]

It goes something like this: Romanians name their loved ones like everyone else in the World, except for their middle names, which are often given after a Saint or other revered figures from within their Orthodox Christian faith!! I happen to be Romanian as well, and my middle name is "Michael!" So throughout Romania, most natives have their middle names representing a renowned figure within their Christian faith.

[@thevoidaintdeep6475]

What most people don't get is to us insults can often (tho not always) be a sign of affection. I know it sounds weird, but I would never be as vulgar with a stranger as I am with my close friends, because I know I can say the most horrible things to them and they'll love me regardless 😅 it's ironically almost like a show of trust

[@valipunctro]

On the second birthday( or how many names you have),its like if your name is Patrick or Patrick derived you celebrate the name day,on Saint Patrick's Day. And you don't really have to give them gifts on those days or you can but it doesn't have to be expensive.

[@justagirl6761]

The second "birthday" is not considered a birthday. It's just a name day. Many of us were named after saints and on the saint's day we wish each other a long happy life. But we don't really see it as the "birth"day. But there is a custom that if you are born on a saint's holiday you are named after that saint, at least as a middle name. Not everybody does it tho. And we don't actually hold parties for the name day. But I guess in some situations people use it as an excuse to vizit each other and it may look to you like a small party/gathering you know. And no... you don't have to bring a gift for the name day. I didn't know this was unique to us so thank you for sharing your experiences! And yeah, we are very DIY people.

[@carmenpop]

in the Romanian language there are several words to designate a female person: femeie, doamna, dominsoara, dama, cucoana, cuconita, muiere, jupaneasa, jupanita, fata, fetita, fecioara, copila. don't expect to be able to read these words correctly, because some of them have diacritics, signs that change the value of the letter 🙂

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Thank you for sharing this, its interesting. I will try learn them.

[@benireland5065]

Hi Maggie, I am a Liberian American stationed in Kuwait I will be deploying to Romania in February 2025. I will like to know more about the African community in Romania before I arrive.

[@dariusboteand7722]

Happy Birthday! - actually, we don't say that, we actually say (translated word to word) 'to many (more) years!'. That's why when the name comes, it's like a blessing/wish/reminder that you mention to wish them many more years of wellbeing/health/happiness/ etc

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Good point!

[@nihilsinedeo2838]

9:39 Du-te-n puii mei.🤣🤣🤣Go into my baby chickens😂

[@crissmartalec276]

Cool video! Pickles are a big preoccupation for many people in late summer and autumn! When I was a uni student, my mom and grandmas would request I collect and bring them empty jars so they can use them for pickles :D So Students would actually get on trains and buses with travel bags full of empty glass jars 😁About the insults, it's probable your Romanian friends and family wanted to protect you a little bit from examples of actual offensive words.The insults like the "baby chicken" reference you quoted at 9:28 are not so innocent, they are actually euphemisms for much more offending words. This one example is actually an euphemism for some swear/ curse words mentioning male anatomy. Romanian celebrities that appear often in tabloids sometimes insult one another by referring with a superior tone to low social status or someone's lack of access to education, because most of them are obsessed with being seen as some aristocracy LOL

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

So many gems here, love this😅 Thank you for sharing this info.

[@MrAnihillator]

There's a saint Margret on the 16th of this month. Yes I just googled it.

[@GabiBrooks]

My birthday and my name day are literally consecutive. It's hilarious 😂

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Oh really! Well timed 😅

[@moneyisenergy]

Thank you for this video beautiful girl!

[@Alex-m6k9i]

Regarding our humour, we have this "thing" which we call "haz de necaz" which translates something like "making fun of sorrow"🤷🤣

[@griffihn]

romanians love celebrating anything and everything. we work a lot but we also party a lot. you have only 1 birthday in a year. you celebrate your name day multiple times a year, depending on your religion. Maria for example is celebrated 3 times a year. Margie (your name) for example is the equivalent of Margareta, which is the name of a flower. ask when the Florii is celebrated, that's your name day. in romanian, you can actually insult someone for 30 min non-stop, without repeating yourself even once. most insults are actually used as colloquial affectionate words, so there's that too. if you do get offended by the lighter insults, you usually get called something akin to "little girl", which usually means you are too sensitive. as far as wine and tuica go (you read the T as zz in pizza), we don't really have that limit of "you need to be 18 to drink". the law actually states "you have to be 18 to BUY and drink in public places". public places refers to open air bars and pubs, exclusively. you're not actually allowed to drink in a park unless it's a festival of some kind. that should tell you why we tend to have so much alcohol, especially in the rural area. we also tend to make alcohol out of pretty much every fruit and berry out there. if you get the chance, visit different regions. going from one county (judet) to another can sometimes feel like going from one country to another, so be forewarned. there's an old saying in romanian that goes like this: if you come with peaceful thoughts, we welcome you with open arms and a set table. if you come for something else, don't expect to leave alive. you came in peace, so you will always be welcomed back.

[@shamkand]

Each day in the year is dedicated to a saint, so all people that share a name with a saint will celebrait in that day the " Birth Name day and the saint". Some Romanians but also Hungarians celebrait it. So tomorrow it's Saint Andrew's day (30.11.2023), all people (men and women) named Andrew, Andy, Adreea and so on will be celebraited tomorrow. That is why we also have calendars mentioning each day what saints/names we celebrait each day.

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Thank you for sharing this. ❤

[@emfrentes]

In Romanian there is yet another kind of insult- the admirative one. You affirm something very good about someone/ something and add something like out of spiteful or envious admiration. It is something similar to "Damn he's good" but way more... "colorful" 😊

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

You got it!

[@ilieitu]

You can celebrate Saint Margaret (16 November) as Margie = Margaret

[@cripsgangpitic1]

I laughter hard when you say Romanian can insult to Jan to Dec without repeating....bahahaha :)))

[@619Razvan]

You are correct. In Romania, we celebrate names after saints almost like birthdays. Exception if that saint name is a family name. Then the person is not celebrated.

[@sergiuursa1040]

I am a Romanian who's also visited Kenya for 3 months. Let me know if you are interested to chat more about our joint ecoeriences

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

Hope your enjoyed your visit to Kenya.

[@clarakam3858]

Very sad for the dogs 😢 we love dogs and they are the best friend for human ❤

[@Abroad_Diaries_by_Margie]

😅 I have learnt to love dogs now. We will get there. ❤

[@ioanadarjan1614]

It's not more birthdays, just one, but maybe a lot of Name Day (yes, after the Saint's Name you get at the baptize)! :))

[@AgezeLafebo]

Romanian good country me love you're country

[@h.adrian8911]

The birthday is celebrated only once a year, normally. The other celebrations are of The holy - names days . When the respective saint is celebrated (any saint from the ortodox calendar), those who bear his name can also celebrate and relatives and friends wish him also "La multi ani!" PS: .. how many holy names do you have, so many days of celebration you have in addition..

[@andreiciubotaru7131]

Your name being Maggie, it's short from Margaret (in Romanian it's Margareta. All typically Romanian women names in Romania end in a, with extremely few exceptions; for example Carmen or Catrinel). In Romanian, the flower daisy is called "margareta". So if you were Romanian and orthodox christian, you woukd celebrate your name-sake day, or name day during the Palm Sunday Holiday, which is celebrated one week before Easter. Palm Sunday Holiday is the day Jesus ceremoniously entered Jerusalem and was received by the locals with palm leaves. We don't have palm trees in Romania, at least not normally (our weather is ot good for them) so we celebrate the Palm Sunday Holiday with flowers and willow branches. Thus in Romania, this holiday is also known as Sarbatoarea florilor or Florii (The Holiday of the Flowers). And besides the traditional religious importance, this particular day is used to celebrate all those carying flower names or derivatives of flower names (like Maggie, from Margaret-Daisy, Florina, Florin, Liliana-lilac folwer, etc). The name sake day is not as important as one's birthday, but we do feel good when we're being called by friends and family and wished well on this occasion. In Romanian the usual Bday greeting is La multi ani/ May you live many more years. We kinda use it for a lot of occasions because when we say it to various celebrations is adds the following context: "May you/we live many more years so that you/we will be able to celebrate this event!"

[@dargaard3339]

regarding "happy birthday" or "la multi ani" we use it for every celebration. actually "happy birthday" is a bad translation for "la multi ani". we use "la multi ani" for several occasions such as birthday, nameday, woman day (martisor) 1st of march, woman day 8th of march. A better translation for "la multi ani" is "may you live many years!" or "many years!" and this we say to each other even when we get in a new year on the 1st of january.

[@RaduLacurezeanu]

You could be celebrated on st Mary's day .. Margie is accepted to be celebrated on that day... 🎉