Romanian Folklore music
| In the conservation of folk music an important role has been played, besides the permanence of the audience, by the great performers. One of them, Gheorghe Zamfir, is famous throughout the world today, having made known a typically Romanian folk instrument, the panpipes. He is reported to have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide.
Other loved folkloric singers are: Maria Tanase, Irina Loghin, Maria Dragomiroiu, Ileana Sararoiu, etc. |
 |
Listen to some Romanian folklore songs
Manele
| Romanian manele is a mixture of Balkan music with oriental (Turkish/Middle Eastern) influences and also Roma music. History |  |
Early references to the terms manea (singular) and manele (plural) appear in Romanian texts from the late 18th and early 19th century, during the period of Turkish suzerainty over the Romanian principalities, as a genre of dance music brought from Istanbul. Some of these classical manele have been adapted during the ages, becoming part of Romanian folklore.
Modern manele have little if any connections with the original term. They originate in the 1980s and early 1990s as underground translations and imitations of Turkish and Arabic songs. It was being sung on the streets of Ferentari, a poor neighbourhood of Bucharest. One of the earliest known manele bands was Azur from Brăila, in the late 1980s.
Weather & Climate
 |
Romania has a continental climate with four distinct seasons.
Spring is pleasant with cool mornings and nights and warm days. Summers are generally very warm to hot with abundant sunshine. Average maximum temperatures in Bucharest are around 28 °C (82 °F), with temperatures over 35 °C (95 °F) fairly common in the lower-lying areas of the country. Minima in Bucharest and other lower-lying areas are around 16 °C (61 °F). At higher altitudes both maxima and minima decline considerably. |
Palace of the Parliament
 |
The Palace of the Parliament (in Romanian: Palatul Parlamentului) is the home of the Romanian Parliament in Bucharest, Romania.
It currently holds three records homologated by the Guinness Book of World Records: for the largest civilian administrative building, the heaviest building and the most expensive administrative building in the world. |
Bran Castle (Dracula's Castle)
 |
Bran Castle, situated near Bran and in the immediate vicinity of Braşov, is a national monument and landmark in Romania. The fortress is situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia, on Highway 73. Commonly known as "Dracula's Castle", it is marketed as the home of the titular character in Bram Stoker's Dracula, which has led to persistent myths that it was once the home of Vlad Ţepeş, ruler of Wallachia. |
Martisor - 1st of March
 |
Mărţişor is the traditional celebration of the beginning of the spring , on the 1st of March. The day's name is the diminutive of March (in Romanian Martie), and thus means something like "little" or "dear March". |
Peles Castle
 |
Peles Castle, a masterpiece of German new-Renaissance architecture, is considered one of the most beautiful castles in Europe. It was commissioned by King Carol I in 1873 and completed 10 years later. Its 160 rooms are adorned with the finest examples of European art, Murano crystal chandeliers, stained-glass windows, procelains, etc. Each room was furnished to reflect a different European country. And, it was the first European castle to have central heating and electricity produced by its own electrical power plant. Peles Castle is also surrounded by seven terraces and gardens, with statues everywhere. |
Poetry
 |
Mihai Eminescu was the best-known and most influential Romanian poet.
Some of his works: |
Money & finances
Romanian Currency
Romania's currency is Leu (plural "Lei") (pronounced: lay).
1leu = 100 bani (pronounced: bahnee)
Foreign currencies may be exchanged in banks or in authorized exchange offices ("casa de schimb" or "birou de schimb valutar").
