Gift ideas and romantic places for Dragobete: lovers’ day, the Romanian way

Even though more and more Romanians started to celebrate Valentine’s Day in recent years, Romania has its own lovers’ day – Dragobete, celebrated every year on February 24. An increasingly number of Romanians - and even foreigners - started preferring the local holiday to the foreign one. There are several traditions related to the Dragobete, but they are not so much kept in Romania’s urban areas. Here, the day is mainly celebrated through special events, while lovers give each other small gifts. As Dragobete is a traditional Romanian celebration, here's a list of Romanian things that can turn into gifts for your loved ones.

• Spring flowers – as Dragobete is also one of the celebrations that mark the beginning of spring, why not offering the loved one a small bouquet of spring flowers such as snowdrops, daffodils, tulips or violets. Snowdrops, daffodils and violets can also be easily found across Romania's woods and spinneys.
• Traditional Romanian items – you can find some beautiful handmade wooden spoons and other Romanian traditional crafts here, or you can choose a traditional Romanian blouseie from here. In case your loved one is a movie fan, there is a wide list of Romanian films at Carturesti (with English subtitles) here. You can also opt for some music signed by Romanian artists. Find a list here.
• If you want to surprise your loved one with a special Romanian dish, there is a cookbook that might help you at Carturesti. You can also find it online here.
• If the one you love is a technology enthusiast, maybe you can offer him/her some of the gadgets made by Romanian producers such as Evolio,