Lifestyles change because of various reasons : the social conditions, the political regime or just because the world is in progress. For 12 years the Romanians have been trying to regain their social and economical democracy and freedom. This has had a significant impact on their lifestyle.

In learning our manners, the family plays one of the most important parts, because it helps create a character from the first days of our lives. At the age of seven, every child has to go to school, where our models become our teachers. A good teacher is a loved one and their manners can be their pupils’.

Probably as everywhere, politeness is appreciated in Romania, so even the youngest members of our society know that you must treat elderly people with respect. It is considered an act of rudeness if you do not let someone finish what they were saying or if you mock at someone older than yourself.

Despite the influence of historical events, the most important traditions and values of our people have been preserved. It is most common for a Romanian to be very attached to his family. Relatives usually meet at anniversaries, baptisms, weddings, funerals, which are the most important moments in one’s life.

Religion is also important for us. The people from the countryside go to church more often than the people in cities, but in the last years a lot of young Romanians have gathered in and around churches at Easter and Christmas Eve. There is a sort of orthodox revival among young people because religion has been taught in school as well since 1990.

The Romanians like eating and that is why our traditional kitchen is diverse and also tasty. Most women cook quite a lot because we eat all the meals in the family. Rarely do the Romanians go to restaurants to have dinner and when they do there must be a special occasion. Men like to prepare alcoholic drinks ( wine and the traditional plum drink ) in their household and drink them with their family and friends.

If men sometimes go fishing or to a pub to watch a football game, women spend their free time at home. Still, in most of the cases, men and women spend the weekends together with their families.

Being a woman in Romania is quite challenging because she has to divide her time between her family ( children, husband, household ) and her profession. Women in Romania are neat and elegant which means they, surprisingly, find the time to go to the hairdresser’s or shopping for themselves. In the last six or seven years there has been remarked the woman’s emancipation in that women prefer making a career and taking care less of their household.

Teenagers obviously have a completely different lifestyle compared to their parents. They spend their free time on the Internet, watching music programmes, going to discos, parties, movies, or just meeting and walking with friends.

Children, teenagers and many adults dress casually, most likely in jeans. However, everyone likes to be admired in their elegant clothes worn at anniversaries, weddings, or when celebrating the New Year’s Eve.

Speaking of anniversaries, one should take into consideration that the Romanians offer gifts frequently : at birthday parties, at weddings, when inaugurating a newly built house and even when friends visit each other after a long period of time. We like flowers and that is why we like to offer them as a token of love, respect and friendship.

The Romanians like their homes, which makes them very good hosts. Their hospitality is a characteristic feature of their nature and they like to impress their guests by offering the best food and accomodation in the most pleasant atmosphere.

The Romanians concern themselves with various cultural aspects such as buying or reading books or surfing on the Internet. Theatre and opera goers are less and less, because in their rush to do extra jobs for extra money, people simply do not find the time for this kind of entertainment. They prefer to watch TV quite a lot as it is time and money saving and more comfortable.

Having suffered from an imposed alteration of the traditional values and a denial of religion during the long years of communism, the Romanian society today seems to undergo a revival of what is essential for any people : the love and respect for their predecessors, the concern for the material and spiritual welfare of their children.