March 1, 2019
Romanians celebrate Martisor, a symbol of spring
Newsroom, 01.03.2019, 14:09
RADIO ROMANIA – The Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation has, as of March 1st, a new local station in Brasov that airs on 93.3 FM. The news casts of Radio Romania Brasov FM focus on local developments, decisions of local authorities, ongoing projects, traffic, weather, cultural and artistic events as well as sports competitions. We remind you that last year, on November 1st, Radio Romania celebrated 90 years since its first broadcast. In the country, alongside national channels such as Radio Romania News, Radio Romania Culture, Radio Romania Music and Radio Romania Village Antenna, there are regional and local channels and also online channels for children and youth. Also, Radio Romania International has programs in 11 foreign languages as well as in Romanian and in the Aromanian dialect.
MARCH 1 – The Romanians are today celebrating Martisor, or the March Amulet, a symbol of spring. Small amulets, tied to a white and red thread are offered to the beloved ones. The word “martisor” is of Latin origin and is the popular name given to the month of March. According to the old Roman calendar, March 1 was the first day of the year, when the God Mars was celebrated. Ever since 2017, Romania has registered in the UNESCO World Heritage the cultural practices associated with March 1st alongside Bulgaria, Macedonia and the Republic of Moldova.
EXERCISE – More than 1,000 military are taking part in the first multinational exercise organized by the Romanian Navy in 2019 and entitled Poseidon 19, carried out between the 1st and the 8th of March in the Romanian territorial waters and the international waters in the western part of the Black Sea. Participating are 10 Romanian vessels, four military ships from Bulgaria, Germany, Spain and Turkey and two speed boats for divers. The air exercises will be carried out by a Puma Naval helicopter, two MiG 21 Lancer planes and two F-16 planes of the Romanian Air Force.
MEETING – An informal meeting of EU telecommunication ministers, organised by the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU is being held in Bucharest. The main topics of the agenda are artificial intelligence and cyber security. Romanian Minister of Communications and Information Society, Alexandru Petrescu, has told Radio Romania that participants will look at present challenges and will also try to find ways to increase the European economy’s competitiveness. The purpose is for the EU to acquire strategic autonomy in terms of technology.
VISIT – Romanian PM Viorica Dancila has announced that the US Vice President Mike Pence will pay a visit to Romania in the first half of this year. She has also said she discussed over the phone with Mike Pence about the Romanian-American relations, seen as excellent, that have a positive evolution within the Strategic Partnership between the two states. Dancila has reconfirmed the importance that Romanian pays to the consolidation of trans-Atlantic ties. In his turn, Mike Pence has highlighted the importance of the Strategic Partnership for the Washington Administration and has voiced appreciation for how Romania handles the presidency of the Council of the EU.
JOB FAIR – The Labor Ministry in Bucharest will organize, in the upcoming period, a job fair for the Romanians who work abroad, in EU countries, in order to persuade them to return to Romania to work in the constructions sector which now pays much better. Minister Marius Budai has said that additional measures will be taken to ‘stabilize’ the labor force in the context of a significant labor force deficit and low unemployment rate in certain areas in Romania, in particular in the western region. The Minister has added that, given the recent fiscal measures, the net salary of a worker in the field of constructions cannot be less than the equivalent in lei of 500 euros. (Translated by Elena Enache)
