Traditional Costumes The basic garment for both men and women is a shirt or chemise, which is made from hemp, linen or woolen fabric. The cut of this basic chemise is similar for men and women. In the past those worn by women usually reached to the ankles while men's shirts were shorter and worn over trousers or leggings made from strips of fabric. Women always wear an apron over the chemise. This was initially a single piece of cloth wrapped round the lower part of their bodies and secured by a belt at the waist, as is still seen in the east and south east of Romania. In Transylvania and the south west of Romania this became two separate aprons, one worn at the back and one at the front. Men's traditional clothing throughout Romania comprises a white shirt, white trousers, hat, belt, waistcoat and or overcoat. Local differences are indicated by shirt length, type of embroidery, trouser cut, hat shape, or waistcoat decoration. The outer garments worn by both men and women are similar, the main differences being in cut and decoration which depend mainly on the region of provenance. These garments are usually made of sheepskin, or felted woolen fabric, and decorated with leather appliqué and silk embroidery. The festive clothing, especially those worn for weddings was more richly embroidered. The oldest type of footwear is peasant sandals (opinci) worn with woolen or felt foot wraps or woolen socks.

Easter Eggs The origin of egg-painting is lost in the pre-Christian era and was transmitted to the Christians. According to a common Romanian folk legend, when Virgin Mary came to see her crucified son she carried a basket with eggs, which she laid at the foot of the cross while praying for Christ. His holy blood dropped on the eggs and reddened them. Traditionally, women paint Easter eggs on the Thursday before Easter as a symbol of the celebration of Christ's Ressurection. They paint hollowed-out or hard-boiled chicken eggs in various colors. The most common are red, yellow, and black, which can also be seen on traditional Romanian clothing. First the eggs are emptied of their contents or boiled and then covered with a thin layer of bee wax. Using special tools women decorate them with various motifs in vegetal (natural) colors. Each element has a particular meaning. The most popular ones are the cross, the star, the sun, the wave, the zigzags and flowers. Sometimes motifs are applied using natural leaves. On Sunday Easter morning the painted eggs are tapped together with the words “Christ is Risen” and the reply “He is Risen indeed.” The shells of the Easter eggs are blessed, they should not be thrown away, but sprinkled over the soil in gardens to provide for fertility and richer crops or thrown away in rivers. The tradition of painted Easter eggs can be found in other orthodox countries, such as Ukraine, Latvia, Poland, Bulgaria and even Russia. As opposed to these countries, where this custom restrained or nearly vanished, in Romania it flourished.

M ă rţişor Mărţişor is the symbol of spring and also a celebration of the beginning of the spring on the first of March. The day's name is the diminutive of March (in Romanian Martie). Its origins are uncertain, but it is widely believed that it originated in ancient Rome, because New Year's Eve was celebrated on the 1st of March (Martius), the month of the war god Mars. Nowadays, men offer women a talisman object also called Mărţişor, consisting of a jewel or a small decoration tied to a red and white string. Women wear it pinned to their clothes on this day and up to two weeks after. In some regions this custom was originally designated for both men and women.