February 14. Valentine's Day
From all the western holidays, Valentine's Day was easily adopted by young people in Moldova. Every year more and more people are in the search for Valentine's gifts and of course red roses, though there is a slight difference in the number of flowers. In Moldova, uneven number of blooms shows condolence, and the most preferred number is seven and not twelve.

Valentine's Day is a holiday whose origins stretch back to the root of the word romance, the was the fertility festival in Imperial Roman, the goddess Juno was honored in an early spring festival. Juno was the deity young women prayed to when hoping for a marriage match.

Pagan practices also provided a god for young men - Lupercus, who was also honored with a spring festival. A special feature of the Lupercan festival was its annual lottery in which young men drew the names of available young women. The girl they chose would be their partner for the festival, and often the arrangement led to marriage.

Saint Valentine, legend has it, was a Catholic priest or bishop who performed secret marriages for young lovers, despite a decree from Roman emperor Claudius banning the institution of marriage. Apparently Claudius thought that married soldiers weren't as good as single soldiers. The priest lost his head for his trouble, but gained sainthood and February 14th comes down to us today as a celebration of both the saint and the romantic love he sanctified.

March 1. Martisor
Every spring on March 1 people from Moldova, along with their neighbors in Romania and Bulgaria, celebrate Martisor, the rebirth of life after the cold winter. On this day men offer to their beloved women flowers (snowdrops, tulips, mimosa, narcissus and martisors (marzzyshore). Martisor is the symbol of serenity and happiness). Literally Martisor means little March.

The tradition's origins go back to Dacian times (Romanians' ancestors). It was previously called "dachia dragobete" - the end of winter. The pin-charm could only be made during the winter months and worn after March 1st. In earlier times, the Dacians would hang little coins from a thin, twisted black and white wool rope. The coin type - gold, silver, or other metal - dictated the individual's social status or wealth. The coin charms were originally used to provide both luck for the future and protection from the environment to the wearer. The ropes stood for the advent of summer, warmth, and regeneration (white), while intertwined with the constant presence of winter, cold, and death (black). The amulets were also believed to enhance fertility, provide beauty and prevent sunburn in women! Young girls even threw the amulets toward the sun to prevent freckles! They were worn on the wrist or pinned over the heart. Many wore the pins until trees began to bloom, hanging the amulets in the tree branches after that point.

In modern times, the pins lost their talisman properties and became symbols of love. The black ropes were replaced with red, possibly influenced by the Valentine practice of the western world. In certain areas the amulets are still made with black and white ropes - for warding off evil!
There are a few legends that explain this beautiful tradition. Here are two we of them.

One of the old Moldovan legend says that once in a fight with the winter witch, that didn't want to give up its place, the beautiful lady Spring cut her finger and few drops of her blood fall on the snow, which melt. Soon on this place grew a snowdrop and in such a way the spring won the winter.
Another legend tells that there was a time when the Sun used to take the shape of a young man and descend on Earth to dance among folk people. Now a dragon found out about this and followed the Sun on Earth, captured him and confined him in a dungeon in his castle. Suddenly the birds stopped singing and the children could not laugh anymore but no one dared to confront the dragon. One day a brave young man set out to find the dungeon and free the Sun. Many people joined in and gave him strength and courage to challenge the mighty dragon. The journey lasted three seasons: summer, autumn and winter. At the end of the third season the brave young man could finally reach the castle of the dragon where the Sun was imprisoned. The fight lasted several days until the dragon was defeated. Weakened by his wounds the brave young man however managed to set the Sun free to the joy of those who believed in him. Nature was alive again, people got back their smile but the brave young man could not make it through spring. His warm blood was draining from his wounds in the snow. With the snow melting, white flowers, called snowdrops, harbingers of spring, sprouted from the thawing soil. When the last drop of the brave young man's blood fell on the pure white snow he died with pride that his life served a noble purpose. Since then people braid two tassels: one white and one red. Every March 1 men offer this amulet called Martisor to the women they love. The red color symbolizes love for all that is beautiful and also the blood of the brave young man, while white represents purity, good health and the snowdrop, the first flower of spring.

Since 1967, the Martisor musical festival is held from March 1st to 10th in Chisinau.

March 8. Women Day
Moldova inherited this holiday during the Soviet period. The holiday originally celebrated "the heroic woman worker" nowadays is celebrated in the fashion of Mother's Day, but not only mothers are congratulated but all woman, even young ones. On this day men show and tell appreciation for the women in their lives -mothers, sisters, wives, daughters and girl-friends. The most desired flowers are tulips, mimosa and roses.

April 23. Easter (2006 - Eastern Orthodox Easter)
Easter is Moldova's most important religious holiday. For this day every family gets together for Easter lunch, important to say is that even nowadays people fasten until noon, when someone from the family comes from the Church with holy food (colored red eggs and Easter Bread, called Pasca). For Easter meals people clash colored eggs with each others, the one who holds the egg says "The Christ has arisen" the other one before clashing answers "Has truly arose". The one who's egg is clashed looses it and gives it to the winner. And generally instead of greeting people by a regular Hi or Good morning, afternoon … one says "The Christ has arisen". For this day a Pasca (Easter Bread similar to Italian panttone) is usually given as gift