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The term "solstice" comes from the Latin word "solstitium" which means "the sun stands still." It marks the time of year when the day is the longest and the night is the shortest, an astronomical turning point where the length of the day starts to decrease gradually after surpassing the autumnal equinox (when day and night are equal) until the winter solstice when it reaches its minimum and then begins to increase. The period between the two solstices is six months, marked by the two equinoxes (autumn and spring) occurring once every three months. The spring equinox signifies the return of nature to life in many beliefs and traditions, culminating in the celebration of "solstitial bliss" at the end of June with the maidenly and graceful appearance of the Sânziene associated with eroticism, hope, and optimism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study focuses on the field research methodology of customs based on the opinions of specialists that we analyzed using a critical approach. Additionally, we incorporated our own experience as field researchers over six decades. Initially, we examined established methods such as reconstruction, direct observation, interview, and investigation based on questionnaires. We then researched the specific elements that give customs the status of regional variants, including any unusual ones that express the richness of this genre in the investigated area. Our study also emphasizes the importance of filming and photographing customs for their preservation, as they are in a process of evolution and disappearance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are some characters who fully traverse the cultural history of humanity. One of them is Saint George, a motif with considerable standing, with a pronounced archaic background, over which new contexts and meanings have overlapped. The mythical model of the manly god/hero from the Indo-European space, who confronts and defeats the monster or dragon, which has become one of the founding myths, is also found in Christianity. The legend of Saint George has a myth-folkloric base with strong reverberations in the consciousness of the Romanian people. Saint George has gained a special place in the calendar of pastoral and agrarian customs, being a symbol of the fight for the defence of the ancestral land and the dignity of the Romanian people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an allogeneic environment as Dobruja, the identitary continuity of communities can only be achieved through permanent conservation and enhancement of intangible cultural heritage. Demographically majoritary being until 1877, Tartars and Turks were the ones who founded most localities in Dobruja. They have maintained their ethnic-linguistic, religious and cultural identity over time, succeeding to express themselves in traditional spirit, despite of denationalization factors to which they were subjected. A significant part of the intangible cultural heritage of Tatars in Dobruja, is the current musical folklore, which demonstrated in time its strength and value. This paper analyzes the song Ey, guzel Qîrîm! - Oh, my beautiful Crimea/, which I discovered during collecting current folk music of Tatar community in Dobruja. Inspired by sufferings caused by brutally leaving the native land, this melody has the status of patriotic song for all Tatars, regardless of their origin or the place they are living now. Considered to be representative for the Crimean Tatars of the entire world, this relatively young creation, having been conceived in the second half of the twentieth century, presents similar characteristics with the alienation Doina of the traditional Dacoromanian repertoire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hereby article presents some characteristics of the family customs, those related to birth, marriage, funeral. These rites of passage have a collective character, although they are related to each individual life. We do not intend to make an exhaustive presentation on the rites of passage of the Jews in Maramures, or to come up with theoretical considerations on customs' research, but we just want to present a of the information achieved so far based on field research and of course using bibliographic sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The background it is one of the approach in the neorealist way, of the social environment reconstruction, in interdetermination relation with the characters, the modern element being the idea of the becoming. The Romanians from the Serbian Banat had structured themselves at the various cultural confluences -- especially Serbian and German. Some writers, as Radu Flora, had also the field researcher vocation and in his novels he transmitted interesting observations concerning traditions and customs of the villages which constitute the social background of the narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]