Dragobete is a traditional Romanian holiday, celebrated on February 24. Contacted by Info-Prim Neo, folklorist Varvara Buzila said this is mainly a holiday of the young people that was transformed into a commercial event over time and became the Romanian equivalent of St. Valentine's Day. The day is known as "the day when the birds are getting engaged". Around this day, the birds begin to assemble their nests and mate. During the day, considered locally the first day of spring, the boys and girls pick up spring flowers and sing together. “If the weather allows it, girls and boys pick snowdrops or other early spring plants for someone they are courting. The young people used to meet in the center of the village or in front of the church. If the weather was good, they would go singing in small groups to the forest, and if the weather was bad, they would gather at one's place to play games and tell stories,” Varvara Buzila said. In different areas, Dragobete is celebrated on different dates – February 23, February 28, and March 25. According to the Romanian common belief, those who took part in the Dragobete festivities were protected against any sickness all year long. “It is good that the young people have their holiday as they must form their own traditions and contribute to the development of the people's culture. They should take from holidays what is more valuable,” Varvara Buzila added. A mythological deity similar to Eros or Cupid, the son of Dochia, Dragobete is a handsome man who likes to indulge himself in love affairs. He isn't mild like St. Valentine, but tempestuous like the Dacian god who was thought to celebrate in heaven the marriage of all the animals.