FAMILY LIFE
Family plays an important role in the day-to-day lives of Romanians. Children are considered important in a marriage. Most families have one or two children except the Romany people or Gypsies, who tend to marry earlier and have more children.

All Romanian men serve in the army from ages 19-21. sually they do not marry until after their army service. The age of marriage for city dwellers is older than that of rural people. Most weddings in Romania include civil and religious ceremonies. In the past, married children stayed with their parents. Now more and more young couples live on their own.

Parents in their old age are usually looked after by their children. Only those without children or any close relatives go to nursing homes.

Over 56% of Romania's population lives in the lowlands of the country. Cities offer a wide range of opportunities for young people to meet. In rural settings, sometimes a traditional dance known as the Hora was a way for men and women to meet.

Romanians practise equality between men and women at home. This is true more in urban than in rural settings. In the cities most women work outside the home. Most decisions within the family are made together. Men and women are involved in almost all activities of family life as well as public life.

Traditionally, around December 20th, it was common for families to slaughter a pig at dawn and spend the rest of the day preparing bacon and sausages.

The urban lifestyle of Romanians is similar to that of other people of Europe. Older people still preserve their customs while the younger generation follows the general cultural trends of today's changing world.


Did you know?

The largest Gypsy community in the world, an estimated two million people, lives in Romania. They are the country's largest ethnic minority and are called Romany.