The name "Romania", which was first used when the three regions of the country were united in 1859, reflects the influence of ancient Rome on the nation's language and culture. The three regions—Walachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania—are relatively culturally uniform. There is a significant Hungarian community in Transylvania (approx. 7% of the Romanian population), which has its own language and traditions. Also, ethnic Roma represent approximately 3.3% of the total population of Romania according to the 2011 census.

Interesting facts about Romanian culture:

• Ethnic make-up: Romanian 88.92%, Hungarian 6.6%, Roma 3.29%, Ukrainian 0.27%, German 0.19%, Russian 0.12%, Turkish 0.15%, other 0.10% (2011)
• Predominant religion: Orthodox Christianity but with large and thriving Catholic, Baptist, Pentecostal, Muslim, Jewish and Atheist minorities.
• The modernist "Dada" movement (Dadaism) of the 1920s was co-founded by Romanian artists Tristan Tzara and Marcel Iancu.
• On March 1st Romanians celebrate the beginning of spring in a unique way by offering and wearing "Martisor" (small trinket attached to a red/ white lace - red for love and white for honesty), a tradition that it is said to have originated in Roman times.
• The oldest cave drawings in Central and Eastern Europe were found recently in Romania’s Coliboaia cave. Discovered by chance during a routine expedition in a very remote area in Apuseni National Park, the 13 drawings, which represent animals such as rhinos, buffalos, horses and cats, are approximately 32,000 years.
• Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci was the first to achieve a perfect routine and get the first score of 10.00 in the history of gymnastics, during the Olympics in Montreal (1976). Other Romanian famous sports performers are: Gheorghe Hagi, Ilie Nastase, Ion Tiriac, Ivan Patzaichin, Lia Manoliu, Iolanda Balas, Simona Halep, Gabriela Szabó.
• The world's first industrial oil refinery opened at Ploieşti (Southern Romania) in 1857. Oil was exploited commercially in Romania since 1857.
• Romanians are known for hospitality and generosity. Guests are always offered food and drinks. Men indicate their respect for women by a tip of the hat, a kiss on the hand, or standing to offer them a seat. It is also customary for younger people to defer to their elders. As well, the customary greeting when friends meet is kissing on both cheeks.

Traditions are preserved in rural areas more than in the big cities. Some of the traditions include: the art of painting eggs around Easter time, pottery, wood carving, textile handicraft, folk masks, glass artistry which is believed to date back to the Roman Empire.

The official language is Romanian, spoken by approximately 90% of the population. Approximately 1,700 years old, Romanian is one of the five Latin languages in the world, together with French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, but it also has Slavic influences.

Hungarian is spoken by around 7% of the population, mainly in Transylvania. There is also a population of German speakers in Transylvania who make up around 1.5% of the national population. Other languages spoken especially in the East and South East part of the country are: Aromanian (also known as Macedo-Romanian or Vlach), Turkish, Greek and Russian.

Romanian language classes are organized in different universities within dedicated departments. The preparatory language programme takes a full year for undergraduate students, however for post graduate study, the course takes six months. 

If you are interested in studying Romania, you can apply for the Romanian language preparatory year in one of the universities that provide such courses. The complete list is available here. 

You may choose to study Romanian in your country of origin. Currently, the Romanian Language Institute (ILR) manages 51 Romanian language lectures at various universities in Europe, North America, the Caucasus, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. By accessing the interactive map on their ILR website, you can find out more details about their whereabouts.

Whether we’re talking about the music, theatre and visual arts, sports, food, or general entertainment, Romania is the place to be.

You’ve probably already placed us well on the map, since Romania is the place to be if you’re looking for a memorable musical experience. Some of the music festivals organized in Romania are renowned worldwide, and we’ll mention just a few: 

• George Enescu classical music festival, a multi-week international celebration which takes place in Bucharest during the month of September. It is part of Romania’s cultural brand, with over 20,000 international visitors each year and major media coverage festivalenescu.ro;

• Garana Jazz Festival, a 4-day, annual jazz festival, organized in July up in the West mountains  at Garana - Poiana Lupului garana-jazz;

• Summer Well held in August at Stirbey Castle near Bucharest summerwell, Electric Castle electriccastle and Untold untold, in the Cluj area, all bringing together thousands of visitors each year and renowned performers;

• Sighisoara Medieval Festival, a multi-day event, late in July, in the historic fortified town of Sighisoara, featuring costumes, music, dances, foods, crafts, games, and rituals from the Middle Ages.

Museums and theatres fan? Romania has something to offer for you too! All major cities have numerous museums you can visit and, for most of them, students benefit from various discounts. Just to have a taste, you can start with:

• National Museum of Art of Romania, located in the former Royal Palace in Bucharest, displays permanent and temporary exhibitions mnar.arts; 

• Palace of Culture in Iasi, currently accommodating four museums of art, history, ethnography and science & technology palatulculturii;

• Peles National Museum, built at the initiative of Carol I, the first king of Romania peles;

• ASTRA National Museum Complex near Sibiu, the most important ethnographic (and outdoor) museum in Romania muzeulastra.

You like spending time outdoors? Romania is perfect for you then, because many of our campuses are placed right next to magnificent parks (such as Copou Park in Iași, Cișmigiu Garden in Bucharest, Botanical Garden in Cluj) and natural areas (Apuseni Mountains near Cluj; Danube Delta and the Black Sea near Constanța, Retezat Mountains near Sibiu) that are great weekend walking and hiking opportunities.

If you want to exercise indoors, you can find numerous gyms, from hotels to your neighbourhood – everything you need to keep in shape. 

And to take you from one place to another in the big cities, you can also rent an electric scooter, with multiple options to pick from, based on your city of residence. For all available options, you should check with local providers. 

And if you want to plan your escapes, just make sure you take into account the public holidays in Romania:

• 1 January - New Year's Day 

• 24 January - Unification Day

• Orthodox Easter (check your calendar for yearly updates)

• 1 May - Labour Day

• Orthodox Pentecost 

• 15 August  - Assumption of Mary 

• 30 November - Saint Andrew 

• 1 December - National Day 

• 25 & 26 December – Christmas.