In 1916 Paulescu developed an aqueous pancreatic extract which normalized the blood sugar levels in a diabetic dog. He had to interrupt his experiments during the World War I till 1921 when he wrote an extensive whitepaper on the effect of the pancreatic extract injected into a diabetic animal: Research on the Role of the Pancreas in Food Assimilation. The paper was published in August 1921 in the Archives Internationales de Physiologie.

His discovery was patented on April 10, 1922 by the Romanian Ministry of Industry and Trade – patent no. 6254.

And the Nobel Prize Goes to…

In 1923 two other scientists were to be recognized as the creators of insulin: doctor Frederick Grant Banting and biochemist John James Richard Macleod.

Curiously enough, in 1921 Banting started performing the experiments that led to the “discovery of insulin” on dogs, inspired by the early works of Polish-German physician Oscar Minkowski who in 1889 removed the pancreas from a healthy dog to test its assumed role in digestion.

If you go back at the beginning of the article you will note that Paulescu was successfully performing the same type of experiments in 1916.

By the time Banting isolated insulin, Paulescu already held a patent for its discovery. Moreover, Banting was familiar with Paulescu’s work.

He even uses Paulescu’s “Research on the Role of the Pancreas in Food Assimilation” as reference in the paper that brought him the Nobel, although he misquotes:

He states that injections into peripheral veins produce no effect and his experiments show that second injections do not produce such marked effect as the first

This might sound a bit nationalist, but do you honestly believe Banting’s “excuse:”

I regret very much that there was an error in our translation of Professor Paulescu’s article, I cannot recollect, after this length of time, exactly what happened (…) I do not remember whether we relied on our own poor French or whether we had a translation made. In any case I would like to state how sorry I am for this unfortunate error (…)

There were obscure times back in the 1920s and I wouldn’t dismiss the possibility that the Canadians simply used Paulescu’s work in their own benefit. Banting misquoted Paulescu in his paper – which was obviously detrimental for the Romanian scientist. The Nobel Committee back in 1923 didn’t bother to proof too much the “discoveries” submitted to their attention.

Recognition After 50 Years

We have Professor Ian Murray to thank for the international recognition of Paulescu’s work. This followed in 1971, almost 50 years after Paulescu’s discovery of insulin.

Insufficient recognition has been given to Paulescu, the distinguished Romanian scientist, who at the time when the Toronto team were commencing their research had already succeeded in extracting the antidiabetic hormone of the pancreas and proving its efficacy in reducing the hyperglycemia in diabetic dogs.

Today this recognition doesn’t serve us much. The discovery of insulin is wrongly attributed to the two Canadian scientists. Almost all publications that write about the discovery of insulin state that:

Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas. It was isolated in 1921-22 at the University of Toronto.

Paulescu’s experiments from 1916 are completely ignored. He is not even mentioned on Banting’s biographical site, not even at least as a precursor. I think this is one of those historical injustices that will never be amended.

It hosts over 8000 paintings (many declared national and universal patrimony) signed by artists like Paolo Veronese, Pietro Liberi, Salvator Rosa, Anthony van Dyck, Eustache Le Sueur and many others.

It is home of over 35000 relics from various fields: archeology, art, ancient scholastic, anthropology and so much more.

It showcases over 11000 ethnographic objects, including popular costumes, tools and folk home decorations, depicting the advance of the Romanian civilization through the ages.

It hosts a museum of Science and Technology and…

… it is one of the largest and most beautiful buildings in Romania.

The Palace of Culture from Iasi hosts four museums: Moldavia’s History Museum, the Ethnographic Museum of Moldavia, the Art Museum, and the “Stefan Procopiu” Science and Technique Museum.

It was built on the ruins of the old Royal Court of Moldavia by order of King Carol I. The construction started in 1906 and it was finished on October 11, 1925, when it was also officially inaugurated by King Ferdinand. This is considered the most outstanding work of Romanian architect I.D. Berindei.

The Palace was initially projected to have 365 rooms, one for each day of the year, but the standing construction only has 298 rooms, spanning over 36000m². The impressive edifice is built in neogotic Flamboyant style, decorated with heraldic elements on the façade, and including various gothic elements indoors.

Do make sure you visit this amazing destination when in Romania – and until then, enjoy a virtual tour online.

The flowers used to prepare the cordial come from Sambucus nigra – a species of elder native to Europe, northwest Africa and southwest Asia.

There’s nothing better than homemade elderflower cordial, but this is far from being an easy recipe, especially if you don’t know that the leaves and branches of the elder plant are poisonous for internal use, and so are its fruits if they are not fully ripe.

Even the seeds of the elderberries are poisonous and should be removed before consuming. You might say Romanians like to live dangerously… well, there is actually no danger in consuming Socata – the flowers are perfectly safe to consume and they can be even used to prepare herbal teas.

The flowers contain pectin; sugars; triterpenes (a class of hydrocarbons); flavonoids like rutin, quercetin and kampherol; and oils.

Infused in hot water, for 10 to 15 minutes, the flowers make a tea that helps reducing respiratory catarrh. The infusion induces sweat, meaning that it can be effectively used to treat fever and infection. If you didn’t know it by now, the herbal medicine Sinupret contains elder flowers – proving once more their efficacy in treating bronchitis and reducing congestion without side effects.

A milder elderflower infusion can be used as an eye wash in conjunctivitis. Naturist treatment of rheumatic problems, herpes simplex, ear infections, constipation and other problems affecting the immune system also use elderflowers. Treatment of acne, eczema and psoriasis employs elderflower infusion quite often due to the astringent properties of the flowers – the Egyptians even used the flowers to heal burns.

As you see, the many healing properties of the plant make it a perfect candidate for naturist medicine, but in Romania we simply consume the cordial because it is tasty. In the end it doesn’t matter why you drink it as long as you enjoy it.

And here is the recipe, as I remember it from my grandma:

• 10-12 big elderflowers, fully blossomed
• 1 kg sugar
• 5 big lemons
• 150 g sugar to make caramel syrup
• 8 liters cold water
• 1 tbs leaven

Prepare a caramel syrup from the 150 g sugar: poor sugar into a small pan, set over a quick fire and stir constantly while the sugar melts and changes to a light brown liquid. Then add one cup warm water and stir till the caramel dissolves.

Boil 3 liters of water with 1 kg sugar and the juice from one lemon for 15 minutes. When the mixture is lukewarm poor it into a 10 l glass jar and mix it with the remaining 5 liters of water, the caramel syrup, the elderflowers and the juice from the rest of the lemons (you could use sliced lemons instead, but they’ll get a bitter taste if you forget them in the infusion more than a day). Add leaven and cover the jar with clean gauze. Let the flowers infuse for 3-6 days, but stir the beverage twice a day and taste occasionally.

The drink is non alcoholic in the first 2-3 days or it can become a mild alcoholic drink in 3-5 day (the reason why the drink is also known as elder wine). If you don’t want to consume it in its alcoholic form, don’t wait longer than 3 days to strain the content of the jar through clean muslin and bottle it. Store it in the fridge.

Cold Fanta Shokata will remind you of the taste of the original Socata beverage, but it’s really not the same thing and it has no health benefits (the flavor is not even natural).

Although there are still no clear records regarding his place of birth, most of the biographers mention Timisoara, Romania as his birth city. Meet Johnny Weissmuller, the one and only Tarzan the Ape Man, whose ululating yell still resounds in the theaters.

There are certainly some things we cannot deny when we look back: his exceptional physique, his sex-appeal and definitely his stage presence and talent. While the physique was obviously the result of intense training – Johnny Weissmuller won five gold medals at the Olympics in 1920, won fifty-two US National Championships and set sixty-seven world records as a swimmer – we like to think that the “sex-appeal” is a an inherited trait from the Banat Swabians from Timisoara.

Can you imagine Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Hulk, Daredevil or so many other superheroes without Stan Lee? Yes, he was born in New York, but his parents were Romanian-born Jews. What would Marvel be without him today?

In 1882 when Bela Lugosi was born, his city of birth Lugoj was part of Austro-Hungarian Empire. Of course Bela is a Hungarian native, but we like to think he carried the spirit of the Romanians living under Austro-Hungarian occupation with him. You know Bela as one of the best Draculas Hollywood has ever brought in a theatre.

Virgin Mary is also the spiritual protector of the Navy, so August 15 was naturally chosen as the Day of the Navy or the Marine Day. It was first celebrated onboard of Elisabeth cruiser by all the Sea Division officers August 15, 1902.

There’s not much information available about the history of the event. We do know that the first festivities took place in 1902 and that the celebration became more and more popular as time went by.

In 1925 the sailors onboard of vessel Mircea – now the school vessel of the Romanian Military Maritime Academy of Constanta – celebrated the Navy Day in harbor Cuda of Crete.

In 1928 the festivities had special guests: Polish sailors from the vessel Lwow. It was the first time when a foreign crew participated in this national event. New sailor games were added, some with amusing names like The Black Sea Whale, The Old Man’s Fleet, etc.

1933 added to the program various contests (boating, swimming, swimming horses, etc) and fun activities (like ducks chasing). Basically each year brought something new and fresh in the program. Theatrical representations were included after the World War II, in 1956, when actors from the Naval Academy put in stage comedy sketches like “The Wedding Attacked by Pirates.” Neptune himself joins the festivities in his boat-chariot in 1958 and he never left them ever since.

Many things have changed since 1958: the celebration became richer, new games were added and new traditions emerged. The most spectacular part of the event takes place in front of the Casino in Constanta, which is situated in the immediate vicinity of the harbor.

If you visit Romania in August and you happen to be at the Black Sea shore on the 15^th, you will probably watch in wonder the military parades, the fireworks and the sea games. Neptune riding the waves on the back of a whale is not a daily occurrence - it happens just once a year, on August 15.

Each year a flower anchor is thrown into the sea in memory of the heroic sailors who died in battle protecting Romania. Each year on August 15 the National Hymn resounds at the shore followed by 21 artillery salvos.

Games and challenges complete the naval and air parades. The festivities continue till late at night with music, dance and fireworks. The Constanta Harbor (or Tomis Harbor) becomes the main attraction of the season on this day, despite the fact that similar festivities are organized in other harbors as well for example Mangalia, Tulcea, Orsova and Galati.

This year however, the celebration in Galati will only feature military and religious ceremonies, as all civilian entertainment has been cancelled at the initiative of major Dumitru Nicolae who decided to use the funds to help the victims of the floods that took place in the north of the country.

“Here we have, on the Valley of Cerna, the most beautiful spa in the continent.“

Baile Herculane is an ancient spa resort located in the National Park Valea Cernei-Domogled, in the valley of the Cerna River. The spa is flanked by the Charpathian’s Mehedinti Mountains to the east and the Cerna Mountains to the west.

Legends of Hercules abound in the region and the locals firmly believe that the great hero did stop here to rest and bathe. The first mention of the spa dates 153 BC when the Romans established here the Thermae Herculi (Ad aquas Herculi Sacras).

This was the main spa destination for the Roman aristocracy of the time – Emperor Marcus Aurelius himself visited the thermae pretty often.

Later on other important personalities of the history came here for treatment, including Goethe and Hans Christian Andersen, Emperor Joseph II, Emperor Francisc I, Empress Charlotte, Empress Elisabeth and Emperor Franz Joseph who also said about the resort:

“here we have, on the Valley of Cerna, the most beautiful spa in the continent.“

The ruins of the Roman thermae can still be seen today, along with aqueducts, baths and votive tabulas raised in the honor of the gods who gave the healing waters. Six statues of Hercules from that time were discovered in the region and a replica of one of them guards the central square of the town and it is the symbol of the spa.

Baile Herculane is one of the most popular health resorts in Romania – renowned for its thermal mineral water springs that are used to treat rheumatic, dermatologic, cardiovascular and neurological conditions.

Specific for the Herculane climate is the negative aero-ionization that impacts not only the human organism but also the flora and fauna. The thermal springs have temperatures varying between 40 and 60°C and their level of minerals varies as well: at Herculane you will find different thermal springs: sulphurous, calcious, chlorine-sodious, magnesic, oligomatic and hipotone.

This is not only a health destination, but a travel and activity destination as well, the perfect location for family adventure. The place has got it all: a rich history displayed in the resort’s museum and almost everywhere the traveler goes on votive stones, architectural details, ancient ruins and more; amazing nature – the Carpathians are already famous for their beauty.

The Cave of the Thieves for example has multiple levels, with relics from different prehistoric periods including Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic. Each August the visitors of the spa are invited to the Hercules Folkloric Festival that shows a number of traditional costumes, masks, folk dances and songs, folk artifacts and so on.

“Paparuda, ruda,
Vino de ne uda
Ca sa-nceapa ploaie,
Sa curga siroaie”

(Come litle rain, come and make us wet. When you come with the sieve, let it be a barnful.)

The girl walks on every street and stops to dance her pagan dance at every house in the village. Sometimes she is followed by other villagers who dance and sing around her, sometimes she performs the ritual alone. She has to please the goddess, who in return will bless the thirsty fields with heavy rain.

I watched the dance as a young girl - I remember I was 12 years old. That summer was particularly dry so the people in my grandma’s village decided it was time to call the goddess of rain. A pagan incantation, an heresy if you want, but even the priest of the village believed… A young gypsy girl was chosen to dance. She started the ritual at the village’s public fountain then continued on every street… at every house, as the tradition required.

It was in incredible experience, one of the dearest memories from my childhood and sure one of the most extraordinary, unbelievable, incredible. Do you know why? Because it did rain a heavy rain that evening. It rained a storm, it poured and I remember hearing joyful laughters in the rain, happy cheers, but in the end… the people were all thanking God for the rain. The rain goddess was forgotten…

I don’t know if they still perform this ritual in the village of my childhood. There are probably villages where young girls still dance the dance that brings the rain, but I doubt that the belief is still there. Yet… I think it would be a pity for such a beautiful tradition to perish…

In areas where rains suffice the ritual was never not known. Originally the dance involved partial nudity, but this has changed in the last 30 years. When I was young the girls wore popular costumes under the willow skirts. But in the times when this ritual was common to every village affected by drought, partial nudity was common and necessary, as people would pour water on the rain callers. The rain callers were rewarded for their performance with corn, eggs, grains, milk, bread, fruits or money.

Photo credit: Draga.

The text of the incantation varies from region to region, from village to village. It has an official version but the text is not known in its entire form everywhere. Only the first verse “Paparuda, ruda” seems to be common.

The ritual was performed originally by native Romanians, and later by gypsies. It’s still unclear why the change of actors. Folklorists believe that since the ritual is performed by gypsies a lot of its essence was lost. They are probably right, especially when we consider all the variations in the text of the incantation. On the other hand, since it is customary for the rain caller to be rewarded with gifts of all sorts for her performance it is possible that the gypsies misused the ritual for material gain. There are however other explanations: as the dance involved partial nudity it makes sense that only gypsy girls would dare to expose their bodies. The Romanian girls, educated in strict Orthodox spirit, wouldn’t expose themselves.

The term “bucium”, derived from the Latin word “bucinum” (meaning curved horn or trumpet blast) is used n the Muntenian Carpathians of Arges and Prahova, and in the Moldavian Carpathians of Vrancea and Neamt. In Romania’s northern regions the name might be linked to the Slavic “trambica”, and may have been taken over from the Huţul and Rusyn populations. Other names of the same instrument are “trambita” in Bucovina and “trambita” or “tranghita” in Oas and Maramures.

Photo credit

The tulnic is an instrument with origins lost in our Dacian roots, somewhere at the dawn of civilization. It resembles the Alpenhorn but the sounds of the two instruments are quite different. Their usage however is sometimes similar. Specific to mountain dwellers in particular, it is mostly used by shepherds for signaling and communication in the forested mountains, as well as for guiding sheep and dogs, and it also used to be way to signal military conflicts in the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. Although it’s a huge instrument, ranging from 1.5 to 3 meters, women in the Apuseni mountains are using it frequently, sometimes to call their loved ones, other times for more practical purposes.

Depending on the region of the country, communications through the bucium song happen in different times of the day and have different meaning. While the shepherds are those who mostly use it (in the evening to call their sheep and dogs, or in the morning to take the sheep out), it is also an instrument leading funeral processions in Oas, Maramures and other villages in the north of Neamt. In the Apuseni, where women are the patrons of the tulnic, it’s mainly a communication device for those living in the highlands, similar to how Scandinavians use their luur.

The tube is made of well-seasoned deal, maple, ash, lime or hazel wood which is conical or cylindrical bored, slit length ways, hollowed out and then glued together. In northern Romania, metals are added to the tube: it can be made of galvanized iron and folded like a trombone. As it does not have valves or finger holes it can only play the pitches in the natural harmonic series.

My memories of the tulnic involve groups of women from the Apuseni mountains being brought to Bucharest to play these marvelous instruments on folk shows aired every Sunday. They came with their folk costumes and where in a complete contrast with the show host or the popular singers using makeup and modern jewelries. They were simple women, extremely modest, and you could easily tell they would have preferred not to be asked so many questions. They were there to sing, nothing more and definitely nothing less.

On those shows I found out of all the love stories behind the tulnic. The sounds of this instrument still seem to me the best to express lost love, missing the one you’ve lost or who is far away. When those women started singing, everything else just stopped, no one could think of anything else, except the song and the eyes of the musicians. There was a special glow, one seeming to hide secrets from long ago. No doubt angels chose this instrument to announce the Judgment Day!

The Danube Delta is truly one of the most beautiful places to see in Romania, so beautiful and valuable that UNESCO listed it as one of the World Heritage Sites. It is the second largest delta in Europe, but the best preserved on the continent. Its approximate surface is 4152 km², of which 3446 km² are in Romania, mostly the Tulcea county. The northen part of the Delta is situated in Ukraine.

On the Romanian shore live about 15000 people, from which cca. 4500 in the port of Sulina. With such a low population density it’s easy to understand why the ecosystem is still well preserved. The people living here have a high respect for their homeland. They know the waters and the lands, but sadly very few people born here stay through adulthood. Poverty is king in a land of unexpected richness and splendor.

More than 300 bird species reside here (including storks, egrets, swans and pelicans), 160 kinds of fish (including caviar-bearing sturgeon) and more than 800 plant families - all adding to the beauty of these wetlands.

You’ll travel by boat on channels and canals widening into clear-blue lakes. You’ll be mesmerized by oak forests and traditional fisherman villages.

You’ll be welcomed with the most exquisite home-made fish dishes. The Delta will lead you to the Black Sea after a short journey on its enchanted waters. I can honestly tell you: if you visit once, you’ll come back over and over again. The Danube Delta will put its spell on you as it did on my heart more than 15 years ago. It’s been three years since I last felt its scents, three long years since I last watched the pelicans flying over the oak trees. This is one of the downsides of living in a foreign country…

But when you travel there don’t miss visiting the Letea Forest and the villages surrounding it, for their ethnic architecture but especially to meet some of the most hospitable people in my country. My favorite summer destination was Murighiol and I strongly recommend it to the bird watchers and amateur fishermen.

Don’t worry about accommodations: agrotourism is flourishing and there are some very good bed and breakfast hotels and motels too (my personal favorite is the Cormoran Complex in Uzlina, not far from Murighiol).

Here are some itineraries:

• Village Letea - Village C.A.Rosetti - Letea Forest - Nebunu Lake and return;
• Village Nuntaşi - The Fortress of Histria - Sinoe Lake and return;
• Tulcea - Maliuc - The Information and Ecological Education Centre - Crişan Cannal - Caraorman - Puiu Lake - Halta Roşu - Busurca Cannal - Sulina - Tulcea;

The best trips will be organized by a local fisherman, who’ll know where you can witness the most extraordinary views and who will take you to the less frequented locations, where the motor-boats do not disturb the peace of the fauna. There you’ll see colonies of pelicans, rare birds and unimals in their natural habitat.

Some photos credit: JCKole

Calusarul is probably the most famous Romanian folk dance. It’s believed to be inherited from the Dacians, Romanian’s ancestors.

Its primordial meanings are lost in time, but folklorists and historians believe that the dance was either a fertility ritual or a ritual performed to cure off delirium caused by possession by “iele” (fairies).

Judging from the meanings of the word “calusar” the costumes and the movements in the dance, we could safely conclude that Calusarul was all of the above and more. The secrets of the dance are probably lost in time, but what’s interesting to know is that the original dance had a deep mystic course.

Members of the calusari, regardless of marital status, were bound in the group for 3, 5 or 9 years and also bound to refrain from any sexual contact with women during the ritual dance period. Luckily the ritual period was limited to Spring.

The calusari group has a very clear hierarchy: vataful din coada (the overseer at the tail end), ajutorul de vataf (overseer’s helper) and the vataf (overseer). Modern forms of the dance include the presence of the “fool” or the “mute” – character who wears a mask, carries a sword and a red wooden phallus. His presence on the stages of the modern folk dances is however rare. The leader of the group is responsible for selecting and training new members and for passing the secrets of the group orally to his successors.

It’s hard to say what “calusar” means – there are many definitions of the word, each derived from other beliefs.

• Some say the word comes from Latin “collosium” meaning a dance group and a secret society.
• Others relate the Romanian word “calus” which means a small piece of wood placed in the mouth to prevent talking.
• The word calus could be also seen as a diminutive of the Romanian word “cal” (horse) derived from the Latin caballus.
• Last but not least, it’s believed that “calusar” is derived from “Salii Collini” – Roman priests of Mars whose duty was to keep Rome safe in battle. There are of course similarities between “calusarii” and “Salii Collini”, but the number of differences almost excludes the possibility that they are related. It is however interesting to know that the word “saliens” means dancing and that the Salii Collini, 12 in number, were performing their rituals (including singing and dancing) in March and October.

Unlike Salii Collini, the calusari need to gather in odd numbers (7, 9 or 11, although you’ll see more today, probably because the dance looks even more spectacular if performed by perfectly synchronized larger groups) and their attested role was to “cure” and “protect” from evil spirits. Although members of a ritual group, the calusari were not priests, despite their “healing” powers. They had to perform their duties as calusari for nine years and only after these nine years were they allowed retiring from the group and still being under the grace of the spirits. Early retirement would result in sickness, possession, paralysis, misfortune and other “curses from the spirits.”

The dance spread abroad in Bulgaria and Serbia and it is also believed to be closely related to the Morris dance. Speculations suggest that the dance was borrowed from Dacia by the Celts. The dance originated in the south of Romania, specifically in the region of Oltenia, but there are variants of the dance in other regions too: Trilisesti and Tantaroiul in Moldavia, Barbatescul and De Sarit in Maramures, Fecioreasca in Transilvania, etc.

More information about Calusarii:

• Wikipedia article
• Morris and Calusari Dancers Meet in Vancouver
• Calusari Dance History