Romanian Embassy in Tashkent Celebrates Spring Festival Mărțișor

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 7 March 2026, the Embassy of Romania in Tashkent organized a cultural event to celebrate the beginning of spring. In Romania, this period is traditionally marked by the festival of Mărțișor, a significant element of the country’s spiritual and cultural heritage.

According to tradition, on the first day of spring, women and girls receive small handmade gifts tied with red and white threads, also called “mărțișor.”

To mark the occasion, the embassy held a creative workshop at the British School in Tashkent, where participants learned about Romanian folk traditions and were shown the process of making mărțișor ornaments. The event also featured a table with Romanian national sweets.

Romania’s Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Daniel Cristian Chobanu, noted that this marks the third consecutive year the festival has been celebrated in Uzbekistan, symbolizing friendship and mutual understanding between the two countries. He recalled that last year Romania and Uzbekistan celebrated 30 years of diplomatic relations, including cultural exchanges, exhibitions, lectures, and Romanian Film Days.

The ambassador highlighted that cooperation between Romania and Uzbekistan continues to thrive across various sectors, supported by the extensive reforms underway in Uzbekistan. According to the National Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan, 2025 was one of the most successful years in bilateral trade volume.

Chobanu also emphasized the symbolic connection between Romania’s Mărțișor and the ancient traditions of Nowruz, fostering cultural closeness between the nations. He extended greetings to all women on International Women’s Day, wishing them happiness, health, success, and family well-being.

The Mărțișor tradition was inscribed in 2017 on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity under “Cultural practices associated with 1 March.” The nomination was prepared as a multinational dossier coordinated by Romania together with Moldova, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria, and approved during the committee session on Jeju Island, South Korea, on 4–9 December 2017.

The celebration in Tashkent took place in a friendly and festive atmosphere, further strengthening cultural ties between Romania and Uzbekistan.