December 25, 2019 UPDATE

Romanians celebrated on Wednesday the first day of Christmas

Newsroom, 25.12.2019, 20:00

CHRISTMAS – Orthodox, Eastern-Catholic and Roman-Catholic Christians in Romania celebrated on Wednesday the first day of Christmas, occasion on which Romanian Orthodox Church Patriarch Daniel highlighted the importance of family, which is often confronted in present-day society with a series of challenges and crises, caused by poverty, migration, depression and alcohol and drug consumption. In turn, the Archbishop of the Bucharest Roman-Catholic Bishopric Ioan Robu has stated that Jesus continues to be born even in todays world, such as it is. The High Bishop of the Eastern Catholic Church in Romania, Cardinal Lucian, has said in his message that the blood shed in the name of faith and liberty compels us to take a stand whenever the rights and liberties of the underprivileged are being discarded. Recalling the words of Pope Francis during his visit to Romania, Cardinal Lucian has called for fraternity and dialogue among Christians.

MESSAGES – Romanias president Klaus Iohannis also conveyed a message for Christmas. “The celebration of Christs Nativity brings us closer together. Lets feel the joy of being together, united by compassion, solidarity and generosity”, the president said in his message. In turn, PM Ludovic Orban urged the Romanian people to make sure they dont forget about helping the others, as the celebration of Christs birth has the blessed power of making us better, more empathetic and united. Also, the custodian of the Romanian Crown, Margaret, wishes all Romanians happy holidays, good health, and she too urges them to make sure they dont forget about the lonely and the suffering.

SAFETY – More than 21 thousand employees of the interior ministry in Romania are on duty these days to ensure the safety of the citizens who celebrate Christmas. Special attention will be paid to preventing accidents especially along the routes leading to the main resorts. Also guarded are the markets, fairs and shopping centers, where public events will be staged these days. According to estimates, some 220,000 people are about to take part in various religious, cultural-artistic and sport events.

FLU — In Romania the number of people who have the flu is small at present, and only some isolated cases have been reported. The weather is much warmer than usual, which has prevented the virus from spreading. Physicians have warned that vaccination remains the only effective weapon against the virus. The number of Romanians who have been immunized this year is slightly higher than in 2018, when around 150 people died due to complications caused by the flu.

RATIFICATION – Romanias President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday signed the decree ratifying the law on declaring November 1 National Radio Day. Central and local authorities can organize cultural and scientific events to mark this special day or provide logistic or financial support to NGOs and other institutions that organize similar events, the law stipulates. The Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation and the Romanian Television Station can include in their programmes shows and excerpts from events dedicated to this day as public broadcasters. In 2019 the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation celebrated 91 years of uninterrupted public service.

SPORTS — Romania will have 35 participants in the Youth Olympic Games to be hosted by Lausanne, Switzerland, between the 9th and 22nd of January 2020. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Olympic and Sport Committee, the Romanian athletes will compete in 10 of the 16 sport events scheduled at the Olympic Games. At the 2016 Olympic Games in Lillehammer – Norway, Eduard Căşăneanu won gold in the ice hockey event and Mihaela Hogaş won bronze in the speed skating event in mixed genre international teams.

(Translated by Elena Enache)