The Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse: “Ia”

Each year, on June 24, there is a celebration most beloved by all Romanians: the Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse. As the locals know, ia symbolizes Romanian tradition, represented by the feminine shirt with impressive embroidery.

As Visit Bucharest tells its readers, June 24 brings to the public’s attention the central part of the folk costume, named ”Ia” or Romanian blouse. Cut from a single piece of linen, hemp, cotton, or silk, the Romanian blouse was adorned with beads, sequins, gold thread, or stitching representing stylized, geometric, or nature-inspired shapes.

Through the chromatic harmony, the seams’ complexity, and the materials’ fineness, it is a very appreciated clothing piece beyond the country’s borders. Universal Day of Romanian Blouse is a culmination of efforts to include the famous shirt in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

What it is to know about the Romanian Blouse

Universal Romanian Blouse Day is celebrated annually on June 24. In 2012, the online community “La Blouse Roumaine”, founded by Andreea Tănăsescu, proposed that June 24, when the celebration of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist and the ancient one of Sânziene (feminine women spirits) and Drăgaica takes place, should become a day dedicated to her and be known as the Universal Day of Ia. In June 2013, the first edition took place, which triggered a genuine cultural movement and brought back the traditional Romanian blouse.

Worn in festivities, ceremonies or dressed every day, the traditional Romanian blouse was considered a sacred item of clothing that accompanied the woman throughout her life. In the past, carefully sewn magic insignia with each needle stitch were meant to protect the wearer from evil spirits, charms, and bad luck. The young women inherited from their grandmothers or mothers the art of folk craft and the proper prayers, which were said obligatorily before the beginning of the spinning of the wool, the weaving, or the weaving of the threads.

The craftsman carefully determines the Romanian blouse proportions, and each needlework’s positions are strictly defined. Romanian women put a part of their feminine perfectionist character, ambitions for beauty, kindness, happiness, and love, into their conception.

Traditional designs, which turn a seemingly ordinary blouse into a great work of art, are rich in symbolism. The Romanian blouse conveys a tale regardless of the geographical place from which it originates.