March 1 is the holiday of Dragobetele, who appears in legends as Dochia’s son. In contrast with his mother, he appears as a beautiful young, bearer of love and goodwill, and makes all girls fall in love with him. Dragobete was identified in literature with Eros, the god of love from Greek mythology and Cupid – the Romans’ god of love.
Celebrated on 24 February, in some ethnographic areas of Romania or on 1, 3 and 25 of March, Dragobete didn’t have a fixed date (Muntenia, Oltenia, Dobrogea, Transylvania). On these days, birds built their nests to mate, and girls and boys wanted in their turn to fall in love, thinking of a future engagement or marriage.