When we speak of carnivals and masked balls, our imagination often drifts toward the refined splendor of the Venetian Carnival or the explosion of color and energy of the Rio Carnival.
Less well known, however, is the fact that in Romania too, at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, balls became a true institution of social life, a privileged space for social encounters, political and economic alliances, and sophisticated entertainment.
The ball was the principal form of socialization for the urban elite. Business deals were struck here, lasting friendships were formed, fleeting romances emerged, and carefully negotiated marriages took shape. Masked balls and carnivals dominated newspaper front pages in the first weeks of the year, while society columns described in meticulous detail the costumes, decorations, guests, and the evening’s minor scandals. In Romania at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the ball was not merely a social event, but a genuine barometer of social life.
Masked balls were held both in Cotroceni and in the villages of Oltenia, and were enjoyed by audiences of all ages. Queen Marie herself was among their great admirers, often attending such events and encouraging elegance, the play of identities, and the theatricality of costume. Every city in the country hosted at least one annual ball, yet the most impressive number could undoubtedly be found in the capital. Organized in palaces, aristocratic residences, casinos, or at the National Theatre, these balls gathered the country’s “high society”: boyars, politicians, members of the cultural elite, artists, and intellectuals.
We invite you on Wednesday, January 28, starting at 6:30 PM, into an 1890s salon, where such refined social festivities once undoubtedly took place, to explore the carnivals, balls, and masked balls of Romania’s past centuries. The lecture will be held in the elegant House of Captain Pandele, and the host of the event will be historian Anita Sterea, President of the Cultural Association Nouă Ne Pasă.
This journey into the past will be accompanied by numerous period images that capture the elegance, splendor, and charm of balls of bygone days, as well as the atmosphere of a world in which masks, dance, and social ritual told stories just as important as official history.
📅 January 28, 6:30 PM
📍 PLAN4, 4 Plantelor Street
🕰️ Duration: approximately 2 hours
☕ Afterwards: an open dialogue with the guest and a short social gathering featuring period-inspired sweets
🎟️ Admission: by ticket only, with limited availability
📩 For further information:
• About the venue: contact@planpatru.ro
• About the event content & tickets: asociatia.nouanepasa@gmail.com