The Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR) is organizing through its foreign representations a series of events dedicated to the Universal Day of the Romanian Folk Blouse - Ia Day, which is marked every year on June 24, in recognition of the role of this heritage item as a resource for the development and contemporary intercultural dialogue. The celebrations include exhibitions, screenings, workshops and meetings dedicated to this iconic clothing piece.

* For Ia Day, ICR Paris had a project unfolding at the residence of the Romanian Embassy in France - Behague Palace, with traditional embroidery workshops, presentations by specialists in the field and a sewing bee in the gardens of the residence. An exhibition of ethnographic photos and traditional costumes from private collections in Paris was opened, accompanied by the screening of the documentary 'SanzIEne. Celebration and Attire', directed by Iulia Gorneanu and Peter Gate.

* Ia Day was celebrated at ICR Tokyo as part of the European project 'Rendez-vous aux jardins' through a special workshop of traditional needlework and textile art.

* The 'Mihai Eminescu' Romanian Cultural Institute in Chisinau presents between June 27 and July 20, at Moldova's National Art Museum, the exhibition 'Testimony of Love for Traditional Clothing', with folk costumes from the collection of the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History. The multidisciplinary event 'Universal Ia Day - Tradition and Modernity' is slated for June 29.

* ICR Beijing will present between June 24 and August 24 the exhibition titled 'Heritage', dedicated to the traditional Romanian shirt and the folk costume in Fagaras Country, showcasing a collection of 17 Romanian shirts, hand-sewn by artisans Raluca Jurcovan and Mariana Neacsu, along with a selection of clothes and handicrafts. The exhibition is complemented by a selection of photographic documents illustrating the traditional costume and life in the village of Dragus.

* ICR Budapest and its Szeged Branch are organizing a series of events under the banner 'SinzIEnele - Szent Ivan Ejszakaja'. Thus, on June 27, ICR Budapest will host the opening of an exhibition of Romanian folk costumes, followed by a performance by the 'Banatul' Ensemble; the opening of the exhibition of Romanian folk costumes is scheduled for July 2, at the headquarters of the Szeged Branch.

* The official opening of the exhibition dedicated to the Universal Ia Day at ICR Stockholm took place on June 12, in the presence of His All Holiness Bishop Macarie and Father Nicolae Cojocaru, a priest and researcher invited from Romania. Most of the traditional blouses presented come from Spermezeu, the birthplace of Bishop Macarie, located in Bistrita-Nasaud County.

* ICR's 'Dimitrie Cantemir' representation in Istanbul, in partnership with the Vrancea Cultural Center, organized on June 14 the intercultural event 'What Two Nimble Hands Can Do', which offered the visitors an assortment of Romanian 'ias', specifically from Vrancea County, made available by folk artisans Floarea Tapor - Jitia commune, and Tudorita and Pavel Lupasc - Nereju, Vrancea County.

* ICR Vienna organized the exhibition 'Behind a Folk Shirt. Storytelling Sewn with a Longing for Home', which brings together photographs, ethnographic items specific to the Romanian textile industry and representative costumes from Oas Country.

* ICR Madrid organized on June 20 the event 'Romanian Ia - a Symbol of National Identity', featuring a parade of Romanian folk costumes offered by the Spanish-Romanian Association SALVA (a non-profit organization founded in 2013 in Madrid), interspersed with moments of traditional music and dance.

* On June 21, ICR Lisbon organized a show with traditional song and dance performances by the 'Transylvania' National Folk Ensemble, and opened the photo exhibition 'Romanian folk blouses on the streets of Lisbon', created by artist Eugenia Hanganu, who resides in Portugal. At the same time, the public was invited to participate in creative workshops for adults and children, organized by folk craftspeople.

Marked every year on June 24, Ia Day is an opportunity to internationally promote the national cultural heritage and reaffirm the Romanian identity. The art of the top sleeve embroidery folk blouse, which was included in 2022 in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, is an expression of creativity and continuity of the Romanian tradition in both Romania and the Republic of Moldova, reflecting the refinement of the craft passed down from generation to generation. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Daniel Popescu; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)