Plus Romanian Disco! Friday 6 May 2005 18.00 - 02.00, on the ship HMS PRESIDENT (see map here) Victoria Embankment, Blackfriars, London EC4Y 0HJ; Tube: Blackfriars and Embankment (located next to Blackfriars Bridge on north side of Thames opposite the Oxo Tower) With Romanian music, new and old, for all tastes! Romanian traditional Easter food! Special addition to the party: URSUS Beer! Free buffet at 20.30. Raffle at 21.30 Pre-booked tickets (payable at the door): £7/£5 concessions for RCC members. Non pre-booked tickets £1 supplement. In order to benefit from the special price for RCC members, please bring your valid RCC membership card. Free buffet at 20.30. Raffle at 21.30 including Romanian films on VHS, Romanian wine from Cotnari and the special prize: £100 from MoneyGram! Starting after the raffle: ROMANIAN DISCO till 02.00!!! Moneygram is delighted to offer the winner of the first prize £100 as a Moneygram transaction to be sent directly to Romania for a nominated friend or family member. All you need to do to enter is fill out a simple 'send form' with your details and the name of your nominated recipient in Romania. The film prize of this month is the comedy ‘Filantropica’ by Nae Caranfil, with Mircea Diaconu and Gheorghe Dinica. Book by Tuesday 3 May 2005 or pay £1 supplement. Book at bookings@romanianculturalcentre.org.uk or Tel. 020 7439 4052, ext. 102 Located next to Blackfriars Bridge on north side of Thames opposite the Oxo Tower, HMS PRESIDENT is one of London’s finest river venues. HMS PRESIDENT boasts spectacular views of the river as well as some of London's most famous landmarks such as the London Eye, The South Bank Centre, The National Theatre, St Paul's Cathedral, and The Tate Modern. DISCLAIMER: The parties are open to all although, at times, the RCC reserves the right to refuse admission. Looking forward to see you! Don’t miss our next party! Organised by The Romanian Cultural Centre, London 7th floor, 54 - 62 Regent Street, London W1B 5RE * The Orthodox Easter The vast majority of Romanians are Eastern Orthodox (like the Greeks, Serbs, Bulgarians, and Russians). Orthodox Christians usually celebrate Easter at different dates than the Catholics and Protestants – between one week and a month after, but sometimes the date coincides – the timing having to do with differences in the religious calendars used for the calculation. Easter in Romania is the most important celebration of the Orthodox calendar and its complete observance requires a period of 40 days fast. Nevertheless, most of the people observe the fast on Wednesdays and Fridays and the week before Easter – the Holy Week. Painted eggs are mandatory for any Easter feast. The eggs are painted one or two days before Easter in vivid colours. The colour used most often is red, a reminder of Christ’s blood. Some eggs are beautifully decorated with traditional patterns, following an ancient technique preserved only in several areas of the Romanian countryside. Food is very important for the Easter feast. The main part is played by the painted eggs (which are hard boiled beforehand), followed by ‘drob’ – a coarse lamb pâté, ‘sarmale’ – stuffed cabbage leaves, and then ‘pasca’ – a sort of cheesecake, and ‘cozonac’ – which is similar to marble cake or brioche loaf. One can also encounter roast lamb and a sour soup made with mutton, and garnished with chopped lovage leaves. Traditionally, the feast starts when the family comes home after the Resurrection midnight mass. After breaking the eggs and uttering the words - ‘Christ is risen!’ - the entire family will enjoy the banquet and begin the celebrations.