Dragobete, Romania’s celebration of love day, marks the start of spring. Taking place after the similar but more internationally known Valentine’s Day, the holiday has seen a rise in popularity in recent years.
A lot of Romanian couples celebrate today, but high inflation means that this year’s Dragobete, with its classic date at the restaurant, or small gifts and chocolate, will be significantly more expensive than last year’s, writes eToro analyst for Romania, Bogdan Maioreanu.
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Looking at the typical expenses for such an occasion, we can see that the prices are up steeply. According to the latest INS consumer price report, the costs for confectionery staples such as cocoa and coffee rose over 25% year-on-year. This translates into more expensive chocolate but also in other products that employ cocoa or coffee as ingredients. Overall prices for the category of sugar, sweets, and honey increased by almost 14%, despite the price of sugar remaining almost flat.
These price hikes in Romania come on the backdrop of a decrease in the prices of said commodities on the global markets. The cocoa prices on the futures market fell 48% in 2026, and more than 62% in the past 12 months. But most likely, this has not yet fully passed through to chocolate producers’ prices, who were forced to acquire their raw material at high prices in 2024 and the first half of 2025. As many purchasing contracts run over several months, consumers will typically only feel the effect later.
On the experience side, restaurant and coffee shop prices have risen by 12% in the last year. A date at the cinema or theater will be over 9% more expensive this Dragobete. This reflects continued high cost pressures on vendors from rent, wages, energy, food, and other operating costs.
Small gifts can take you a long way, but these, in 2026, are not going to be cheaper either. Cosmetics and hygiene articles prices are up almost 6%, watches, electronics, and sports goods up almost 8%, while clothing and shoes increased in price by 8% and respectively 6% in the past 12 months.
A bracelet, a necklace, or a ring may set one back even more. Gold spot prices increased by over 76%, silver spot prices are up even more by 172% in the last 12 months, and this means higher jewelry prices. And, due to the global uncertainty and geopolitical tensions, the analysts’ forecasts are generally positive for a further possible appreciation of precious metals prices. In other words, jewelry may become even more expensive ahead of next year’s Dragobete, so if you’ve been thinking about it, you may not want to postpone that proposal that involves a ring…
Going back to the roots, Dragobete used to be a lot simpler – and cheaper. An ancient traditional holiday, this day was celebrated by young men and women gathering, picking spring flowers, and singing. Legend says that if young people kiss on this day, they will have love and happiness for the rest of the year.
While it looks like all the things that social media highlight as the new normal for Dragobete are more expensive, there is one that is cheaper this year: a handwritten love letter sent by post, as postal services are almost 4% less expensive in 2026 compared with last year. But while 100 years ago this might have been enough to win someone’s heart, one cannot be certain whether in 2026 it will be enough on its own. Happy Dragobete, everybody!
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