The houses are plain and simple, but many people beautify them with a variety of art objects that they make themselves. These objects include wall rugs with skillfully woven patterns, colorfully decorated plates, and woodcarvings on furniture, building frames, and fences. Festivals held to celebrate such things as weddings, christenings, and holidays are the most important part of social life in rural Romania. At the festivals, the people wear colorful costumes, and they play and dance to Romanian folk music. Romania's cities present a striking contrast between the old and the new.
Many city buildings are hundreds of years old.
Others are modern structures built since industrialization began in the 1960's. Population growth has caused a housing shortage in the cities. Most city people live in crowded apartments. Both old Romanian traditions and modern, Western culture are part of city life. Many people enjoy going to restaurants and to concert halls where orchestras play Romanian folk music.