Thousands of flowers adorn Romanian city of Iași for Saint Paraskeva holiday

The feast of St Paraskeva is one of the most significant religious events in Romania, drawing thousands of pilgrims from throughout the country.

Transcript

00:00Days before the St. Paraskeva holiday, the Romanian city of Iași has been filled with

00:07colour. Thousands upon thousands of chrysanthemums, autumn arrangements and arches will embellish

00:14the city. Pilgrims head to the Cathedral of Iași, where the relics of St. Paraskeva can

00:21be found.

00:28Every year, more and more flowers are grown as Romanian pilgrims flock to visit the saint's

00:55remains. This year, there was an estimated production of 1.5 million flowers.

01:02St. Paraskeva was an ascetic saint born in the 11th century. She reportedly had visions

01:19of the Virgin Mary and she continues to be celebrated in many Orthodox countries, including

01:23Romania, where she is believed to protect people from sickness, sorrows and trouble.