#moldovan folklore

[sleepy-spacetronaut]

Unpopular opinion, but Germanic fairytales got nothing on Slavic/Balkan fairytales. Now, do not get me wrong, they are very different in essence, that is why they are quite dissimilar. German fairitales tend to be cautionary and grim, intended to teach you a lesson, whereas the Slavic/Balkan ones give you the strong feeling of some psychedelic daydreaming.

You start reading one fairytale and immediately begin to wonder what the authors were drinking/smoking, and where you can get said substance.

In some stories, people can eat rocks to spit out pavement, the moon uses gender like a skipping rope, horses and wolves fly, kids grow by the hour, princes weep a lot and seek guidance from anyone (even mosquitos!), women are wise, and there’s is almost always a shapeshifting companion that adds bromance to the story.

[moldavie]

Winter Holidays Traditions in Moldova

Among all of the religious holidays in Moldova, Christmas and Easter are the most beloved. Strangely the Christmas Holiday is celebrated on 25 December as well as on the January 7. Christmas carols, national foods and ornamented trees are part of the Christmas traditions. Children start to sing carols during a ritual in which a white newborn lamb is carried by a child, thus symbolizing religious faith and purity. Three days before Christmas, we may scent a heavy aroma of freshly baked walnut and raisin cakes. Two days before the celebration, the main cooking activities begin, pigs-in-the-blanket and beef salad being two of the favorite dishes. Christmas Eve is reserved for decorating the tree, to be followed by the Christmas Eve dinner. This dinner is usually celebrated within the family. Christmas carols are sung and Santa is expected to leave presents under the tree; families with small children are likely to receive a visit from Santa in person. Christmas Day is celebrated among friends and family. In Moldova, the Christmas and New Year celebrations become merged, and elements of the Christian faith are blended with hopes for a prosperous New Year. Some of the many traditions or symbols include: the singing of carols as organized by young men or children, the plow, the skin-covered barrel through which a tuft of hair is pulled, thereby imitating a bull's roar, the sheep's skin or the goat dances, the mask plays, the walking of the star etc.

Regarding the traditions and symbols listed above, the carol singers arrive during the afternoon of and evening on Christmas Eve. The well-wishers are expected during the afternoon of New Year's Eve and these are of children who wish you a happy life, prosperity and fertility in the coming year. The children, who symbolize purity and hope, usually receive apples, candies, nuts and home-baked bread. Nowadays Christmas and New Year Holiday are above all a general occasion for giving gifts. It is mostly considered the festivity of peace and joy, when all conflicts and wrath should disappear and when all family members gather around the table after attending church services and after a full day of caroling. If you’re visiting Moldovan friends for Christmas, expect to eat traditional cakes, lots of Sarmale – Stuffed cabbage, various salads, Toba and many others. Listen to carolers and watch as many rituals as possible, if you happen to visit any of the villages in Moldova where the ancient traditions are still alive.

[moldavie]

Easter Eggs Decorations in Moldova

[moldavie]

Moldavian Folklore: the Myth of the Blajini

Moldavians and Romanians generally perceived the earth as a disc, and they imagined what existed on the other side. This other earth is imagined as a mirror image of our own, and as a home to creatures called Blajini (gentle/kind-hearted ones). They are described as anthropomorphic and short, occasionally having the head of a rat. They are either described as malicious or as having great respect for God and leading a sinless life. They are considered to fast the year through, and thus doing humans a great service

The Moldavian holiday Paştele Blajinilor (the Easter of the Blajini) is a way to repay them for the advantages they bring. Since they live in isolation, they have no method of knowing when Easter comes. It is for this reason that Romanians eat dyed eggs and let the shells flow downstream, from there they believe they will get to the Apa Sâmbetei, and from there to the Blajini.

Some explain them as the descendants of Adam's son Seth. Others state that they used to live alongside humans on the earth, but that Moses, seeing his people oppressed by them, parted the waters and, after he and his people had retreated to safety, poured the waters back onto them, sending them to their current abode.