As I wrote in the last post, Easter is the biggest holiday in the Orthodox calendar. There's not only the one Easter more common to other sects of Christianity - that Easter is followed a week later by "Easter for the Dead" or "Small Easter." Here's a description of Easter for the Dead, called Paștele Blajinilor in Romanian, from the Peace Corps Moldova book A Glance at Moldova: Cross Cultural Handbook (2001): ”A week after Orthodox Easter, there is a ”Easter for the Dead,” when people go to the cemetery with food and wine to visit with family and friends and remember those who have died. If flowers are taken, there should be an even number of blossoms. To decorate, towels are spread on the graves and individual arrangements are place on the towels. Each arrangement includes colac (special braided bread), a red colored egg, a bit of candy or mini bagel, and a slender church candle. These special arrangements are called pomana, and they are given as a gift to other people to remember the dead person with the words ”de sufletul lui ...” (”for the soul of ...”). The meaning of this saying is that people believe that the soul of the dead will rest in peace, having all that he needs in the other world. Many graves have a small bench and table for food and wine. After decorating, a small can of incense is lit, and the priest and attendants come to give a blessing. As the priest chants the blessing, he pours a dash of wine alongside the grave. The family gives him money and one of the ”bread arrangements” which is placed into a large basket carried by young boys. The priest and his entourage then move on to the next grave until all have been visited. There is much visiting as people go from one grave to another with an exchange of the ”arrangements” which are presented with prosop (a towel), and the sharing of wine. There are no toasts, and a person will often dribble a bit of wine alongside the grave with the words: ”de sufletul lui” and ”să-i fie tărâna ușoară.” [wishes for an easy arrival] The exchanges may also include a cup or mug filled with candies or sweets and perhaps even a bit of sugar or rice. Afterwards they eat and drink, and continue their celebration at home. The Monday after the Easter of the Dead is an official holiday." Please follow the links below to learn more about this holiday as experienced by other Peace Corps Volunteers: In her blog Sundry Travels, Haley describes her experience with this holiday in the south of Moldova - including insights on the holiday in Russian. David describes his experience with the holiday in central Moldova on the blog Not Exactly Retired, in which he chronicles his and his spouse's service and travels.
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Rebecca LehmanHealth Education volunteer serving at Boris Dînga Middle & High School in Criuleni, Moldova. Archives
May 2017
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