If you ask the average Russian what associations he has with the word "Moldova" or "Moldovans", the answer is likely to be a number of fairly common stereotypes about wine, the construction business, hominy and noisy festivities. Meanwhile, Moldovans are a nation with a rich history and culture, beautiful traditions and wonderful cuisine. And most of its representatives are hardworking, friendly and hospitable. It is not surprising that in recent years, the interest of tourists to this country has been gradually increasing.
Origin of Moldovans
How and where did this nation come from? Historians distinguish two main stages of formation: the emergence of the ethnic community of the "Vlachs" (ancestors of most of the Eastern Romance peoples) and the separation of the Moldavian people directly from them.
Vlachs settled in the Carpathian Mountains and the northern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The ethnos was formed starting from the VI century, from the Romanized Thracian tribes and Slavs,settled in this region. They were mentioned in Greek, German, Roman, Hungarian written sources under the names of Thracians, Dacians, Vlachs and Volohs.
Directly, the Moldavian nationality has been formed since the 12th century in the Eastern Carpathian region as a result of the ethnic interaction of the Vlachs, who migrated from Transylvania, and the Eastern Slavs (Rusyns).
During the entire history of existence, various migration flows have repeatedly passed through this region, but the Moldovans managed to maintain an ethnic community. In most cases, the arriving ethnic groups successfully assimilated without having a decisive influence on the appearance of the Moldovans, their language, traditions, beliefs and rituals.
History Pages
Until the XIV century, the territory of modern Moldova was mainly under the control of various tribes and state formations. The most important stage in the formation of the ethnic and state identity of Moldovans was the time of the existence of the Moldavian Principality.
According to an ancient legend, the shepherds-Vlachs, hunting for bison, met a beekeeper-Rusich and, having agreed, began to populate the lands once devastated by the Tatars with their tribesmen. Thus, the Moldavians belong to the Eastern Romanesque and Slavic groups. Within the principality, Romance and Slavic linguistic communities coexisted, while no sharp ethnic conflicts were recorded.
The principality itself, which existed during the XIV-XIX centuries, was located on the territory of modern Moldova, partly Ukraine and Romania. Culturally and economically it was firmly connected with the Wallachian principality,Russia, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria. Until the middle of the 14th century, it was under the protectorate of the Kingdom of Hungary.
The key moment in the history of Moldovans was the recognition of independence in 1365. The principality was divided into Upper and Lower Moldavia and Bessarabia. Over the years of existence, these territories have repeatedly passed under the control of different states. So, in 1812, Bessarabia was annexed to Russia, and in the 60s. In the 19th century, the united principality of Wallachia and Moldavia arose, since 1881 known as Romania.
In 1917, the Moldavian Republic was proclaimed, which a few years later became part of the USSR. The period of World War II became a black page of history for Moldova, when it was occupied by Romanian and German troops for several years.
After the collapse of the USSR in June 1991, the Republic of Moldova became an independent state.
Moldovan language
The creation of a single linguistic community is directly related to the formation of the nationality of Moldovans, the political and state status of the region of their residence. The first mentions of the Moldavian language appear in the sources of the 17th century. The chronicler Gregory Urek writes that the Vlachs, Moldavians and Transylvanians speak this language.
In the same period, the first written editions in Cyrillic appeared. Previously, Church Slavonic was used for church, administrative documentation and literature. Moreover, it was precisely the language of official documents and was not used in oral speech.
Literarythe Moldavian language, which began to develop actively since the 17th century, was finally formed in the second half of the nineteenth century. At the same time, differences between the Moldovan and Romanian languages appeared. They persist today.
Therefore, despite its linguistic identity with Romanian, it is Moldovan, the Slavic component of which is more pronounced, that is considered the state language of the republic. A characteristic feature of modern Moldovans is also the knowledge or close acquaintance with the Russian language. Depending on the situation and the context of the conversation, many people switch from one language to another quite easily.
Moldovans: appearance, photo
Characteristics of any nationality rarely do without mentioning external features. When talking about the appearance of Moldovans, the definition of "Romanesque type" is often mentioned. And indeed, a significant part of the population corresponds to these features: dark, often curly hair; high forehead; thin nose (often with a hump); slightly swarthy skin; the eyes are usually brown or green, although there are also gray and blue eyes.
Thus, it is generally possible to distinguish Moldovans in the photo, but this does not apply to all representatives of the nation. Firstly, they can be easily confused with the Italians. And the point is not only in the swarthy face and curly hair, but also in the rather emotional facial expressions, gestures and voice during communication. Secondly, the urban population is more cosmopolitan, among them there are many "European" types, including light blond and blue-eyed. In addition, onThe territory of Moldova is traditionally inhabited by Jews, Armenians, Gypsies, Old Believers-Lipovans, Orthodox Turks (Gagauz).
As for clothes, the color here can be observed mainly in the outback. For example, wearing bathrobes and sleeveless jackets over clothes in the cool season. In Chisinau, they dress quite normally, in the common European style. Moreover, tourists note the small number of informal youth movements, often distinguished by their appearance.
Traits of mentality
If we talk about the traits of the national character, then the Moldovans are a whole set of characteristic features, one part of which is true, the other often belongs to the category of clichés.
Most note their diligence, goodwill, neatness, hospitality, adherence to family values, the ability to sincerely have fun and celebrate.
The conventional wisdom about the three main goals (to plant a tree, build a house and raise a son) corresponds to the life values of many Moldovans. In parallel, as they themselves note, the principle of “kum se kade” (“like people”, “no worse than others”) is turned on. And this, on the one hand, motivates to achieve certain life goals, on the other hand, it often leads to the desire to comply with some imposed ideals.
Another character trait of Moldovans is diligence, as well as respect for rank and willingness to observe hierarchy, both in professional and personal life.
The ideological values of Moldovans are interesting. Here we can distinguish twokey element. This is an emphasis on the continuity of Moldova and the Roman Empire, as well as some mythologization of the figure of the ruler Stefan cel Mare (the Great). It was under him that the Moldavian Principality experienced a period of prosperity and briefly became an active player in the political arena of Europe.
Religion of Moldovans
If we talk about the religious component, then here the picture is quite homogeneous. To answer the question of what faith the Moldovans are, is simple: Orthodox. This is supported by statistics.
Almost 98% of the believing population professes Orthodoxy. But within the Orthodox religion of Moldovans, there are two main directions. The Moldavian-Chisinau and Bessarabian metropolises are represented here. The first belongs to the Moscow Patriarchate and has six dioceses. In general, it accounts for almost 90% of all parishes in the country. It has been operating since 1992, and in fact is the successor of the Khotyn-Chisinau metropolis created at the beginning of the 19th century.
Bessarabian metropolis of the Romanian Church remains in the minority, its adherents are 11% of believers. It is autocephalous, has a number of features, and is in rather ambiguous relations with the state authorities.
The main difference between the two metropolises is the language of church service. In the first case, Church Slavonic is used, in the second, Old Moldavian. At the same time, both metropolises also use Greek. It should be noted that there are no obvious and serious frictions between them.
One of the most significant religious works in Moldova is the Catechism (136commandments with many comments).
Culture and Art
Moldavia's contribution to the treasury of world material and non-material art is quite significant.
Fine art developed here under the great influence of Byzantine traditions. This is reflected in the frescoes, icons, miniatures created by Moldovan painters.
Many monuments of architecture and painting among the temples and cathedrals of Moldova. Thus, the Mazaraki Church, built in the 18th century, is the oldest surviving building in Chisinau. The history of the wooden church of the Assumption of the Virgin is interesting. Initially, it was erected at the Hyrauka monastery in the middle of the 17th century, after which it was moved several times from place to place, and only in 2010 was completely dismantled and reassembled in the capital.
The style of religious buildings also differs: cross-domed buildings, hipped buildings, tending to the Byzantine style, neoclassical and many others.
Music remains one of the most important areas of art for Moldovans. They honor national musical traditions, including playing rare instruments (nai, chimpoi, kobza, fluer). The nai is a flute-like wind instrument with multiple shafts. Folk songs are mostly composed for one or two voices. In addition to traditional music, modern pop, rock and pop trends are actively developing. The daughter of the Moldovan singer Pavel Stratan, Cleopatra, is listed in the Book of Records as the youngest performer. She has been performing on stage since the age of 3.
National costume
If you search the web for photos of Moldovans, in most cases these will be images in national clothes. She's really pretty colorful.
Usually worn during public holidays and festivals. Until now, there are craftsmen who are engaged in tailoring just such clothes in compliance with all traditions.
The national male costume of Moldovans consists of dark trousers, a white shirt, a fur sleeveless jacket or a cloth vest, a sheep's hat or cap and handmade leather shoes. An obligatory element is a woolen belt of blue, red or green color up to three meters long. It is noteworthy that the tradition of wearing sheep's hats and fur sleeveless jackets is preserved in some villages to this day.
The women's costume ensemble includes: a multi-wedge skirt with a linen apron, a white shirt with an ornament, a basma scarf or a bedspread, often a heavy margeli necklace. The shirt was tied with a woolen belt, a veil was thrown over the top, partially covering the head. Vests (peptar) were also worn.
Clothing fabric was traditionally spun by women, an experience passed down in the family from generation to generation. Usually it was linen and wool. Modern analogues are made of cotton fabric.
Local cuisine and winemaking
Moldovans are hospitable people, and their hospitality is often expressed in their readiness to sit down at the table and let them join the national cuisine.
Given the specifics of territorial settlement and natural conditions, traditionalMoldovan cuisine originally included dairy products, vegetables, fruits, and cornmeal dishes. A great variety of methods of cooking vegetables were used: they were consumed fresh, baked, fried, boiled, stuffed, stewed and s alted. Hominy, a porridge based on cornmeal, was prepared almost daily. Until now, traditional dishes are:
- zama meat soup;
- puff pastry with cheese placinda;
- chobra vegetable soup;
- mashed beans with garlic;
- dumplings;
- vegetable guvech stew;
- stuffed cabbage in sarmale grape leaves.
The obligatory product on the table is feta cheese. It is aged for about two weeks, using the milk of only certain breeds of sheep as the basis.
Winemaking is an unconditional visiting card of Moldova. Actively developed since the 14th century. To date, the short list of traditional wines includes more than forty items. These are ordinary and vintage dry, semi-sweet and strong wines, as well as divins (brandy).
Moldovan holidays and traditions
When talking about national traits, many say that Moldovans are lovers of merry festivities, celebrations, good feasts, music and dances. And this is generally true. Moldovans love holidays and celebrate them in a big way.
Among the official holidays are Independence Day, Christmas, New Year, National Language Day. During the latter, residents lay flowers on the graves of poets and writers and recall the work of AlexeiMatveyevich.
Martisor, the holiday of meeting spring, celebrated on March 1, remains traditional. People give each other red and white jewelry in the form of woven threads with flowers at the end. They are worn for a month, attached to clothes on the left side, after which they are hung on a tree, making a wish.
In Moldova there is a cult of saints, each village has its own patron. On the day of his veneration, it is customary to go to church, arrange a feast, invite guests. During the holiday in the countryside, “trynta” competitions (a type of national wrestling requiring cunning and dexterity) are often held, the winner of which receives a ram.
Since 2002, National Wine Day has also been celebrated. The celebration is accompanied by playing national instruments, dancing (Moldovenian, chora, jok) and, of course, tasting local wines. On this day, winemakers from all over the country come to Chisinau to take part in the competition for the best sort of wine.
