Cultural heritage

One of the things that you’ll quickly notice when you visit Moldova is the richness of Moldovan culture and traditions. This deep and diverse cultural heritage is represented not only it the traditional crafts like the famous Moldovan traditional woven carpet and Ia, the traditional Moldovan embroidered costume, but also in holiday celebrations, music and festivals.

As you travel across Moldova you will certainly find some places, both in the Moldovan countryside as well as in urban Chisinau, where you will encounter and have the opportunity to become immersed in Moldova’s cultural heritage and traditions. Everywhere you go you’ll find friendly local people excited to tell you stories about Moldovan history and traditions so that you quickly find yourself feeling welcome like a true guest.

And remember, Moldova’s authentic culture is not just about tradition and the past. You will also find a vibrant modern culture and contemporary art scene with street art and graffiti, design and fashion, as well as an active co-working and tech scene. Moldova’s culture today embraces the authenticity of its past and present.

The Moldovan traditional woven carpet

Throughout history, the Moldovan traditional woven carpet has acquired a significance as a symbol of Moldovan handicraft creation that has evolved over the years, but has preserved the authenticity of traditions.
The period in which the predominant motifs of the Moldavian carpet were outlined is considered to be that of the 18th century – beginning of the 19th century. It was during this period that the ornaments characteristic of the Moldavian tradition, the reflected composition and the patterns used as a whole in weaving were determined. Even if for a period of time the tradition of weaving was stagnant, there was a period of relaunch which was possible due to the legacy of knowledge and love for one’s people and history.

Looking at a traditional carpet, you will see labor, value, tradition, secular roots, whole generations reflected in it. The effort behind the greatness of the Moldovan carpet is colossal. Usually, a group of at least 4 women worked on a carpet, one person could not cope with the complexity of the creation process. Weaving a carpet with a 6-7 sq. meter surface can take even a year or two of continuous work. Today, when the technique of weaving Moldovan carpets is not as well known as it was in the past, you can always visit the “Arta Rustica” Cultural Complex to find out as much as possible about this craft, the history of the carpet, but also to see what carpet weaving actually involves.
The traditional techniques of making carpets in Romania and the Republic of Moldova have been inscribed in the UNESCO cultural heritage. Thus, it was decided to register the traditional techniques of making scoarta (rug) In Romania and the Republic of Moldova on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity under a joint file for the Republic of Moldova and Romania.

“Ia” traditional blouse and traditional costume

One of the distinctive elements of the Moldovan people is the traditional costume – the result of work and creation for over hundreds and thousands of years, bringing together various representative forms of culture, rituals, holidays and national folklore.

At one time, the role of traditional dress was to indicate the position of each person in society and the hierarchical organization mode. One of the elements that has remained among the most known but also appreciated at the moment is the “Ia” traditional blouse. The “Ia” is a blouse made of white cotton, linen or gossamer, hemp, wool. It is decorated with embroidery in traditional motifs with a special emphasis on the neck, chest and sleeves. The traditional execution techniques are: weaving, sewing, embroidery. It is also important that Ia was not worn every day, but only on holidays, the catrința traditional skirt was worn with the opening aside, while the usual ones they had the opening in front.

On June 24, the day of Folkloric Wear is marked in Moldova. This day has the role of emphasizing the rebirth of traditional culture and promoting values ​​in order to ensure the continuity of Moldovan traditions.
If you are wondering where specimens of the traditional Moldovan wear could be seen, well, the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History has over 2330 objects of traditional wear. Also, at the Cultural Complex “Rustic Art” you will find plenty of new information about the traditional dress, thanks to the permanent exhibit that can be found in the hall dedicated to the folk costume.

Modern artists

Mihail Stamati’s Sculptures

Street art

Until September 16, 2020, the bridge in the Telecentru district of Chisinau was one of the most representative places for urban art in Moldova and may well be called a true wall of memories. Here one could see graffiti works with whole histories, love dedications made by unknown artists, be they beginners or true experts. For the most part, the inhabitants of Chisinau fall into two categories when it comes to graffiti – on the one hand there are those who appreciate this type of expression as art and on the other hand those who consider graffiti an act of vandalism.

Urban Spirit Family is one of the well-known communities dedicated to graffiti artists where those interested in this culture from all over the country may join.

Walking through the city, you will surely see many examples of urban art, namely graffiti.

Mural painting

Traditional holidays

Christmas

Easter

Easter e is a holiday whose symbolic value marks the beginning of the year and the return to life. The resurrection of Jesus Christ, considered the Son of God in Christian religions, is seen as the celebratory event of Easter, the beginning date of this holiday also marking the beginning of the Christian ecclesiastical year.

To fully mark this date, Christians follow various procedures designed to prepare their souls and bodies for Easter Holiday. There are a number of habits that have been rigorously followed for a duration of six weeks per year, since time immemorial. Painting eggs remains one of the most well-known and practiced customs, their presence on the Easter table being mandatory, and in many cases, eggs are taken to church to be consecrated. Painting the eggs red has an explanation – according to Christian legend the Mother of God, who had come to mourn her crucified son, placed the basket of eggs near the cross and they were died red by the blood dripping from Jesus’ wounds. Another tradition that involves all members of the family is the clinging of painted eggs.

The Easter customs represent the communion of man with the divinity and the connection with nature in this period and it is precisely for these reasons that Easter holiday is one that traditionally reunites the family.

Memorial Easter

The Easter of the Blessed or Memorial Easter (Pastele Blajinilor) is one of the oldest popular holidays that is strictly observed in Moldova. Every year, Memorial Easter is celebrated depending on Easter day (one week after) and marks the reunion of the living with the dead by commemorating the moments spent together.

The significance of the holiday is in passing the happiness that people feel due to the Resurrection of Christ on to those who have passed away.
Usually, on this holiday, Moldovans meet at the church or cemetery where several traditions take place – one of them is to take care of the graves of the dead and light candles. The housewives have the task of preparing all the gifts on the graves of the deceased – a traditional towel on which they place kulich, Easter cake, Easter painted eggs and a bottle of wine. The priest comes to the graves and sanctifies the gifts brought to the cemetery by relatives of those who died. Finally, these gifts are usually given to needy people or children.

Some superstitions that are taken into account during this holiday are also specific to usual Sundays in Moldova – when it is a bad sign to sew, clean, wash clothes.
The traditions and customs of Easter vary depending on everyone’s visions of this holiday, but one thing remains certain – this is the day when Moldovans commemorate those who passed away.

Sanziene

Dragobete

The Martisor tradition and its symbols.

The Independence Day

Limba Noastră

Arts

Folk dances

Sculptural arts

Mosaic artwork

Painting