Excursion Day

Leaving the CCMU early in the morning.

Domnul Sergiu is our leader.

We visit the Izvor at the water station.

Have a drink of fresh, cold water.

Can you hear the brook babbling?

The overflow valve creates a water fall.

Excursion Day!

The trail heads upwards.

Caves are cool places to explore.

The Raut River flows below.

We continue higher to the forest hill top.

Here's a good spot for a picnic.

We make a campfire.

We play games.

That's Jeloboc, our village, below.

Roasting hot dogs is fun.

A great picnic spread is shared.

Wish you were here?

Look what we found!

a salamander.

Leap Frog

Wheelbarrow races

Ride the camel.

No shortage of energy.

Homeward bound.

It was excursion day at the Centrul Comunitar Multifunctional Universul.  Given the nice Spring weather and the school vacation week for Easter, what better thing to do!!  We took an excursion to the padure (forest) just outside our village.  You can see us all leaving the center first thing in the morning.  What a sight we make hiking through the streets of town.  (Jeloboc).  Domnul Sergiu is our pied piper.  On our way through the valley we stop at the Izvor (Spring) to visit the source of all the wonderfully pure water we have in our village.  The pumping station guardian lets us in for a look around.  Who can resist a cup of fresh cold water coming directly out of the rock hills behind us?  I like to stand on the bridge and listen to the brook babble.  A huge amount of water flows out of this Spring year round.  The waterfall we pose at is a relief valve.  We pause for a few group shots here.  Next we continue our treck up the hills from the river valley below.  We get to some caves which are really former granite mines.  Below us is the River Raut which winds its way to Orhei Vechi and on to the Nistru River.  But we go even higher to the forest on the hill top.  Here we set up our picnic in the woods.  We build a camp fine.  Play games.  Look at the view of our village from here!  Time for lunch.  Let's roast hot dogs.  A great lunch appears from everyone's contributions.  Wish you were here!?  Look what we found,  a salamander.  After lunch, time for more games.  Leap frog, wheelbarrow races,  there's no end their energy.  About four in the afternoon we head for home.  A good night's sleep guaranteed for all.

Blaginilor Easter

The Orthodox church in Jeloboc.

Beautiful icons tell religious stories.

Hristos.

Maica Dumului

Jeloboc cemetery 

grave markers have been painted

Families gather at the grave sites.

Neighbors celebrate their families.

Julia's sisters and family gather.

The old guys wait on a bench.

The priest blesses the graves.

Wine is poured in the sign of the cross.

Deceased family members are named by the priest.

Auntie tries to spoil Liviu.

Grandma Iulia is a safe harbor.

Everyone love's the little guy.

I receive gifts of remembrance.

Other family are included in the sharing.

Mmmm,  little ones will play

Liviu

Ecaterina 

This is fun.

A family picnic in the cemetery,

Lot's of good food.

The priest stops for a bite of food.

You thought Easter was all over, done for another year.  Nope.  Not here in Moldova.  Today was Blaginilor Easter or Easter of the Blessed.  Another way of saying that is Easter of the Dead.  This is an Orthodox Christian tradition that has not carried over to our Western Christianity.  If there is one celebration that I would advocate imitating from our Eastern European neighbors, it is Blaginilor.  The Sunday after Easter the relatives of those buried in the church cemetery come to remember them in light of the hope of Resurrection. It's like a religious event, but also a very personal family reunion of the living and the dead.  One nice things is that everyone comes the week before and spruces up the graves of their family.  Weeds are removed, markers are repainted, some new crosses are installed just for the occasion.  Everyone comes to the cemetery on Sunday morning and places mementos on the graves.  Let's just say these are things that show our care and affection for their needs.  Bread, cups, a knife, candy, Easter eggs (colored red), hand towels, a glass of wine and a church candle in each one of these items.  The priest with a cantor comes to each grave site and will incense the grave, pray for the list of family members buried there, and finally pour some wine in the sign of the cross on each grave.  During the morning, while the priest is making his way from grave to grave, the people of the village are mixing it up with hugs and hand shakes and shots of wine to remember their past friends and neighbors buried here.  ( I must have taken at least twenty shots of wine in the two hours that we were there.)  After the priest has made his visit to your family grave sites, then you are free to share the items of the grave offerings with other relatives and friends.  You give them some candy or a cup or a towel and say "this is in remembrance of my father or mother or sister"  remember their souls in your prayers.  Then the blankets come out and spread on the ground.  Some families have a permanent bench or table and bench at their grave site for this special day.  Now we all enjoy a picnic meal that is full of good food items such as sarmale, placinta, carnati, brinsa, collaci, radici, rosie, castrovati, torta si mai multe pahare de vin sunt împărtășite.  (yes, many glasses of wine)  Many of the children are treated on this day by grandparents and uncles and aunts treating them with many candies and foods that they enjoy.  I think it has a serious challenge to Christmas as a special day for treats.  Hristos, a inviat.  Advederat inviat. (Christ is risen.  He is truly risen)  This is how we greet each other today and for the following weeks until the Easter season is over.  May your family be well, now and forever.