Wedding Nuntă - Day Two

 

Now when when left off last time you remember, we were just getting home at five in the morning.  Thank goodness it was still dark then.  I don't think we could take any bright lights.  But after a good eight hours of sleep, it was time to party again.  Yes, Moldvan weddings often go on to day two of celebration.  We met mid afternoon in the yard of one of the marriage families and had appetizers and shots of cognac.  Then with our own hired routiera (white vehicle in second picture) we all went back to the restaurant in Orhei.  All the routieras, which are a major part of public transportation, are Mercedes Sprinters.  They are made to hold about 15 people.  Often they take about 20, 25, or 40!  I like to think of it as Moldovan Twister.  As the vehicle stops to pick up extra people, the people in the aisles just smush themselves together.  Anyway we made it back to the Codru Restaurant and all the tables were reset and beuatiful.  The proper drinks were stocked on every table and we would be served many of the foods of the night before.  But the main food attraction was the traditional zeamă (chicken soup).  This menu item is also know as ciorbă or borsc or soupă.  The bride and groom were in more everyday attire today.  But many of their friends returned with gifts for their future life such as dishes, table clothes, ironing board, pillows.  And of course inbetween eating and gift giving, there was more dancing.  But today's celebration was just a few hours and it was time to go home.....and party.  And they lived happily ever after.  Noroc!

A Moldovan Nuntă -- A Wedding Party

 

Last Saturday I attended my first Moldovan Wedding Party or  "Nuntă".  Moldavian marriage is a bouquet of traditions and culture. People sit together and are served with food and wine. Traditional dances also take place. In Moldova, people speak of "wedding parties" instead of just "weddings,” The wedding ceremony itself isn’t the focus of the festivities; it can be a small, understated event leading up to the wedding party proper, usually an all-night celebration. The traditional wedding party is magnificent in its arrangement, and intense. The singing and dancing continues until daybreak.  You can see how splendid the tables are set at the restaurant in Orhei as we arrive from Piatra in a chartered bus.  As each person enters they greet the bride and groom.  Most people are bringing a bouquet of flowers to hand them.  They intern receive an initial glass of wine or cognac.  I was given a chance to even pose for a picture with the honored couple.  Danicng begins early in the evening, even before we sit down for a meal.  There are special folk dancers there to perform and to lead us into the Moldovan hora.  Everyone dances the hora.  Now the young people in the room are asked to form an honor guard of flowers as the bride and groom head for the main table for "masă".  Hear's where I heard a few bars of our traditional "Here Comes the Bride" played.  Of course the fiddle and the cognac were essential elements of our evening that continued into the morning.  Now the bridal party is at the head table and the special dancers perform for them.  The dancers bring special symbols to the couple such as the round braided loaf of bread.  Now its time for everyone to toast the bride and groom, one household at a time and announce their "bani" or money gift.  Everyone throws their "lei"  or Modovan dollars into the basket.  Of course inbetween things a spontaneous chant of "Ama!  ama!"  or love, love can erupt.  Then the bride and groom have to kiss.  Our Moldovan dancers now become Gypsie Dancers or more correctly Roma Dancers.  And a red scarf is added to the bride's head and she joins in the Gypsie Dance.  Next a special dish is brought out to the head table by the lead dancer.   It must be the most delicious roasted chicken in all the world, he says.  Now our married couple are showered with gifts from family, or more correctly speaking they are wrapped in the love of their family in the form of comforters, sheets and blankets, and sweaters.  And now it's time for flaming cake!  And of course the cutting of the cake, and the feeding of cake to the couples' chosen special "sponsors".  And  more dancing until about 5 AM when we all board the bus for a bleary eyed ride home.  No that's not the end.  There's day two of the "Nuntă".  To be continued......

Red Rover, Red Rover

Well we were just sitting around the Community Center this past week and the weather was so nice we decided to take a walk.  We took a walk down to the valley.  Actually this was all a plan to let the children take pictures with a camera.  For many it was their first try at it.  As you can see from several of the wonderful shots, they have an eye for it.  Of course there was a little clowning around and we may have interrupted a perfectly fine afternoon for one cow.  Once we got to the valley our adult leaders had kids split into two groups and they had a blast playing "Red Rover, Red Rover".  I remember playing this game myself back in grammar school days.  Well it was a lot of fun to see their energy.  I broke into a spontaneous rendition of "He's got the whole world in his hands"...in English.  Eventually we made out way back to the cener, leaving the peaceful valley to its regular inhabitants. 

Wine Fest in Moldova

 

October 6th and 7th...it's National Wine Festival weekend in Moldova.  The weather is a beautiful 80 degrees and sunny.  And as the sign in the picture says, We invite you to National Wine Day.  (Read more about it at (http://www.moldovawineday.md/#  )  The stage is set in the raion center of Orhei for the Sarbatoarea Vinului or Celebration of Wine.  The folk groups are lining up to present their song and music.  It's a full blow street fair right down Stefan cel Mare Blvd.  Each village is welcome to present their own hospitality table or exhibition booth.  Of course there is plenty of home made food.  Friends come dressed in folk costume to represent their town or village.  And of course there's dancing!!  The best dancers on the street were from my village of Piatra.  Our theme was La Gura Beciului  or  Taste of the Wine Cellar.  And our course we had good home made food....and dancing!!!  Some folks roasted a pig.  Many groups gave performances.  And the chilren of Orhei showed off many of their accomplishments.  It was one terrific gathering.  Noroc și Sănătate!