Merry Christmas--Again

Well the darn computer won't let me upload pictures today.   Phoooey.  Sunday was January 6th and I got into Orhei for a church service with my catholic family.  It was "little Christmas" as we are want to call it, the Epiphany of the Magi.  If you could see my pictures, there'd be a little Christmas tree on the steps of the church in Orhei and a picture of the crech from inside the church.  The crech, that's the manger scene that is so popular with us catholics.  It was a tradition started by St Francis of Assisi back in the 1200's in Italy.  My Orthodox family doesn't know about St Francis.  He's just too new on the scene for them to notice.  You don't see the manger scene in Moldova much.  When I was in Malta a few years ago, the manger scene was something multiplied a thousand times throughout the country with every business and home wanting show a better more precious presentation of it.  Well breakfast on January 7th...Orthodox Christmas, or as some would say Old Christmas, was a very meaty affair.  You see, the Orthodox fast for the period of Advent from meat, eggs, and dairy.  So wow, Chirstmas morning it's pork friptura, chicken racitura, and all the bread and cheese you can want to eat.  The television has the sacred liturgy of the Orthodox Cathedral service in Chisinau.  The priests are wearing crowns, the incense is rising to the beautiful murals above, and the Moldovan people are packed shoulder to shoulder holding lit candles.  After the breakfast feast, we had a chance to take a nap.  About 12:30 other family members began to arrive and we has a "masa" or feast of salads, meats, fish, cheese, wine and raciu (strong drink).  Oh, yes, there was cake too.  Well you know what Christmas is about, family, children, stories, and more food.  Whew.  Good thing we had the next day off from work.....so we could go to another relatives house and do it all over again.  Merry Christmas.