Sarbatori or Celebrate

 

Sabatori !  This was a week with many celebrations.  First thing in this week was the 30th birthday of my host brother and work partner,  Sergiu.  You see him raising a toast to the day at our work celebration.  The people sitting around the table are all staff members at the community center.  It is our custom to all chip in 50 lei and have a "masa" or birthday meal at the end of the work day.  Then we went home and had a family masa with guests to celebrate some more.  I take my turn wishing Sergiu Many More Years and Health !  "La Muti Ani si Sanatate!"  Here's a family picture.  Sergiu's mom is in front next to son in law Vova, daughter Lilia, toddler Liviu, big brother Marius.  Sergiu's dad, Ilie, is standing in back of Lilia.  Family to the right are cousins visiting from Timisoara, Romania.  Next in the week was a wedding. Dima and Livia were getting married.  Here you can see them publically signing their certificate of marriage at the ceremony.  It's official, they're  "solt si soltie" or husband and wife.  Here's a picture of me arriving to the wedding with my host mom, Iulia and a peace corps friend, Sylvia.  Sergiu and his sister, Lilia, couldn't help but clown a round a bit with the lawn decorations.   A nice shot of Iulia and her children.  Sylvia and I are welcoming you to the wine cellar or "beci."  Now we enter the reception hall being greeted by uniformed servers.  Once we are seated at the table, it's time to toast the "mire si mireasa" or bride and groom.  Look at this amazing table of fruit sculpture.  It looks good enough to eat, and we did.  Of course there was lots of dancing, until 3 am at least.  A final toast, and it's home to bed.  Good Morning!