#Exhibit of the Month

Buckles (paftale) are an almost indispensable element of traditional women's dress in the Southeastern European area, particularly in the Balkans, and have been in use over a long period, from the 14th to the 20th century.
The word pafta is of Turkic origin-possibly entering the language via Iranian influence-derived from the Persian word bafta, meaning "woven," which evolved in Turkish to signify "plate." Today, the term is used in nearly identical forms in Romanian (pafta), Bulgarian (пафта), Serbian (пафте), and some Aromanian dialects (pafta), designating functional and ornamental clothing accessories used to fasten belts, girdles, or sashes, crafted from various materials and decorated using different techniques.
The three buckles decorated in the polychrome enamel technique, preserved in the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova, belong to the South-Danubian tradition and are dated to the late 19th - early 20th century.

Each buckle consists of two identical trapezoidal parts, their surfaces divided into three roughly equal registers, adorned with stylized vegetal motifs forming a metal lattice into which enamel is poured. The two parts extend into sharp angles at the ends, forming a triangle with the edge of the last decorative register, similarly ornamented. The enamel used to fill the floral motifs is black, turquoise, white, orange, green, yellow, and burgundy. The entire decorative field is framed by a beaded border.

On the reverse, both components retain a copper band riveted along the edge, used to fasten the ends of the belt. The fastening system, made by interlocking the hinges of the two parts and secured with a movable pin attached by a chain to a clasp fixed on one of the buckle pieces, is concealed by a rectangular plate (riveted with three pins to the body of the piece), with narrow edges ending in sharp angles, decorated in the same style and technique. Additionally, it features three circular settings with notched edges bent inward to hold centrally placed red and green glass paste. These settings are framed by a radiant, notched band.

The symbolism of the color palette encodes meanings and symbols, chosen for their believed magical powers. Red has always represented love, affection, and protection against curses and the evil eye; white symbolizes purity and spiritual and physical cleanliness; blue is symbolically associated with infinity, morning, new beginnings, and transformation; green represents destiny, hope, prosperity, balance, and rebirth, being linked to nature's revival each spring and to life itself.

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Autumnal school “Dialogue between the young people from both banks of the Dniester for edification of a European memory culture and promotion of democratic values. Implementation of good practices between Lithuania and Moldova” (2024 edition)

The National Museum of History of Moldova, in partnership with the Institute of History of the Moldova State University and the Museum of History of Avdarma, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania and the Hanns Siedel Foundation - Republic of Moldova, between November 1 - 3, 2024, organizes a new edition of the Autumn School "Dialogue between young people from both banks of the Dniester for edification of a European memory culture and promotion of democratic values. Implementation of good practices between Lithuania and Moldova".

The activities to be developed during the Autumnal School, represented by lectures, round tables, case studies and field research, will create a common platform of communication between young people from both banks of the Dniester to address the issues of the history of totalitarian regimes and the consequences for contemporary societies. Places of memory related to the totalitarian-communist past will be brought to the center of attention of the participants, documented and analyzed in the context of building a European memory culture in the Republic of Moldova. The European experience of promoting democratic values and respect for historical knowledge will be approached with reference to the case of the Republic of Lithuania, as an example of putting in value the historical memory to strengthen the society.

The project "Dialogue between young people from both banks of the Dniester for the edification of a European memory culture and the promotion of democratic values. The implementation of good practices between Lithuania and Moldova - Edition 2024" is implemented with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in the Republic of Moldova and the Hanns Seidel Foundation - Republic of Moldova.