#Exhibit of the Month

We find ourselves in the month of April, as we prepare to celebrate Easter-a moveable religious holiday rich in festive rituals and ceremonial activities that place this event at the very heart of Christian spiritual life. The spirit of the Resurrection is beautifully complemented by ten Easter-themed postcards from the heritage of the National Museum of History of Moldova, printed a century ago. These pieces were added to the museum's postcard collection over a decade ago following a successful acquisition; as the fund for Easter-themed illustrations is modest, we are in a constant search for new additions.

These postcards are "extraordinary" in terms of their postal, typographical, and chromatic effects-the primary reason for revisiting this genre of greetings. Unlike "classic" postcards, these are smaller in size (6.5 cm x 11 cm), made of cardboard (with the exception of one piece made of photographic paper in black and white), and feature "vivid" colors. Printed in Romania and Germany, they bear the marks of having been sent and circulated through the post.

The name of the holiday originates from the verb persach, meaning "to pass," a term adopted by the Jews from the Egyptians. It entered the Romanian language through the Byzantine-Latin form Paschae, signifying the "passage through death to life, the victory of life, and liberation from the bondage of sin." Easter is a holiday of tolerance and forgiveness, representing a bridge between the present and the past. The significance of this celebration is conveyed through its symbols, which are also featured on these postcards: Hand-painted eggs, the Easter Bunny and the Lamb, traditional sweet breads (cozonac and pască), biblical scenes related to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Easter table also features pască-a ritual food reminiscent of ancient, bloodless "reconciliation" sacrifices. Its preparation is the exclusive task of women, the givers of life, as the leavened dough is considered "alive."

The most significant component of the Easter holiday, however, is the Light. The Ceremony of the Holy Light is associated with the miracle of the light appearing on Easter Sunday at Christ's Tomb in Jerusalem. The candle, often depicted in these images, carries a powerful message; it is with the Resurrection candle that we return home after the midnight religious service. Furthermore, the Easter Bunny represents the rebirth of nature, so eagerly awaited after a harsh winter.

Unlike Christmas, when the announcement and ritual integration of the community into sacred time was the duty of caroling groups, at Easter, "one does not go from house to house." Instead, the ritual meal is organized within each family, symbolizing a direct communion with God.

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Events Archive

Book launch: "History of Bessarabia, Vol. II: At the dawn of Romanian civilization. From the middle of the 1st millennium until the formation of the centralized medieval state among the romanians", author: Ion Turcanu

November 16, 2022

On November 16, in the Conference Hall of the National Musuem of History of Moldova took place the launch of the monography "The History of Bessarabia, Vol. II: At the dawn of Romanian civilization. From the middle of the 1st millennium to the formation of the centralized medieval state among the Romanians", signed by Ion Țurcanu, appeared this year at Publishing House Știința.

The work represents an academic synthesis based on the latest historiographic achievements and historical sources (written, archaeological, linguistic, anthropological, etc.), regarding the process of the formation of the Romanian civilization and the medieval state in the historical province of Bessarabia.

The present volume, the second after the one published in 2016, covers the history of Bessarabia from the end of Antiquity until the formation of the medieval state by the Romanians. In the first part of the book are researched the realities of the Pruto-Dnistrian area from the second half of the 1st millennium (7th-10th centuries), especially the way of life of the autochthonous, Romanic population, but also the issue of the transient presence in that territory of many nomadic peoples. In the second part, the author focuses on the specifics of Romanian society from the first centuries of the second millennium, the genesis of urban life and the appearance of the first cities, as well as on the inclusion of Bessarabia within the early Moldavian state. In the third part of the book, the problem of the emergence of the name Bessarabia is investigated, a task carried out by the parallel examination of the cartographic information and its relation to the existing documentary data and to the various historical sources.

Alongside the author, during the event, with speeches participated Dr. hab., university professor Gheorghe Postică, Dr. Ion Tentiuc, Dr. hab. Ion Mereuță and the redactor of the monography Mihai Papuc.