#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.

Virtual Tour

Branch Museums

Museum of Victims of Political Repressions and Deportations

Museum of the Victims of Deportations and Political Repressions was created by Government Decision no. 605 of July 2, 2010 as branch of the National Museum of History of Moldova.

On June 13, 2012, in an exhibition space in the basement of the National Museum of History of Moldova, was opened the first exhibition of the Museum of the Victims of Deportations and Political Repressions entitled "Soviet Moldova: between myths and gulag".

Exhibition "Soviet Moldova: between myths and gulag" presents the totalitarian phenomenon in the overall history of the Soviet era. By using specific museological techniques, the authors of the exhibition have tried to present to the public the two components of Soviet society: the illusory world of those who embraced the "Soviet dream", believing naively in the ideals of freedom and justice, the "bright future" shaped by Soviet propaganda and the world of people who lived through the hell of communist camps and prisons. The exhibition brings together about 700 museum pieces: photographs, documents, letters from Siberia, vintage posters, personal belongings of former deportees and political prisoners, lists of confiscated property, memoirs written by witnesses and survivors of the Soviet gulag. For the first time are exhibited materials and documents from the archives of the former KGB with reference to the repressed people for their political and religious beliefs.

According to some incomplete data, 31 677 persons were sentenced for "political crimes" between 1920-1951 in MASSR and MSSR, of which over 5000 were sentenced to death. Other 3000 died in prisons and isolators. About 60 thousand people were deported during nationwide deportations: in June 1941, July 1949 and 1 April 1951. Museum materials presented in the exhibition "Soviet Moldova: between myths and gulag" speak about the drama of these persons with incredible destinies.

This is not a usual exhibition, it is a small memorial of sorrows and humiliations of the victims of the red terror, an exhibition that recalls contemporaries of communist totalitarian past that needs to be known, but must remain in history and never repeat again.