Christmas bells entered the Romanian cultural space through a long process in which archaic traditions blended with Christian belief and European influences. Long before the holiday of Christmas developed as we know it, metallic sounds played an important ritual role in old communities: they were used to drive away evil spirits, to purify spaces, and to protect people during transitional moments at the turn of the year. These beliefs have been preserved in winter customs such as caroling, the Plugușor, and masked dances, where bells and jingles were indispensable. With the spread of Christianity, the sound of the bell also acquired a profound religious meaning, becoming an announcer of major feasts and a symbol of the Nativity. Small bells, however, were not originally used as decorations but primarily as functional or ritual objects. The first decorated Christmas tree in the Romanian lands was the one at the palace of Prince Carol I of Hohenzollern, following his arrival in the Romanian Principalities in 1866. From that moment the tradition took root, and on Christmas Eve princes and princesses invited to the palace would take part in decorating the tree. Among the ornaments used were small metal bells, symbolizing joy, the good news, and divine protection for the home. In the twentieth century, Christmas bells spread across all Romanian provinces and became a visual emblem of the holiday, appearing in both decorations and carols. Even during periods when religious expression was curtailed, bells remained in people's homes as signs of joy and the continuity of tradition. Today they retain this dual meaning: the echo of ancient beliefs and, at the same time, the announcement of the Birth of Christ - a symbol of hope, light, and the link between past and present. These tinkling pieces are part of a generous heritage collection at the National Museum of History of Moldova (NMHM), which includes more than 200 cultural items. A substantial contribution to the museum's collection of decorative bells was made by Dorina Raischi, a teacher at School No. 94 in Chișinău, who donated 174 bells, of which around 30 are winter-themed. Made of ceramic, porcelain, glass, and metal, they were brought from different parts of the world and together offer a succinct picture of the global culture of bells. They add a festive note to the home and even to a gift, and it is hard to imagine Christmas without their cheerful tinkling.
The Kishinev copy of three 14th-century anti-latin writings
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VII [XXII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
The hesychast dispute between Gregory Palamas and Barlaam of Calabria was reflected in several treatises they wrote, which were translated in Church Slavonic as early as in the 1360s. This translation, by a happy coincidence, is kept in its original version in Codex 88 from the collection of the Dečani Monastery. The two Λόγοι ἀποδεικτικοί of Palamas and the Slovo vtoro na latine of Barlaam are known to us in five copies. The oldest one is kept in the Collection of the Noul Neamț Monastery at the National Archives of the Republic of Moldova. The article comes to the following conclusions, on the basis of the manuscript tradition of these three texts and of the known literary and historical facts: 1) the Kishinev copy is the earliest one but less reliable, as far as textual criticism goes, than the Hilandar copy; 2) it was most probably created on Mount Athos; 3) the Kishinev copy is the direct antigraph of a lost common predecessor "v" of the three Visarion of Debar's copies; 4) the "v" copy was created on Athos but how did it get to the Slepce Monastery - directly from there or via Novo Brdo - is an issue for further discussion.
Christmas bells entered the Romanian cultural space through a long process in which archaic traditions blended with Christian belief and European influences. Long before the holiday of Christmas developed as we know it, metallic sounds played an important ritual role in old communities: they were used to drive away evil spirits, to purify spaces, and to protect people during transitional moments at the turn of the year...
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
