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.
The printings from Neamț Monastery from XIX centuries in Bessarabia
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. III [XVIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Through contribution of hierarchy of Moldova Country Churches as well as abbots of Neamț Monastery, Neamț printing-house printed numerous church books useful for Christians on the whole Romanian area. These can be met and nowadays in Bessarabia churches and are of use for the divine services as they were at the time they were printed. The area of these books circulation is vast enough, but Neamț Monastery becomes one of the most remarkable cultural and spiritual Romanian centres. Priests and parishioners from Bessarabia, though estranged after 1812 by Romanian spirituality will feel the need of religious books and the Neamț Monastery will be one of the principle centres of Romanian culture and spirituality spreading to the East of the Prut. After the return of Bessarabia in Romanian trough after 1918, monks of that monastery would present religious books to Bessarabia and Bucovina, the proof of which are the inscriptions made by the owners of the books preserved up to nowadays. Among the most illustrative books printed at Neamț monastery and which circulated to the East of Prut are the following:
Igor Cereteu
Historic events from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries attested in notes from manuscripts and old books from the Principality of Moldova
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. V [XX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Igor Cereteu
Pages from the history of the Hâncu Monastery library
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VIII [XXIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Igor Cereteu
The Transylvanien printings from Basarabia (from the second half of XVIIIth and the first decades of XXth centuries
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. II [XVII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Igor Cereteu
On the distribution of early printed books published in Chișinău
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VI [XXI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Igor Cereteu
A manuscript about clergymen of the Nativity Cathedral in Chișinău during 1840-1851
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VII [XXII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
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 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.