#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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Publications

Library „Tyragetia"

Elena Ploșnița

Museographic Concepts of Historical Profile: Retrospect and Prospect

Series “Biblioteca “Tyragetia” XVII, Chisinau, 2008, 248 p. ISBN 978-9975-80-197-3.

The monograph “Museographic Concepts of Historical Profile: Retrospect and Prospect” is a work on an actual and unstudied subject, the synthesis study of museographic concepts on history which dominated in the history of Moldova from the 19th century to the present.

The structure of the work is determined by the specificity of the subject under research. It consists of Preface; arguments; three chapters (“Archaeology and History in Bessarabian Museographic Concepts”, “Creation and Development of Museography of Historical Profile in Moldavian SSR”, “Role of Cultural Policy and Civil Society in Adoption of New Museographic Concepts in Late 20th – Early 21st Centuries”), which are divided into 10 sections; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index of Museographic Concepts; Index of Museums; Index of Proper Names; abstracts in Romanian, English, and Russian; and List of Abbreviations.

The concepts under consideration were identified and systematized on the basis of materials found in the National Archives of the Republic of Moldova, the Archives of the Historical Monuments Department from Bucharest (Romania), the State Archives of the Russian Federation, in the collections and archives of the National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova, and the archives of the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History (Chisinau). The materials, for the most part, have not previously been investigated.

The studies revealed that each historical period of development of the Moldavian society since the late 19th century gave rise to (and was marked by) certain museographic concepts and, at the same time, these concepts have been a reflection of social and intellectual concerns, the interest in history of the past, the attitude of a collective mentality, an of course, cultural policy in general and museum policy in particular, promoted by government bodies.