Culture of Moldova

Moldovan Stamp
The culture of Moldova is a combination of Romanian culture and Soviet culture. The
traditional Latin origins of Romanian culture reach back to the 2nd century, the period
of Roman colonization in Dacia.
During the centuries following the Roman withdrawal in 271, the population of the region
was influenced by contact with the Byzantine Empire, neighboring Slavic, Magyar, and other
smaller populations, and later by the Ottoman Turks. Beginning in the 19th century, a
strong Western European (particularly French) influence came to be evident in Romanian
literature, and the arts. The resulting mlange has produced a rich cultural tradition.
Although foreign contacts were an inevitable consequence of the region's geography, their
influence only served to enhance a vital and resilient popular culture.
The population of what once was the Principality of Moldavia (13591859) had come to
identify itself widely as "Moldovan" by the 14th century, but continued to maintain close
cultural links with other Romanian groups. After 1812, the eastern Moldavians, those
inhabiting Bessarabia and Transnistria, were also influenced by the Slavic culture during the
periods of 18121917, and 19401989, they were influenced by Russia, respectively
by Soviet administrative control, as well as by ethnic Russian or Russian-speaking
immigration.
By 1918, Bessarabia was one of the least developed, and least educated European regions
of the Russian Empire. In 1930, its literacy rate was only 40%, according to a
Romanian census, itself a huge increase from 12% some 30 years earlier under the Russian
Empire. Especially low was the literacy rate for women, less than 10% in 1918, to just under
50% in 1940.[citation needed] Although, Soviet authorities promoted education (not the least to
spread communist ideology), they also did everything they could to break the region's
cultural ties with Romania. With many ethnic Romanian intellectuals, either fleeing, being
killed after 1940, or being deported both during and after World War II, Bessarabia's cultural
and educational situation worsened. The country became more Russified.

After the 1960s, Soviet authorities developed urban cultural and scientific centers and
institutions that were subsequently filled with Russians, and with other non-Romanian ethnic
groups, but this culture was superimposed and alien. Much of the urban culture came
from Moscow; the rural ethnic Romanian population was allowed to express itself only
in folklore or folk art.

1 Folk culture

2 Literary culture

3 Cuisine

4 Sports

5 See also

6 External links
Folk culture
Although the folk arts flourished, similarities with were hidden. Music and dance, particularly
encouraged by Soviet authorities, were made into a showcase, but were subtly distorted to
hide their Romanian origins. For example, the national folk costume, in which the traditional
Romanian moccasin (opinca) was replaced by the Russian boot.
Moldova's traditional folk culture is very rich. The ancient folk ballads, such as "Mioria" and
"Meterul Manole", play a central role in this traditional culture. Folk traditions,
including ceramics and weaving, continue to be practiced in rural areas. The folk culture
tradition is promoted at the national level and is represented by, among other groups, the
republic's dance company, Joc, and by the folk choir, Doina.
Literary culture
Main article: Literature of Moldova
The first Moldovan books, religious texts, appeared in the mid-17th century. Prominent
figures in Moldova's cultural development include
mitropolitans Varlaam and Dosoftei, Grigore Ureche, Miron Costin, mitropolitan of Kiev Petru
Movil, scholarsNicolae Milescu-Sptaru, Dimitrie Cantemir (16731723), and Ion
Neculce, Gavriil Bnulescu-Bodoni, Alexandru Hjdu, Alexandru Donici, Constantin
Stamati, Costache Negruzzi, historian and philologist Bogdan P. Hasdeu (18361907),
author Ion Creang (18371889), and poet Mihai Eminescu (18501889).
Varlaam published the first books. Dosoftei founded numerous schools and published a lot.
Cantemir wrote the first thorough geographical, ethnographical, and economic description of
the country in Descriptio Moldaviae (Berlin, c. 1714).

Modern writers include Vladimir Beleag, Pavel Bou, Aureliu Busuioc, Nicolae Dabija, Ion
Dru, Victor Teleuc, and Grigore Vieru. In 1991, a total of 520 books were published in
Moldova, of which 402 were in Romanian, 108 in Russian, eight in Gagauz, and two
in Bulgarian.
In the early 1990s, Moldova had twelve professional theaters. All performed in Romanian,
except the A.P. Chekhov Russian Drama Theater in Chiinu, and the Russian Drama and
Comedy Theater in Tiraspol, both of which performed solely in Russian, and the Licurici
Republic Puppet Theater, in Chiinu, which performed in both Romanian and Russian.
Although, among those controlled tendencies by Soviets, real artists in music formed real
art-bands, such as "Ciocrlia", led by Serghei Lunchevici and "Lutarii" of Nicolae Botgros.
Members of ethnic minorities manage a number of folklore groups and amateur theaters
throughout the country.
Cuisine
Main article: Moldovan cuisine
See also: Moldovan wine

A popular Moldovan dish of Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (sarma), accompanied

bysauerkraut and mmlig.
Moldovan cuisine consists mainly of traditional European foods, such
as beef, pork, potatoes, cabbage, cheese, and a variety of cereals. Popular alcoholic
beverages are divin (Moldovan brandy), beer, and local wine.
Very popular dishes include manti (a type of dumpling filled with meat, vegetables, wrapped
in a dough wrapper, and served with a spicy sour cream), ciorb (a sour soup consisting of
meat and vegetables, served with sauerkraut, polenta, or rice),pelmeni (another type of
dumpling, filled with meat, onions, sometimes mushrooms, turnips, and sauerkraut is made
Moldovan-style), borscht (it is made with beets, tomatoes, and other vegetables to form a
stew), and sarma (a dish made withstuffed cabbage rolls, accompanied with sauerkraut
and mamlig).
Other common foods in Moldova include grilled meats, grain, dairy products,
and mmlig (a type of polenta made with cornmeal, and mashed into a porridge).