Paște

Well, it’s official. Spring is here. Little green buds have been appearing on all the trees, flowers are starting to appear in the gardens, and the goats are back in the fields. I’m sitting on the third story of the Peace Corps’ balcony in Chisinau writing out this blog, and I’m about to let my hair down a little bit and take my shoes and my long sleever off. Weather this good always gets me in the mood to either go kayaking, throw a Frisbee, ride a bike, or go fishing. Sadly, I’m not able to do anything of those things right now- thank god for a vivid imagination and a good book though. It’s pretty quite here at Peace Corps, all the teachers are on Easter Break and are fleeing the country, and the rest of the volunteers are in their respective villages gearing up for Easter tomorrow. I should be in my village right now as well, except I haven’t been feeling very well these past few days and I’m trying to conveniently avoid the tradition of standing all night in an Orthodox church until six am when the festivities start.

By tradition, the Moldovans that are Eastern Orthodox (the majority) are following post right now. Post is roughly the equivalent of Catholic’s’ lent, except a tad bit more stringent. During this period I don’t think you are allowed to eat meat, diary, or animals products for the forty days (and really I think it’s 43 days since Lent starts on a Wednesday and Post starts that Monday), but I don’t think most people follow this tradition- at least my host family didn’t. However, for the past week we have completely cut out meat, butter, cheese, and eggs. I have been eating, and I kid you not, potatoes and beans three times a day. It’s pretty amusing at the dinner table now because my host sister detests beans, and she has been on a bread, jelly, and potato diet. Sounds delicious right? On Thursday night my host mom told me she was preparing my favorite dinner- baked potatoes and baked chicken- and it really got my hopes up. The last time she made this meal she forgot about the food and it was like gnawing on shoe leather, so the anticipation of a good meal was killing me. Once dinner was finally ready (around 10pm since she and my host sister have been going to the church every evening after work) I was sorely disappointed to find baked potatoes and, yes, once again, beans. For the record, I love beans, but it’s getting quite noxious in my room and a break from beans will be nice.

For the Easter holidays, like I’ve said, everyone goes to the church on Saturday night and stands for a ceremony lasting until the morning when food is spread out and the priest walks by dousing it with holy water. By tradition, this blessed food should be eaten over the next three days. Around six in the morning all the little trouble makers in the village go off and make a big bon fire. Somehow burning tires that are spun around to shoot flames in every direction are included in this celebration, but I’m going to have to see this to get the full story. Once the pyrotechnics have been distinguished, the feasting begins. All week long I’ve heard the bleating of dying lambs and pigs, so I’m assuming we will have our fair share of meat. It wouldn’t be a Moldovan holiday without mayonnaise salads and gallons upon gallons of house wine and cognac. I’m going to my partner’s house for this celebration, which is about 15 minutes down the road in another village, and I’m really hoping I make it back to my own bed tomorrow night. The odds aren’t in my favor.

Monday will be spent resting and recuperating, which hopefully means I will have the gumption to finish a follow-up report for the water grant that I just won this week. From all the other volunteers that have seen an Easter in Moldova, I won’t be working for the next two weeks, especially since the following Sunday is Paște bajinelor (Easter something or other). This is a lot like Dia de los muertos in the Latin culture, and every family goes to the cemetery to light candles and give gifts to their deceased relatives. They have permanent tables set up in the cemeteries here, and this is supposed to be an all day event. I have already made promises to visit to several families’ sites and taste their house wine and receive a gift (usually a towel, cup, or flowers). Allegedly my community got a previous volunteer pretty smashed at this event, and he wandered off and passed out in the park, and has forever been known as the “alcoholic American” that can’t hold his booze. The bar has been set.

One similarity between American Easter and Moldovan Easter is the presence of the Easter egg. Not surprisingly, eggs are an international symbol of springtime and the rebirth of the earth. However, Easter eggs in Moldova are traditionally painted red (although this tradition is fading) instead the plethora of pastel colors we use. I asked my tutor why this was and she smirked and told me this was reminiscence from the Soviet Union (she is quite anti-Communist). I don’t know if I buy that because someone else told me it is a symbol of the blood of Christ- a much more plausible answer- but who knows, if I see an Easter egg dyed red with the hammer and sickle painted on it, I’ll have my answer.

I’m going to go shower up, put on my game face, and power through these next couple of days. I just want you all to know that I am doing this in the name of Peace and Friendship, although my village-wide wrestling match is coming up soon and I plan on kicking ass and winning that ram. As for now, I hope everyone has a Paște fericit (happy Easter)! Peace.