moldova background and history - basildon academies · 2020. 4. 30. · •moldova background and...

Known for – Monasteries and Wine makingNational Emblem – Coat of ArmsCapital – ChisinauPatron Saint – St StephenImportant Holiday - Easter

• Moldova Background and History

• Moldova is a landlocked country that has been tossed around for ownership throughout the ages. Once part of Romania and then the Ukraine, it has no access to oceans or seas. It has been under communist rule and is listed as one of the poorest nations in Europe.

Question:

What do you think Landlocked means?


In this slideshow you will learn:

Where Moldova is

The brief history of Moldova

The National Flag

Facts about Moldova

Foods of Moldova

Famous landmarks

Folklore of Moldova

Known for –Monasteries and Wine makingNational Emblem –Coat of ArmsCapital – ChisinauPatron Saint –St Stephen

Important Holiday - Easter

Moldovan Is Actually Romanian speaking of Latin script and languages, Moldovan is Romanian – sort of. In 1939 the language’s alphabet was converted to Cyrillic, a move by the Soviets to distinguish (and divide) the Moldovan ethnic group from Romanians.

Shortly after Communism fell in 1989,

the Moldovan government passed a

law switching the alphabet back to Latin script.

Moldovans themselves though are still roughly

split as to whether they speak “Moldovan” or Romanian.


English Moldovan

Hello šeŋac

Goodbye gūdbje

Please please

Thank you żank jū

My name is mj kēna ča

What is your name? What ča jūr kēna?

Do you speak English? Tå jū speak eŋliš?

Yes jes

No no

The capital Chisinau is not pronounced

“Cheesy-new”. Chisinau is actually pronounced like, “Kishi-now

the confusion stemming from the crude translation of Latin characters from Romanian to English.



• Moldova Background and History

• The earliest history of Moldova goes back to the 1350’s when it was called the “Principality of Moldavia”.

• During the time of Celmare, the area was attacked by Poland, Hungary and the Ottoman Empire.

Saint Stephen

• When St Stephen was just 19, his father, Prince Bogdan II of Moldavia, was murdered by St Stephen’s half-brother, and St Stephen was forced to escape with his cousin, Vlad Dracula Ţepeş, (Vlad the Impaler)

• Vlad helped his cousin, St Stephen to take his own father’s throne in the Moldavian capital of Suceava in 1457

• This began a reign marked by nearly constant warfare, largely against the Muslim Turks pouring into Europe, but also by a flourishing of Moldavian culture particularly in the monasteries that St Stephen built, widely considered some of the most beautiful in the world.


What Do The Colors And Symbols Of The Flag Of Moldova Mean?

The state of Moldova officially adopted its flag on May 12, 1990.The country’s flag resembles that of Romania, indicating the close association between the two nations. The two flags are made up of a vertical tricolor of red on the hoist side, yellow at the center, and blue on the fly side. The flag of Moldova has a coat of arms charged on the middle vertical yellow stripe. The coat of arms has a dark golden eagle that appears to hold a cross associated with the Orthodox Christianity in its peak. The eagle also holds a branch of an olive in the right claw and a yellow staff in its left claw. On the eagle’s chest is a blue and a red shield charged with Moldova’s traditional symbols, the Aurochs’ head and there is a star located between the horns, and it is flanked by a rose and a crown.

• Moldova

More Recent History

• Under Soviet rule the country experienced very little benefits and had severe famines and drought. This created a baseline for rebellion by the people.

• 1944 through 1953 was a rough time in Moldavian history as the people developed many resistance groups that were anti-communist. The Soviet government did not stand for the unrest and arrested, deported or executed many of the members.

• One of the key factors that was important was that the Soviet government was aggressive at impressing the difference between Moldavian ethnicity and Romanian. The purpose was to promote hostilities and cut any ties to Romania that might encourage revolution.

Literacy Question: what do the words ethnicity and revolution mean?



• Folk culture of Moldova

• 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 “Mioriţa” and “Meşterul 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.

• Moldova

It wasn’t until 1985, under the Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev that the Democratic Movement of Moldova was created and by 1989 it was the Popular Front of Moldova.

In 1991 independence for Moldova was declared as well as the establishment of its national language.

Known for –Monasteries and Wine makingNational Emblem –Coat of ArmsCapital – ChisinauPatron Saint –St Stephen

Important Holiday - Easter

What Do The Colors And Symbols Of The Flag Of Moldova Mean?

The state of Moldova officially adopted its flag on May 12, 1990.The country’s flag resembles that of Romania, indicating the close association between the two nations. The two flags are made up of a vertical tricolor of red on the hoist side, yellow at the center, and blue on the fly side. The flag of Moldova has a coat of arms charged on the middle vertical yellow stripe. The coat of arms has a dark golden eagle that appears to hold a cross associated with the Orthodox Christianity in its peak. The eagle also holds a branch of an olive in the right claw and a yellow staff in its left claw. On the eagle’s chest is a blue and a red shield charged with Moldova’s traditional symbols, the Aurochs’ head and there is a star located between the horns, and it is flanked by a rose and a crown.


Moldova is known for their excellent wineries and is twelfth in the world’s wine exports.

People on Moldova have been growing grapes and making wine for nearing 5,000 years

The wine cellars of Cricova is the second largest wine cellar in Moldova, after Milestii Mici (largest in the world). Jul 14 2019

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Known for –Monasteries and Wine makingNational Emblem –Coat of ArmsCapital – ChisinauPatron Saint –St StephenImportant Holiday - Easter

There are thirty monasteries in Moldova, with some that date back to the 15th century.


Moldova has one of the oldest oak trees at six hundred years old.

Moldova claims over forty parks that include a variety of old and different tree species as well as exotic plants. However, only twenty are in fairly good condition.


During the era of the USSR, Soroca in Moldova, became the gypsy capital of the world. Despite being surrounded by poverty, rich residents in the town of Soroca have taken to flaunting their wealth by building flamboyant homes inspired by landmarks such as St Peter’s Basilica and the Bolshoi theatre. Consequently, the town, dubbed Gypsy Hill, has become something of an tourist attraction, with people coming to admire the madcap architecture


Basics of Moldovan Cuisine

Moldovan cuisine is a very interesting mix of cuisines from eastern and western countries as these countries have influenced Moldova through the history. The majority of their traditional food is based on European food like different types of meat, cereal, cabbage, potatoes and so on. Moldova is located on a very fertile soil which means they can produce their high-quality food including all kinds of fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy products and grains.


Basics of Moldovan Cuisine

Their traditional cuisine is very similar to Romanian but differs in details because of influences from Europe and Russia. Moldovan cuisine is based on vegetables and they are focusing a lot on eating healthy, so it’s not a strange thing that the majority of their traditional food combines vegetables such as peppers, cabbage, onions, garlic and tomatoes.


#1 Sarmale

If you ever visit Moldova, it would be a sin not to try their Sarmale. It’s traditional Moldovan food that is served in the country for the centuries. Sarmale is usually made from few ingredients including rice, meat and vegetable mixture which is then carefully rolled in the cabbage leaves and served in a variety of soups. That dish is also popular in many East European countries, which means there are many variations of it.


2 ZeamaIf you’re a soup lover then you will enjoy your stay in Moldova as they love to prepare different types of soups. Zeama is their traditional soup they’re eating through the year mainly as a main dish. Zeama is a great choice as a main dish as it’s very light, but at the same time combines many tastes that go well together. The base of the soup is a chicken meat, specifically broth, noodles and all kind of vegetables. Like the most of the Moldovan traditional food, Zeama isn’t different when it comes to the variety of ingredients.

National Day –Known for – Monastries and Wine makingNational Emblem – Coat of ArmsCapital –

The ceremony of the "first bath" is one of the most important Moldovan rituals. Only the women can assist in the bathing of the newborn child, and the oldest woman related to the father of the baby is in charge of the event. Fresh, clean water enriched with flowers, money, honey and milk are thought to purify and join the newborn to the family. The elder woman gives the cleansed baby to the mother with wishes for the child's moral, spiritual and physical integrity. She wishes for the child to marry, to be good-looking and healthy, to be respectful of his or her parents and to be a patient person. She wishes that the child thrives, grows to maturity, becomes hardworking and experiences good luck in life.

Numeracy. What percentage of exports go to Russia?

Numeracy: What country shows the least amount of imports?What is the percentage for “other”?

Numeracy. What is the percentage of people over 85 in Moldova?What is the percentage of people over 60?What is the percentage of people under 30?

Easter is the Main Holiday in Moldova

• The day of Easter is taken to be on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox.

• And because the vernal equinox usually occurs on the 20th of March and two full moons are a little under 30 days apart, Easter usually happens either at the beginning or at the end of April.

• Although there have been cases when the Easter holiday occurred at the begging of May, or at the end of March.

• There are numerous Easter related traditions and most of them relate to the Church, after all, Easter is the day when Jesus resurrected.

Easter is the main holiday in Moldova

• People use a different greeting in Moldova on the days of Easter – they say "Hristos a inviat" which means "Jesus resurrected".

• And the reply for the greeting is "Adevarat a inviat", which translates to "Indeed resurrected". Some people might actually be offended if you greet them by just saying "Hi, how are you" on Easter.

• It is also customary to color eggs in different colors for Easter, although red is considered the traditional color.

• A large variety of meals are prepared for Easter in Moldovan households, such as Easter cakes and Easter bread, which must be sprinkled with holy water at a church.

Easter is the Main Holiday in Moldova

• And of course, lamb serves as the primary meat during Easter.

• Plenty of other national food is prepared in Moldova for Easter: placinte (a type of filled pastry), galuste (rice and ground meat wrapped in grape wine leaves), mamaliga (cornbread), various salads, soups, main entry meat dishes (especially rabbit and lamb), as well as various deserts.

• Many people bring all the above mentioned food to be sanctified, not just the eggs and the Easter bread, which usually causes huge lines to form at and near the church. It is advisable to arrive early on.

• The second Sunday after Easter in Moldova there is a holiday called "Pastele Blajinilor", which translates roughly to "Easter of the Gentle". People bring flowers to the graves of their family and friends, and exchange gifts with others who came to mourn on this day.

moldova background and history - basildon academies · 2020. 4. 30. · •moldova background and...

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