Cumatria

As far as personal important events in a person's life goes weddings always come first in most peoples' mind, which stands true for Moldova as well as for America. However in Moldova there is another event that takes a close second and that is a cumatria.

I don't have very much experience with cumatrias since I haven't been to one but I do know that it is an event held in honor of a child usually before they are old enough to attend kindergarten. My host mother and her family had a cumatria for her 4-year-old grandson last summer while I was at the summer camp in Ukraine so I was unable to attend. Since it is May and my days in Moldova are steadily dwindling my chances of attending a cumatria have also been dwindling...that is until a car pulled up one day last week with two younger people inside who introduced themselves and offered my host mother and me a glass of wine in honor of their daughter and invited us to a cumatria. They left as quick as they came,  off to invite the next set of people with a personally delivered wine invitation.

I asked my  host mother after they left what happens at a cumatria and she explained that it is very similar to a wedding. Everyone wears their nicest clothes and a banquet hall is rented out with lots of food and wine. It is also customary for the guests to give a rather large financial gift just as guests are expected to do for a wedding. Though my host mother was quick to tell me that they aren't nearly as long as weddings. Instead of it starting at 6 in the evening and ending at 6 in the morning like a Moldovan wedding, it starts at 6 in the evening and ends at 4 in the morning, much more manageable.

My host mother has also informed me that she has named our new bunny rabbit Musia, and just like the dog's name, Lyalya, I have no ability to pronounce it correctly.