Happy Easter! and no this blog post is not a week late. In Moldova the overwhelming majority of the population is a member of the Orthodox church, which still follows the old calendar. So just like for Christmas, in case you might remember, the Orthodox church celebrates Easter on a different date then those who use the new calendar or Western system.
Easter is treated as a big deal here in Moldova. Even bigger than it is in America. In America we tend to have a break from school that usually falls right around Easter that we consider Spring Break. But in Moldova, while they do have a Spring Break in March, about the same time as college spring break in America, they also have another vacation which they call Easter Break. Both of which last for a week.
My host mother's daughter came home from Turkey to join us in our celebration of Easter and spent most of her time since she arrived cleaning and putting things in order. Like I said before Easter is taken seriously and a clean house is only the beginning of the preparations. It is also fun trying to communicate with her because by now must of the people I talk with here in Moldova have acclimated to my way of speaking Romanian and have adjusted their own way of speaking so as to be better understood by me. She, however, has not. So most of our conversations go sort of like "I went to the blah and bought some blah. Would you like to try some blah?" Obviously the "blah" is when she is using a Russian word and doesn't realize it.
In other news I am sad to report that one casualty did indeed result from all of this Easter preparations. The baby goat I blogged about a few months ago was slaughtered on Wednesday. In case you have never had baby goat before it taste to me like goose or rabbit....and actually now that I think about it I don't think either of those comparisons will help you either. How about I'll just say that it had more in common with poultry than it did with beef or with pork.
As for the actual Easter celebration at the church. My host mother left the house at about 1 o'clock...a.m. and made it back home at around 5 a.m. The main purpose for her pilgrimage to the church is to have some of the Easter food blessed by the priest. Mainly a loaf of bread and some red dyed eggs.
I had planned on accompanying her to the church in order to see just what all the fuss was about but unfortunately Moldova had other plans for me and instead made me sick yet again and I spent the better part of yesterday miserable in my bed. The good news is that it was just a normal cold/flu sickness and not a food poisoning/stomach flu illness that I've grown to expect.
Anyway, for the most part today has been spent sitting around a very large and very full table of food and when not at the table taking it easy and relaxing. We had an in between coffee at around 3 o'clock and I was treated to more Turkish desserts. Namely: Baklava. I never particularly liked the Greek inspired Baklava that I had while I was in America but I could eat my weight in the Turkish Baklava that I've had both today and while I was in Istanbul.
My mind is still feeling a little out of it from the reeling headache I've been having so that would probably explain why this blog post is jumping from one topic to the next with little to no connection. But I have no interest in making it more readable. So bear with me.
Easter celebrations are expected to continue into tomorrow which is considered the second day of Easter and from what I have been told will continue the rest of the week until next week. When I will encounter another Moldovan holiday. Dead people's Easter. Got your attention didn't I? But you will just have to wait until next week to hear about that.
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