This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Xasha (talk | contribs) at 19:25, 17 July 2008 (overhaul). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 19:25, 17 July 2008 by Xasha (talk | contribs) (overhaul)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) | Template:Wikify is deprecated. Please use a more specific cleanup template as listed in the documentation. |
| Part of a series on the |
| Culture of Moldova |
|---|
 |
| History |
| People |
| Languages |
| Traditions |
| Mythology |
| Cuisine |
| Festivals |
| Religion |
| Art |
| Literature |
| Music |
| Media |
| Sport |
| Monuments |
| Symbols |
The culture of Moldova is part of the greater Eastern Orthodox cultural area in Eastern Europe.
History
Heavily influenced by Byzantine and Slavonic cultures in its early period, it also gained Western traits through the powerfull neighboring Catholic powers (Poland and Hungary). Consequently, until the 17th the language of the church, the court and culture in general was Church Slavonic.
Despite the instauration of Ottoman suzerainity, the Moldovan culture continued to flourish in the 16th-17th century, with the first works in Moldovan language being published in this period. Balkanic influences also entered the region in the 18th cenutury through the Phanariote rulers. As Bessarabia became part of the Russian Empire in 1812, in the 19th century modern West European influences came mainly intermediated by the Russian culture. The resulting mélange 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.
By 1918, Bessarabia, as was one of the least-developed, and least-educated European regions of the Russian Empire. In 1930, its literacy rate was less than 40 percent, according to a Romanian census. Especially low was the literacy rate for women: less than 10% in 1918 to just under 50% in 1940. The interwar Romanian rule brought Romanianization campaigns, with limited results, but leading to the closing of the cultural establishments of the large minorities. After 1940, the Soviet authorities supported extensive campaings for the eradication of illiteracy (not the least to spread communist ideology) and industrialization, and promoted the cultural individuality of the region.
Soviet authorities developed urban cultural and scientific centers and institutions. They also promoted the Russian language and culture. However, this didn't result in a supression of the local culture, and the folk arts flourished. Music and dance, particularly encouraged by Soviet authorities, were made into a showcase.
Folk culture
Moldova's folk culture is extremely rich, and the ancient folk ballad, the "Mioriţa", plays a central role in the traditional culture. Another old ballad is "Meşterul Manole". 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
The first Moldovan books (religious texts) appeared in the mid-seventeenth century. Prominent figures in Moldova's cultural development include mitropolitans Varlaam and Dosoftei, Grigore Ureche, Miron Costin, mitropolitan of Kiev Petru Movilă, scholars Nicolae Milescu-Spãtaru, Dimitrie Cantemir (1673-1723), and Ion Neculce, Gavriil Bănulescu-Bodoni, Alexandru Hîjdău, Alexandru Donici, Constantin Stamati, Costache Negruzzi, historian and philologist Bogdan P. Hasdeu (1836-1907), author Ion Creangă (1837-89), and poet Mihai Eminescu (1850-89).
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, 1714).
Modern writers include Vladimir Beşleagă, Pavel Boţu, Aureliu Busuioc, Nicolae Dabija, Ion Druţă, Victor Teleucă and Grigore Vieru. In 1991, a total of 520 books were published in Moldova, of which 402 were in Moldovan, 108 in Russian, eight in Gagauz, and two in Bulgarian.
In the early 1990s, Moldova had twelve professional theaters. All performed in Moldovan, except the A.P. Chekhov Russian Drama Theater in Chişinău, and the Russian Drama and Comedy Theater in Tiraspol, both of which performed solely in Russian, and the Licurici Republic Puppet Theater (in Chişinău), which performed in both Romanian and Russian. Although, among those controlled tendencies by Soviets, artists in music formed art-bands, such as "Ciocîrlia" led by Serghei Lunchevici and "Lăutarii" of Nicolae Botgros. Members of ethnic minorities manage a number of folklore groups and amateur theaters throughout the country.
See also
External links
- www.moldova.md about Modovan culture Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead.
- www.turism.md about Modovan rest Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead.
| Culture of Europe | |
|---|---|
| Sovereign states |
|
| States with limited recognition | |
| Dependencies and other entities | |
| Other entities | |