Moldovan wedding traditions (Part 3)

The practice of weddings includes the moments when young people separate from their social groups. Additionally, there is the separation of the bride from her parents which is followed by her joining the bridegroom's family. Lastly, there is the union of the two young people and the integration of the bride into her new family. (Prior to the marriage is the betrothal which is followed by a long process of acceptance towards the prospective couple by the existing group of those who are already married.)

The wedding is a performance with well-established rituals. Poetry, song, dance and ceremonial costumes all have a detailed role in the wedding ceremony. This ceremony begins when the spokesman of the bridegroom comes to the bride's home to woo her. During this time, the best men go throughout the village inviting the relative and friends to the wedding. Then, before the closed gates guarded by the bride's relatives, the bridegroom's best man tells a story. It is the story of a young emperor who gathered a great army and went hunting. While hunting, he saw a fairy and sent his warriors to look for her. Following the fairy's trail, they arrive at the bride's house. They have been told that there is a certain flower in the garden. This flower cannot bear fruit because of the unsuitable soil in which it grows. The warriors came to pick the flower and plant it in the young emperor's garden. There, the soil was known to be good and provide the nutrients enabling the flower to bear fruit.

The dress and hairdressing of the bride is also important. She wears a ceremonial costume and flowers in her hair. In some parts of Moldova, the bridegroom must pass a test of cleverness. He must solve a series of riddles in order to prove that he is able to be part of the married community. The entrance of the bride into the community of married women is marked by a change of her hair style, and the covering of her head with a scarf. The scarf is a symbol of the married women. This ceremony is also accompanied by a song. Just as for a medieval meal, the wedding meal provides an opportunity for singing, dancing and listening to epic hero songs. Dance forms, especially for the young people, are an essential part of the wedding, as well as the birth ceremonies. One dance, called a "hora" marks the decisive moments of the ceremonial. It is a seal of the marriage contract. The above wedding ceremonials in Moldova last for three days. The final day ends with a "dance of masks."

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How much do moldovans drink?

Study reveals Moldovans to be the world's biggest drinker, but living in Moldova I would hardly agree with this assumption. Nevertheless, I will post the article about this study. 

Citizens of the small, post-Soviet republic of Moldova are the world's biggest drinkers, knocking back the equivalent of more than 18 litres of pure alcohol per year, according to a report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Moldovans drink nearly three times the global average of 6.1 litres per person per year. Much of their consumption was made up by the "unrecorded" drinking of bootleg alcohol, according to the report, which is a study of drinking habits in over 100 countries spanning several decades, up to 2004.

Alcohol causes an estimated 2.5 million deaths every year globally, the report estimates, including 320,000 young people between the ages of 15 and 29. Alcohol is the third-leading risk factor for poor health in the world. And drinking accounts for more deaths than either Aids or tuberculosis. The WHO called on governments across the world to do more to combat alcoholism and binge drinking.

Moldova, sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, is one of the poorest countries in Europe. It is split between ethnic Moldovans, who speak a language almost identical to Romanian, and ethnic Russians. The country is a major wine producer, with many people drinking cheap homemade wine, vodka and other spirits.
Other post-Soviet nations were also identified as culprits when it comes to drinking. While globally, only 6.2 per cent of male deaths and 1.1 per cent of female deaths were linked to alcohol, among Russian men this rises to a staggering 20 per cent and is one of the main reasons why male life expectancy in Russia hovers around 60. Among Russian women, six per cent of deaths are alcohol related.
Countries like Russia and Ukraine have traditionally been big vodka drinkers, but in the 20 years since the collapse of Communism beer has been added into the mix. It was only recently that beer was classified as an alcoholic drink in Russia.

Russia has a long history of alcohol problems and mixed attempts to fight them. Mikhail Gorbachev tried to ban vodka sales except for during a short window in the day, which led to him becoming hugely unpopular and to Russians taking to brewing moonshine.
Already in recent years, many Russian regions, including Moscow, have banned the sale of spirits during nighttime hours. And the head of the local parliament in the Ulyanovsk region recently suggested banning the sale of alcohol for the whole weekend. Recently, the head of Russia's supreme court said that of the 12,000 murders prosecuted in the country in 2010, 75 per cent of them were carried out under the influence of alcohol.

Britain was not that far behind the leaders of the pack, coming in at 13.4 litres of pure alcohol per year, compared with 18.1 litres for Moldovans and 16.5 litres for Czechs, who came in second place. Brits drank more beer than any other kind of alcohol, while Russians drank mostly spirits. The Moldovan intake was made up roughly equally of wine, spirits and beer.
While Moldovans drink more than anyone else, the WHO report confirmed that Russia and Ukraine were home to the most "risky" drinking. They were the only two countries to receive the top "five out of five" risk score, which was calculated for each country based on how people drink as well as how much.
Mediterranean countries came out as the least risky drinkers of all, despite consuming a large amount of alcohol. Britain was given a three out of five score, meaning that drinking was moderately risky.

Heaviest drinking countries
Estimated total alcohol consumption per person in litres:

Republic of Moldova 18.22
Czech Republic 16.45
Hungary 16.27
Russia 15.76
Ukraine 15.6
Estonia 15.57
Andorra 15.48
Romania 15.3
Slovenia 15.19
Belarus 15.13
UK 13.37

Source: The Independent

Read more:
How to propose a drink in Russian 

Do You need visa to Moldova?

Here is the list of foreign citizens who don’t need visa for entry on the territory of the Republic of Moldova

I. The citizens of the following states, the holders of all the types of passports, do not need visas for the entry on the territory of the Republic of Moldova for a period of stay until 90 days, during six months from the moment of the first entry:

    Republic of Austria
    Kingdom of Belgium
    Republic of Bulgaria
    Republic of Cyprus
    Kingdom of Denmark
    Republic of Estonia
    Republic of Finland
    Republic of France
    Federal Republic of Germany
    Hellenic Republic
    Ireland
    Republic of Italy
    Republic Latvia
    Republic Lithuania
    Luxembourg
    Republic of Malta
    Republic of Poland
    Portuguese Republic
    United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
    Czech Republic
    Romania
    Slovak Republic
    Republic of Slovenia
    Kingdom of Sweden
    Kingdom of Nederland’s

    Hungary
    Principality of Andorra
    Kingdom of Spain
    Republic of Croatia
    Republic of Azerbaijan
    Canada
    Swiss Confederation
    United States of America
    San Marino
    Principality of Liechtenstein
    Kingdom of Norway
    Island
    Principality of Monaco
    Japan
    Holly See
    State of Israel
    Republic of Armenia
    Republic of Belarus
    Republic of Kazakhstan
    Republic of Kyrgyzstan
    Georgia
    Ukraine
    Russian Federation
    Republic of Tajikistan
    Republic of Uzbekistan

II. The holders of the diplomatic and service passports, who are citizens of the following states do not need visas for the entry on the territory of the Republic of Moldova for the period up to 90 days during 6 months.

    Albania
    Montenegro
    Bosnia and Herzegovina
    Peru
    Brazil
    Serbia
    South Koreea
    Republic of Turkey
    Macedonia
    Vietnam

III. The holders of the diplomatic and service passports, who are citizens of the following states do not need visas for the entry on the territory of the Republic of Moldova for the period up to 30 days:

    Popular Republic of China
    Islamic Republic of Iran
    Turkmenistan

IV. The holders of the UN Laissez-Passer passports issued by the UN and its specialized agencies do not need visas for the entry on and exit from the territory of the Republic of Moldova.
V. The staff of the diplomatic and consular missions accredited to the Republic of Moldova and the family members thereof, the staff of the permanent missions and the representative offices of the international organizations situated in the Republic of Moldova and the family members thereof, foreign mass-media representatives accredited to the Republic of Moldova and that hold the accreditation cards issued by the MFA, are entitled to enter and leave the territory of the Republic of Moldova without holding a visa during the whole validity period of the accreditation card.
VI. The following categories of citizens of Turkmenistan do not need a visa for entry on the territory of the Republic of Moldova:

    members of the aircraft crew of the civil aviation, holders of national valid passports, having the required inscription into the general statement (air mission);
    members of the crew of the river and maritime ships, holders of valid sailor passports and having the required inscription into the logbook or an extract of it;
    railway members, members of train, refrigerator and locomotive crews in international trains, holders of national valid passports, having the nominal lists, roadmaps, approved for each route;
    special couriers, which facilitate the intergovernmental communication, holders of the national valid passports and having the required documents, issued by the competent authorities of the Parts.

The foreign citizens who are not indicated above can enter the territory of the Republic of Moldova on the basis of a valid visa.

More information on the official web-site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova here

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