Experienţa cercetărilor etnografice de teren: Paştele Blajinilor în comunitatea romă din or. Soroca
Field Ethnographic Research Experience: the Memorial Easter of the Roma Community from the Town of Soroca

Summary/Abstract: The article presents the results of field ethnographic research conducted among the Roma community in the town of Soroca on the day of the “Easter of the Blessed” (The Memorial Easter). The author notes the importance of previous studies by fellow ethnologists who have examined the funeral and memorial rites of ethnic groups in the Republic of Moldova (V. Stepanov, D. Nicoglo, I. Miglev,T. Zaicovschi, C. Cotoman et al.). The key conditions for a successful expedition are defined: participant observation, interviews, photo and video documentation, fieldnotes and diaries, and observance of appropriate dress and etiquette. The article outlines the sequence of events and memorial practices that took place at St. Theodore Stratilates Cemetery, located on what is locally known as Gypsy Mountain in Soroca, on the day of the “Easter of the Blessed”. Structurally, the celebration of the “Easter of the Blessed” is conventionally divided into two stages. The first includes the preparation of dishes and offerings (“pomana”). On the eve, people paint eggs, bake Easter cakes, prepare stuffed cabbage rolls with turkey filling, and purchase tableware, towels, and other necessary items for gifts. The second stage takes place at the cemetery and includes both offerings and other ritual acts at the graves: participation in the church service, setting up tables near the tomb stones ,lighting candles, distributing offerings. The field experience provides insight into the specific features of memorial rituals in the Roma community of the Republic of Moldova and emphasizes the importance of this living tradition.

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