Traditional Art

in
Republic of Moldova
“Traditionis a guide and not a jailer.”
W. Somerset Maugham

Realizat: Rusu Mihaela

Cl. X-Fl - B1
 Republic of Moldova
The identity of every nation is its creativity,
reflected in the material and spiritual culture. Folk
crafts hold a specific place in the culture of the
Moldavians.
From ancient times, the rural population of
Moldova, along with agriculture and pastoralism
pursued additional crafts. It was a domestic
production with the use of local raw materials and
labor of the members of the community, household
tools, in order to fill the aesthetic and functional
needs of the family.
 The Moldavians produced tools, vehicles, technical
equipment used for handling grain and textile plants,
manufacturing and cultivating of home textiles, as well
as for clothing, household items, furniture, ceremonial
attributes (for weddings, funerals, and calendar
holidays, etc.). The variety of all these products
demonstrates us the talent and diligence of our people.
 Various crafts have been developing in order to
meet the economic needs of the villagers. Craftsmen
made their products on a buy-order basis and also for
sale on the market. According to the census made in
made in the years of 1774-1777, there were about
157 occupations and crafts in Moldova. In the ХХ
century this number increased. The craftsmen such as
millers, manufacturers of the beverages, bakery
products, and sweets that provide farmers with all the
necessary food were closely related to the life in with
the villages.
 The development of animal breeding resulted in
the nascence of artisans that were engaged in
processing and manufacturing of the products in the
agricultural sector. They were manufacturers, who
produced the sausages and other meat products,
tanners and cheese makers. In the mid 30-ies of the
XIX-th century Bessarabia was famous in Europe and
Russia, being the best exporter of wines, pastrami
(beef delicacy), dried prunes, sheep cheese, and
walnuts.
In the second half of the XIX-th century,
craftsmen started to produce on a by-order
basis and for sales on the market, the process
of the division of labor also came into existence
at that time. There were group of chefs, that
engaged in cooking of holiday meals for
weddings and other celebrations.
 The craftswomen, who dyed wool, carpets, towels, belts, cloth,
set of warp for woven products ("nividitul"), represented the
home textile industry. Some of the crafts started to develop
rapidly, involving an increasing number of workers. In 1894, there
were nine centers for the production of ceramics in the Orhei
county (in the villages of Cinişeuţi, Iurceni, Văşcăuţi, Mîndra,
Frumoasa, Hodjineşti, Păuleşti ). In the village of Cinişeuţi 184
families were involved in pottery (about 600 people). There were
237 furnaces for ceramics in the Orhei region.
 Because of the development of urban industry, new materials, tools,
textiles, dyes, household items, food products appeared in the Moldavian
villages. All these materials conduced to the transformation and loss of
many forms of traditional activities. They were replaced with new industrial
ones. Subsequently in many villages the processes of manufacturing
carpets, dresses, baking homemade bread, rolls, dried fruit, cooking
homemade sausages and other products had slowed down. In some places
these crafts totally disappeared. The production of pottery, wickerwork, fern,
and straw also declined.
The standard factory goods (furniture, fabrics, carpets, etc.) are used
for the decoration of the houses.
 In a nutshell…
Nowadays, when the society tends to use ecologically friendly household
items, it is possible that the crafts can become new economic sectors based on
local raw materials (products of agriculture, natural resources) and labor. The
development of handicrafts can be combined with tourism. The development of
the production of art and crafted products of traditional arts related to the
preparation of food seems to be very promising.
The surge in interest to the folk art is caused not only by the attitude towards
aesthetic and ethical values, but also by the desire of people to relive spiritually
the memories of their ancestors and create good conditions for the development
of next generations. The future of our nation, of the national culture depends on
our ability to revive the ethnic and cultural values.
Thank you
for
attention!