About a week after Easter there is yet another very important, and very interesting Moldovan tradition; Pastlele Blajinilor. This is a one or two day event (depending on how many cemeteries you have family buried in), when everyone goes to the cemetery to pay respect to their loved ones. I unfortunately missed the huge Easter celebration where the women plan and cook delicious food days in advance, and they paint all their eggs red. I was able to go to the cemetery though and I now am wishing we did something like this in my family.
The kids go around to all of the graves and get little treats in memory of that specific person. I even got a nice hand towel and some bread in memory of one of my students' great grand parents.
My host mom as she walks around the grave three times burning a special kind of plant for the deceased.
One of my partner teachers and her family as they visit with friends and family and eat their small feast by the grave sites.
After a lot of waiting and visiting, the priest has finally come to bless the dead.
Pouring out the wine in honor of Vasile Pojoga.
My neighbor Nastea and my host mom.
At the end of it all they give all of their offerings away to friends and family and eat their little picnic feasts.
After the cemetery we were invited for a large "masa" (table feast) in honor a woman's husband who has recently passed away.
