Transcript Document

Discovering Romanian Medieval Culture
Although we do not have many documents to certify the authentic
life of the early centuries of Romanian history, the original customs
and traditions have been transmitted orally and they are seen today
not as a reminiscence of the primitivism, in what concerns rituals
and spells, but as a proof of a different human way of perceiving and
understanding the world.
In our research we have studied the works of one of the greatest
scholars, Dimitrie Cantermir.
The Life of Dimitrie Cantemir
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Dimitrie Cantemir (October 26, 1673 –
August 21, 1723) was twice Prince of
Moldavia (in March-April 1693 and in
1710–1711). He was also a prolific man of
letters – philosopher, historian, composer,
musicologist, linguist, ethnographer, and
geographer.
His education began at home, where he
learned Greek and Latin and acquired a
profound knowledge of the classics. Between
1687 and 1710 he lived in forced exile in
Istanbul, where he learned Turkish and
studied the history of the Ottoman Empire.
In 1693, he succeeded his father as Prince of
Moldavia – in name only, as the Ottomans
appointed Constantin Duca, favoured by
Wallachian Prince and his bid for the throne
was successful only in 1710, after two rules
by his brother.
The cultural contribution to universal history
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In 1714 Cantemir became a member of the
Royal Academy of Berlin. Cantemir was
known as one of the greatest linguists of his
time, speaking and writing eleven languages,
and being well versed in Oriental scholarship.
His oeuvre is voluminous, diverse, and
original; although some of his scientific
writings contain unconfirmed theories and
inaccuracies, his expertise, sagacity, and
groundbreaking researches are widely
acknowledged. The best known of his works is
The History of the Growth and Decay of the
Ottoman Empire. It remained the seminal work
on the Ottoman Empire up to the middle of the
19th century .
In 1714, at the request of the Royal Academy
in Berlin, Cantemir wrote the first
geographical, ethnographical and economic
description of Moldavia, Descriptio Moldaviae.
Printed in 1737 in the Netherlands, it has been
used by all cartographers of the time as an
inspiration for their own maps of Moldavia.
Romanian folklore
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A feature of Romanian culture is the special
relationship between folklore and the learned
culture, determined by two factors. The rural
character of the Romanian communities
resulted in an exceptionally vital and creative
traditional culture.
The dances are lively and are practiced
throughout Romania by a large number of
professional and amateur groups, thus keeping
the tradition alive; Hora is one of the most
famous group dances but men's folk dances
such as căluşari are extremely complex and
have been declared by UNESCO to be
"Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible
Heritages of Humanity".
Romanians have had, from immemorial times,
a myriad of customs, tales and poems about
love, faith, kings, princesses, and witches.
Romanian traditional music
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Music and dance represent a lively part of the Romanian
folklore and there are a great variety of musical genres
and dances. Party music is very lively and shows both
Balkan and Hungarian influences. Sentimental music,
however, is the most valued, and Romanians consider
their doina (a sad song either about one's home or about
love, composed like an epic ballad) unique in the world.
Maria Tănase is considered to be one of the greatest
Romanian folk singers.
Despite her agitated life of excesses, her voice was one of
the most expressive voices of all folk singers. She was
capable of transmitting strong emotions to the listeners be
it a joyful party song or a traditional sad doina she was
singing.
Curses- an element of culture
The curse is a genre of
Romanian literature and
it contains magical
formulas which served
once as an auxiliary for
the primitive medicine.
The curses are still a
part of the folklore and
they are also a part of
the Romanian culture.
The curses were
transmitted in time as a
tradition, but few people
can use them nowadays
and obtain a result.
Many people think that
the curses are only
superstitions, but
sometimes the results
can be seen.
Rituals
These magical rituals are used to
improve the medical state of a
person or to invoke the rain, the
fertility of the ground and of
domestic animals (cows and
sheep), but there are also bad
curses which have negative
consequences. The terms of the
curses are archaic and they
express the maintenance of the
traditions and many of them
symbolize things that suggest the
relation between nature and
human beings .
Maria Tanase-Curse
He who loves and leaves
God send them a sentence
The swirling of the slither
The bearing of the beetle
The whizzing wind coil
The dust of the soil.
Cause the ant be it an ant
With big body and small head,
Tiny waist and squirms the sand
It can yet fulfill what said.
Only us, baptized men,somehow,
Simply cannot keep a vow.
Enchantment
Moon, moon,
Weremoon,
You are proud and beautiful,
You are the night’s empress.
You have a horse,
But you don’t have a bridle.
Here’s my belt
Release your horse
And go after my foretold husband.
Be he from this village,
From the other village,
From the third village,
Or from the ninth village,
Don’t give him peace
And tempering
So he can’t sleep
And rest
Until he isn’t coming to me.