In the ethnographic area of Botosani the tradition known as plow („urătura”) is structured into three distinct, naturally interlinked parts. The opening is most likely to be humouristic, as it may vary depending upon the host to which it is addressed. Then follows the agricultural topic, and this one is addressed in the most serious way. Nevertheless, the most spectacular part remains the end. Sometimes there are suggestions for a possible reward for the performers. If it is performed by children, the plow is simple and linear, but with greater symbolic value because it is believed that the sacred purity of children is a strong „guarantee” for the fulfillment of wishes end of plow. In the past the plow was accompanied by props represented by a plow pulled by oxen that worked a furrow in that court. These props had varied meanings – tools and animals used for plowing and sowing (plow, whip, bag of wheat seed) instrumental noises used to scare away evil spirits and purify the space (rattles, drums, etc.).
Author: admin
New year- traditions, rituals and magic practices
In the ethnographic area of Botosani there is an yearly ritual scenario of calendar time renewal, during the winter solstice (December 20 to January 7). The ritual scenario includes the sacrifice of a pig on a day Romanians call Ignat (this represents the spirit of wheat), followed by a ritual of preparing traditional food (bagles, Julfa – „the Lord’s diapers”), etc. The ritual is going around three coordinates: the heavens are opened, the dead return to the homes they left, and animals talk. This period is one of abundance of feasts, excess of food and drink.
New year’s Eve- magical rituals to find destiny, weather forecasts
In the ethnographic area of Botosani, on New Year’s Eve there existed and still exist today practices of finding one’s fate (counting fence stakes, descending wedding candles in fountains, burning pig hairs in fireplace, etc.). There were practices of finding how the next year will be for agriculture (onions’ calendar). There were practices of finding the health of family members in the coming year (laying spoons next to the living room walls designed with the name of each family member – the spoons stay like that all night and in the morning they check out which ones have fallen, and if they do, this means death or serious illness for the person concerned.)
Ciomac Cantemir house
Ciomac Cantemir House -typical house of tradesmen from the old medieval ensemble of Botosani was builtin 1800 in Moldavian style, with a Brancoveanu porch, and includes 4 rooms: the boyard’s salloon, the workshop, the art galleries and the headquarters of Stefan Luchian Foundation – in the workshop room one ca find objects that belonged to the great painter – his sickbed, field easel, desk,pallette, folder, two photos, a diary page, etc.
George Enescu memorial house
The Memorial House of George Enescu is 15 kilometers away from Dorohoi, in Liveni village. The family of the composer used to live for some time in a neighbouring locality, called Cracalia. It is here that Enescu composed „Tara Romaneasca” (Romanian Country) – „Opera for piano and violin by George Enescu, Romanian composer aged 5”. It is also here that he composed his first genuine opus, „Poema Romana” (Romanian Poem) (1894). George Enescu Memorial House was founded in 1968, in the small house with painted wooden porch, which was renovated; it presents the atmosphere of the great musician’s childhood. Furniture belonging to his parents, Moldavian rugs, touched by the hands of time, the oven where George Enescu was born, photos of the family and last but not least objects belonging to the musician, they all depict the passage of the person that never ceased to amaze the world, from his early childhood towards the end of his life.
Ioan Siminicianu collection
Ion Simnicianu owns a rich collection of local ethnography (pieces of traditional clothing from several regions of the country, rugs and carpets, dozens of towels, popular ceramics from different areas of the country) and religious objects (icons, preist clothes). Besides these, Ion Siminiceanu also owns numismatic collections (Roman coins, Romanian coins, Romanian banknotes), medlas, certificates, heraldic badges, etc.
The museum of 1907 uprising
The museum was founded in 2011 and is dedicated to the great uprising of 1907 and aim to become a representative museum for the Moldovan village history and universe. In Flamanzi there usedto be another museum of the Upriding which was destroyed by the fire of 1979.
Natural science museum
The building that hosts the Museum of Natural Sciences was built in Baroque style, in 1887, by Italian architects, after a French design, with the aim of making it the residence of the Prefecture of the former Dorohoi County. The museum has a very rich collection of : insects, mollusks, minerals, birds, etc. The museum heritage of natural history includes almost 276000 exhiubits. The most famous collections within the museum are: the entomological collection of teacher Ion Nemes, which includes approximately 250000 local insects (many species being new to science) and 4.500 exdotic butterflies that he got by exchange with various other collectioners from the whole world; the exotic birds (Zair – Africa) collection of teacher Rang Catalin and the lepidoptera collectionof pharmacist Weber Wilhelm. Inside the museum there is also a collection of contemporary art – glass-porcelain – which includes objects created in 1985 in the Glass Factory from Dorohoi, during an art camp. In addition, the museum has a small area with birds and exotic fish which complete in a vivid note the naturalist character of the museum.
Ştefan Luchian art gallery
The first pinacotheca of Botosani was openeed in 1960. In the patrimony of the galleries there are works signed by Romania’s greatest painters, such as Ştefan Luchian, Theodor Pallady, Nicolae Tonitza, Nicolae Grigorescu, Gheorghe Petraşcu, Octav Băncilă. The Art Galleries that bear the name of the painter Stefan Luchian also own a notable number of scultures signed by Iulia Oniţă, Ovidiu Maitec and Dan Covataru, as well as many tapestries belonging to valuable plastic artists like Cella Neamţu, Aspazia Burduja and Ileana Balotă.
Ethnographic Museum
The Ethnographic Museum of Botosani owns a collection that holds a privileged place in the county museum heritage, being the souldof the rural civilization. The first acquisitions for an ethnographic museum started in 1957-1958. Until 1983, 773 exhibits were collected, and in 2008 the inventory held 3428 exhibits. Their value is given by their age, some of them being dated from 1819, 1826, 1853, 1878, 1903, 1904 – religious objects, pieces of furniture, fabrics, ceramics) and by their decorating patterns that include colours specific to the area. The Ethnography Museum was reopened at the end of 2012, in a new location, Ventura House.
