Easter of the Blessed in the Traditional Roma Community of Otaci city (Ocnița District)

Abstract

This article examines the traditions of celebrating the Easter of the Blessed in Otaci, a town in the northern part of the Republic of Moldova. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted between April 29 and May 2, 2025, the author presents findings from observations made on the day of the celebration. Both common characteristics of the holiday and specific features that distinguish it, for example, from the celebration in Soroca, were identified. A survey of informants revealed the religious worldview of the town’s Roma community and highlighted differences between Orthodox and Protestant approaches to celebrating the Easter of the Blessed. The Roma of Otaci maintain deeply rooted memorial traditions: even after converting to Protestantism, they continue to observe the holiday in their own way, they pray, tend to graves, and honor the memory of their ancestors, although visiting cemeteries on this holiday is generally not customary. The fieldwork also resulted in the recording of a biblical legend that, for the informants, carries special sacred significance and represents a behavioral model. The legend recounts how an ordinary chicken egg turned red in the hands of Mary Magdalene, who came before the King to announce the Resurrection of Christ. The article pays particular attention to the custom of giving pomane (ritual alms), which, according to the historiographical sources cited, is interpreted in various ways.