1 Decembrie - La Multi Ani, Romania! / December, 1 - Happy Birthday, Romania!

Tudor Gheorghe is a well known Romanian folk ballad singer, who sings his own compositions. This ballad, entitled "There, Is My Country" is nicely illustrated by images from Romania. I found this the best way to illustrate the moment. Enjoy!

La multi ani, romani!

Ziua Tuturor Sfintilor - remember Cimitirul Central din Viena / All Saints Day - a Remember of the Central Cemetery in Vienna

Today, November,1 the Catholics are celebrating All Saints’Day and tomorrow, All Souls’Day. It is a celebration almost similar in significance as the Day of the Dead for the Romanian Orthodox, which we celebrate on the Tomi Sunday, the first Sunday after the Easter. In Banat (the county where I live) and Transylvannia, the Romanians adopted since long the All Saints’Day. In this day we go to the cemeteries, with flowers and candles, to celebrate our dear relatives or friends who are no longer with us.


Some years ago, I was in Vienna, in Spring, and I went to the Central Cemetery. If my fellows Romanians know the Bellu Cemetery in Bucharest, which is kind of a Pantheon for our national culture, the same value is attributed to the Viennesse cemetery.

On the central alley, leading to the Boromaus Church (1908-1911) – one of the most beautiful Secession (Art Nouveau) church in the world – there are buried the great citizens of Austria, or at least remembered by a memorial.

The cemetery was founded in 1874. It has a surface of 2.5 square kilometers and 2.5 million people are buried here.

The funeral monuments of the great artists are so wonderful that you forget where you are, and walk on the alleys like in an open air museum.

Let’s lit a candle tonight for the souls of the dear ones!

Azi, 1 noiembrie, catolicii sarbatoresc Ziua Tuturor Sfintilor, iar maine este Ziua Tuturor Sufletelor. O sarbatoare asemanatoare ca semnificatie cu Ziua Mortilor, pe care romanii ortodocsi o serbeaza in Dumineca Tomi, prima dumineca dupa Paste. In Banat si Transilvania, sub influenta locuitorilor catolici, romanii au adoptat demult ziua de 1 Noiembrie ca zi a mortilor, cand toata lumea se duce la cimitir pentru a-i vizita pe cei dragi, plecati dintre noi, a duce flori si a aprinde o lumanare.

Acum cativa ani am vizitat, intr-o primavara, Cimitirul Central din Viena (Zentralfriedhof) si ma intrebam cum as putea prezenta cateva dintre fotografiile facute atunci. Daca multi cunosc Cimitirul Bellu din Bucuresti ca pe un Pantheon al culturii romanesti, Cimitirul Central din Viena reprezinta acelasi lucru pentru cultura austriaca dar este mult mai mare.

Pe aleea centrala, care duce spre splendida Biserica Boromaus (1908-1911), una dintre cele mai frumoase din lume in stil Secession (Art Nouveau), se afla careul in care sunt inmormantate sau macar amintite printr-un monument (ca si in cazul lui Mozart, inmormantat de fapt intr-o groapa comuna), marile personalitati ale tarii. Voi scrie alta data si mai ales va voi arata interiorul superb al acestei biserici.

 

 Biserica Boromaus (1908-1911)

de pe treptele Bisericii Boromaus; in dreapta este celebrul careu 32C, unde sunt "mormintele de onoare" (Ehregraber)

Cimitirul a fost infiintat in 1874 si doar doua date statistice va pot sugera ce reprezinta el: are o suprafata de 2.5 kilometri patrati si in el isi dorm somnul de veci peste 2.5 milioane de oameni.

Dintre multele fotografii pe care le-am facut atunci, va prezint aleatoriu cateva. Frumusetea deosebita a monumentelor te face sa uiti deseori unde te afli si sa ratacesti pe aleile minunat ingrijite ca si cand ai fi intr-un muzeu in aer liber.

 Hasenaver (1819-1895), compozitor de operete

 Brahms

 Johann Strauss si sotia

 Franz Schubert

 Bethoven

 Franz Suppe, compzitor de operete si dirijor

 Mozart

 Johann Ritter von Herbeck (1831-1877), compozitor si dirijor

 Carl Millocker (1842-1899), compozitor de operete si dirijor

 Ludwig Anzengruber (1839-1889), poet, dramaturg si romancier

 Hans Makart (1840-1884), pictor academic, decorator, designer

 Rudolf Eitelberger (1817-1885), istoric de arta

Amerling (1803-1887), pictor la curtea lui Franz Josef

In apropiere am observat si cateva monumente funerare moderne mai deosebite.

 monument Secession (Art Nouveau); si caracterele intrebuintate apartin aceluiasi stil artistic

 In aceasta seara, sa aprindem o lumanare pentru sufletul celor care nu mai sunt printre noi!

in interiorul Bisericii Boromaus; mozaicurile executate de Leopold Forstner (1878-1936)

Ilustrate din Apuseni 10. Valea Iarba Rea / Postcards from the Apuseni Mountains 10. The Bad Grass Valley

In the Apuseni Mountains, in the Garda de Sus village, there is a place called Bad Grass Valley. I like a lot to walk here, and I asked from where this unjust name came from?! The villagers said that the name came from the plants growing here, which are not eaten by the animals! May be, but for a tourist this place is enchanting. Judge for yourself!

Before I enter the valley, I always admire the flowers from this house. Then passing near a storage, I enter the valley which looks like a real botanical garden for me. What's your opinion?

In Apuseni, in Garda de Sus, exista un loc numit Valea Iarba Rea. Imi place mult sa ma plimb pe acolo si de aceea am intrebat de ce s-a dat locului un nume atat de nemeritat. Satenii spun ca numele s-ar trage de la plantele care cresc pe acolo si care nu sunt pe placul vitelor! Asa o fi, dar pentru un turist ele sunt o incantare a ochiului, dupa cum singuri puteti judeca.

Inainte de a intra pe drumul forestier, admir intotdeauna florile de la aceasta casa:

Apoi, trecand pe langa o magazie, intru pe vale.

pe Valea Iarba Rea

Ce parere aveti? Nu vi se pare o adevarata gradina botanica?

Ilustrate din Apuseni 9. Manastirea Lupsa / Postcards from the Apuseni Mountains 9. Lupsha Monastery

Nearer to Campeni, at only 14 km, there is another monastery, called Lupsha, after the name of the village were it was erected the first wooden little church, on 1429.

When I visited here some years ago, there was a painting on the outside wall, under the roof, on the western side of the church. Now it is painted in white. I couldn’t enter, so I only took a couple of photos through the door.

The first restauration took place on 1975, then a new church and lodgings for the monks were added. The new church is not finished yet: the inner wall paintings are still to be added. The stone wall encircling the monastery is new.

 
Mai aproape de Campeni, la doar 14 km se afla Manastirea Lupsa.  Zidul de piatra care o inconjoara este nou.

intrarea la Manastirea Lupsa

Daca patrunzi in curte, la umbra molizilor se odihneste vechea biserica din lemn a manastirii, construita in 1429. 

Acum cativa ani, cand am vizitat-o prima data, pe aripa sa vestica, sub acoperis, era pictata.

Acum insa este toata zugravita in alb. Nu am putut intra inauntru, asa ca am fotografiat printr-o mica deschidere a usii, peretii pictati din interior.

Prima restaurare a avut loc in 1975. Apoi, s-a construit o biserica noua si un adapost pentru calugarii care traiesc si muncesc aici. Biserica urmeaza sa fie pictata in interior, nu este inca gata.

 biserica noua, cu turn traditional