National costume festival held in north Moldova village

Chisinau, 23 July /MOLDPRES/ - Ethnic and folk bands, as well as popular craftsmen from different settlements of the northern Drochia district participated in the second issue of the popular costume festival, held in the Mandac village, the same district, on 22 July. On this day, dozens of residents put national costumes on them and marched in the village, with the wells decorated with Moldovan towels and carpets. At the same time, householders served traditional dishes.    

The Drochia district head, Ion Dascal, MP Corneliu Padnevici, Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment Minister Liviu Volconovici, the former mayor of the Radauti city, (Romania), Mihai Frunza, and others were honorary guests of the event.  

Contacted by MOLDPRES, the Mandac village mayor, Ion Lupascu, said that the village residents are quite attached to the Moldovan customs and traditions, especially the national costume. “We want to promote the national costume and transmit the customs and traditions to the young generation,” Lupascu noted.      

In his speech, the Drochia district head, Ion Dascal, said that the national costume is a symbol of Moldova’s national identity. “We will continue to exist as nation, as people only by preserving and promoting the popular customs and traditions,” Dascal stressed. He handed the coat of arms of the Drochia district to the Mandac mayor.

In the context, lawmaker Corneliu Padnevici urged the village residents to preserve the folk songs and national costume and everything dealing with Moldova’s national values. “You have recorded a new page in the history of your settlement by this holiday,” Padnevici added.  

At the event, folk bands and popular craftsmen were awarded diplomas for the promotion and turning to good account of the material heritage, national traditions and customs.  

The festival of national costume was organized in the context of the National Costume Day, established under a decision by Moldova’s parliament in November 2015 and marked on the last Sunday of July. The first issue of the festival was held in Mandac in 2017.   

(Reporter N. Roibu, editor M. Jantovan)