Culture
Moldova won the 3rd place in the contest of the most beautiful postage stamps in Europe

The Republic of Moldova is among the winners of the competition for the most beautiful postage stamp in Europe, called “Europe’s Castles”. Thus, following the online vote, the awards were won by the Turkish Post (gold medal); Poczta Polska (silver) and Poşta Moldovei (stamp “Castle Mimi” – bronze medal).
This year, a record number of 58 philatelic samples was registered in the contest and the winners were elected on the basis of online voting.
The results of this year’s “EUROPA Stamp” competition were revealed at the PostEurop Plenary Assembly in Bucharest.
Castle Mimi is a unique destination of international interest in the Republic of Moldova. The castle was founded in 1893 by the last governor of Bessarabia Constantin Mimi. In 2016, the castle was reopened to the public after the most extensive restoration project in the recent history of the Republic of Moldova.
Culture
In Şoldăneşti district, the whole village went outside to sledge
A tradition initiated by a church priest from Samaşcani, Şoldăneşti encouraged three hundred people – both children and adults – to go sledding together.

The annual events are organized by the village church priest, with the support of the local authorities. In an interview with the local press, the priest recently said that through these events he is trying to promote a healthy way of living among the congregants.
At the edge of the village, people have improvised several slopes that everyone would ride with the sled until late at night. In order to withstand the frost, households and local housewives came to the slope with warm “Plăcinte” (traditional pies) and hot wine. Juice and potatoes were also prepared.
Culture
Today, Old Orthodox Christians celebrate Saint John the Baptist day

Today, the Old Orthodox Christians celebrate Saint John the Baptist, one of the most holy saints. The parishioners begin their day at the church, praying for the health of their loved ones, but also for family welfare.
The Christian tradition says that St. John the Baptist was the one who preached the coming of the Savior and who baptized Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets and a New Testament publisher.
The story in which people in Moldova still believe in, is that St. John the Baptist is considered to be the greatest and most important of all who have ever been. This is for his hard life in the wilderness of the Jordan, the calling of the people to the confession of sins and to repentance, the worthiness to baptize the Lord Jesus Christ, the confession of truth and the thirst for justice, and the punishment of his head.
St. John the Baptist had a death of a martyr – his head was cut off from King Herod Antipa’s order.
The holy relics became known through the multitude of wonders that were done.
Culture
Master Eugen Doga will participate at the Romanian Academy of National Culture Day

The great music composer of the Republic of Moldova, Eugen Doga, will participate in the National Culture Day at the symposium entitled “Romanian Culture at Anniversary Clock – Centenary of the Great Union”, which will take place on Monday at the Romanian Academy.
“It’s a great honor for me. There will be the sonnet, the first work in which I was inspired by Eminescu’s creation. I wrote a musical piece without words, then I switched to poetry. He was also a musician. His poetry is music, so I repeat: I do not compose the lyrics of Eminescu, I decipher the music from Eminescu’s lyrics,” said Doga, who is also a member of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova.
The Symposium “Romanian Culture at Anniversary Clock – Centenary of the Great Union” will be opened by the President of the Romanian Academy, and will be moderated by Acad. Alexandru Surdu, Vice-President of the Romanian Academy.
The event will be attended by the Minister of Culture and National Identity, Lucian Romaşcanu, and the presidential adviser Sergiu Nistor.
The birthday of the national poet Mihai Eminescu, January 15, was declared the National Culture Day at the initiative of the Romanian Academy.

Source: Bucurestifm.ro
Source: Infoprut