Saturday, September 24 was the first day of Bostaniada Festival Etno Gastronomic in Grădina Botanică in Chișinău. This two day Pumpkin and Ethnic Gourmet Festival at the Botanical Gardens was celebrating its fifth anniversary. Originally, a village festival, it has been moved to the capitol to allow greater participation.
Although the day was mostly cloudy, overcast and rather cool, it did not stop people from enjoying all that the festival had to offer. Being an event celebrating the fall harvest of pumpkins, there were displays of all kinds and sizes of gourds, pumpkins and squash. Set in a field within the garden and amidst haystacks, the location and setting were ideal for this seasonal gathering.
The entrance to the festival was lined with tables of handmade traditional Moldovan crafts and foods. From honey to candy to fruit and vegetable conserve or preserves to costumes to knitwear to leather goods to decorative home items to pottery, there was a virtual bazaar of beautiful and well made items reflecting the best of Moldovan culture.
There was a large area dedicated to children which offered everything from coloring to face painting to inflatables to pony rides. Clearly this was a family event.
Of course being Moldovan, there was endless food available for purchase and consumption. Beginning with plăcintă (Moldovan pie), there was sarmale (stuffed cabbage), grilled meats and sausages, and roasted corn and vegetables. And what would a Moldovan feast be without lots of good wine and Chișinău beer!! I especially enjoyed the pumpkin plăcintă which is the closest to pumpkin pie here, but really so different as to not be able to compare. One of the things I look forward to upon my return to the USA is American pumpkin pie and of course pumpkin ice cream!!
The entertainment was mostly traditional Moldovan beginning with a musical group from Romania. They were followed by dance, musical and singing ensembles from all over Moldova. The music was truly festive and joyous and continued all day and into the night.
I spent most of the day at the festival with my friend Liudmila. We walked all around and even explored adjacent areas of the garden. Besides enjoying the pumpkin plăcintă, we had a warm brinza (cheese) plăcintă, sarmale, roasted eggplant, mushrooms and peppers, and very good vin roșu de casă (homemade red wine). We were joined for part of the day by a few of my colleagues, other volunteers, and shared food, wine, laughter and stories.
This was my first real festival outside my village. For most of my first year here, I have spent the majority of my time in my village getting integrated and living a village lifestyle. Now with just a little less than one year of service to go, I hope to explore more of what Moldova offers. This festival is definitely one I recommend to locals and visitors. Autumn and pumpkins make for happy times to enjoy and experience all the beauty of nature.
Although the day was mostly cloudy, overcast and rather cool, it did not stop people from enjoying all that the festival had to offer. Being an event celebrating the fall harvest of pumpkins, there were displays of all kinds and sizes of gourds, pumpkins and squash. Set in a field within the garden and amidst haystacks, the location and setting were ideal for this seasonal gathering.
The entrance to the festival was lined with tables of handmade traditional Moldovan crafts and foods. From honey to candy to fruit and vegetable conserve or preserves to costumes to knitwear to leather goods to decorative home items to pottery, there was a virtual bazaar of beautiful and well made items reflecting the best of Moldovan culture.
There was a large area dedicated to children which offered everything from coloring to face painting to inflatables to pony rides. Clearly this was a family event.
Of course being Moldovan, there was endless food available for purchase and consumption. Beginning with plăcintă (Moldovan pie), there was sarmale (stuffed cabbage), grilled meats and sausages, and roasted corn and vegetables. And what would a Moldovan feast be without lots of good wine and Chișinău beer!! I especially enjoyed the pumpkin plăcintă which is the closest to pumpkin pie here, but really so different as to not be able to compare. One of the things I look forward to upon my return to the USA is American pumpkin pie and of course pumpkin ice cream!!
The entertainment was mostly traditional Moldovan beginning with a musical group from Romania. They were followed by dance, musical and singing ensembles from all over Moldova. The music was truly festive and joyous and continued all day and into the night.
I spent most of the day at the festival with my friend Liudmila. We walked all around and even explored adjacent areas of the garden. Besides enjoying the pumpkin plăcintă, we had a warm brinza (cheese) plăcintă, sarmale, roasted eggplant, mushrooms and peppers, and very good vin roșu de casă (homemade red wine). We were joined for part of the day by a few of my colleagues, other volunteers, and shared food, wine, laughter and stories.
This was my first real festival outside my village. For most of my first year here, I have spent the majority of my time in my village getting integrated and living a village lifestyle. Now with just a little less than one year of service to go, I hope to explore more of what Moldova offers. This festival is definitely one I recommend to locals and visitors. Autumn and pumpkins make for happy times to enjoy and experience all the beauty of nature.
