#Exhibit of the Month

Christmas bells entered the Romanian cultural space through a long process in which archaic traditions blended with Christian belief and European influences. Long before the holiday of Christmas developed as we know it, metallic sounds played an important ritual role in old communities: they were used to drive away evil spirits, to purify spaces, and to protect people during transitional moments at the turn of the year. These beliefs have been preserved in winter customs such as caroling, the Plugușor, and masked dances, where bells and jingles were indispensable.
With the spread of Christianity, the sound of the bell also acquired a profound religious meaning, becoming an announcer of major feasts and a symbol of the Nativity. Small bells, however, were not originally used as decorations but primarily as functional or ritual objects.
The first decorated Christmas tree in the Romanian lands was the one at the palace of Prince Carol I of Hohenzollern, following his arrival in the Romanian Principalities in 1866. From that moment the tradition took root, and on Christmas Eve princes and princesses invited to the palace would take part in decorating the tree. Among the ornaments used were small metal bells, symbolizing joy, the good news, and divine protection for the home.
In the twentieth century, Christmas bells spread across all Romanian provinces and became a visual emblem of the holiday, appearing in both decorations and carols. Even during periods when religious expression was curtailed, bells remained in people's homes as signs of joy and the continuity of tradition. Today they retain this dual meaning: the echo of ancient beliefs and, at the same time, the announcement of the Birth of Christ - a symbol of hope, light, and the link between past and present.
These tinkling pieces are part of a generous heritage collection at the National Museum of History of Moldova (NMHM), which includes more than 200 cultural items. A substantial contribution to the museum's collection of decorative bells was made by Dorina Raischi, a teacher at School No. 94 in Chișinău, who donated 174 bells, of which around 30 are winter-themed. Made of ceramic, porcelain, glass, and metal, they were brought from different parts of the world and together offer a succinct picture of the global culture of bells. They add a festive note to the home and even to a gift, and it is hard to imagine Christmas without their cheerful tinkling.

Virtual Tour

International Collaboration

2016

From March 2 to April 10, 2016 the National Museum of History of Moldova organized an event celebrating an emblematic personality of the Czech Republic - Václav Havel. The temporary exhibition „Portrait of Václav Havel" was brought to Chișinău by the Czech Center from Bucharest.

Through the German Cultural Center AKZENTE from Chișinău, the German composer Adrian Oswalt gave a public conference on „History of hurdy-gurdy" and a performance of mechanic music at the „Museum Night", May 16, 2016.

Based on the collaboration agreement with Herend Porcelánmanufaktúra Zrt. From Hungary, the MNIM hosted from May 13 to July 12, 2016 an exceptional exhibition of Hungarian porcelain entitled "Herend Glow". On the occasion of the exhibition opening, the museum was visited by dr. Attila Simon, General Director of Herend Porcelain Manufacture.

Five curators from the MNIM participated in the "Days of museographers - memory, consciousness, history", which was held in Bucharest, Romania, on June 6-10, 2016. The project was developed by the Institute "Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi" for Romanians de Pretutindeni, in partnership with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova. The study visit included workshops and lectures by experts from various museums in the Bucharest, meetings with academics and visits to museums.

MNIM has participated at the organization of the exhibition "Romania in the Great War" which was opened at the National Museum of History of Romania on September 15, 2016. In this order, 25 documents and photos about the situation of Bessarabia during World War I were included in the exhibition and catalog.

From September 21 to 24, 2016 was held the 26th Numismatic Symposium, organized in collaboration with the Institute of Archaeology "Vasile Pârvan" from Bucharest. The event brought together researchers numismatists and collectors from Moldova, Romania, France, Japan, Ukraine, Belarus, Slovakia and Poland.

Based on the cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova and the Ministry of National Heritage of Poland, the restorer of the National History Museum of Moldova, Daniela Ferroni, conducted a study visit in Poland in the period of October 10 to 15, 2016. The theme of the documentation visit was "Conservation-restoration of movable heritage, historical monuments and cultural heritage digitization."

Between October 3 to 12, 2016 was implemented the second stage of the Moldovan-German project (National Museum of History of Moldova, Chișinău - Frei Universität, Berlin) which started with verification and research of Sabatinovka culture settlements identified in the valleys of Ialpug river and tributaries.

Based on the cooperation agreement, the Polish Centre in Bucharest organized at the MNIM a temporary exhibition with the theme "War in Polish poster. Krzysztof Dydo Collection". The exhibition is on display from November 3 to 30, 2016.

#Exhibit of the Month

Decorative Bells

2016

#Exhibit of the Month