Moldovan Christmas Charity Concert in Vienna
Moldovan musicians from Vienna will play a charity concert that will promote Moldovan Christmas traditions while supporting orphan children and children from vulnerable low-income families. The Christmas carols will be related to Areas in Moldova and accompanied by ancient Moldovan folklore.
Moldovan Musician Are Organizing a Charity Concert in Vienna / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons, Nameneko and others, Public domain
On Saturday, December 17 Members of the Moldovan community in Austria and the MoldWien association, with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in the Republic of Austria, are organizing an evening of Moldovan Christmas carols at 19:30 at the Theater "Pygmalion" in Vienna, Alser Strasse 43.
The concert program is a unique musical project related exclusively to authentic Christmas carols collected in the areas between Dniester and Prut, which have come to us from ancient times through rare collections of Moldavian folklore. An ensemble of Moldovan musicians from Vienna, Budapest and Prague who have come together for a good cause performs the songs. The songs are sung in a choir in the traditional way, accompanied by the kobza - a traditional Moldovan instrument.
Participating in the charity concert is an opportunity to collectively promote the beautiful traditions and cultural heritage of the Republic of Moldova. While doing so, the participators of the charity concert will be supporting children without parental supervision and children from socially vulnerable families and support socially disadvantaged families who attend the community center "Speranța", which is under the supervision of the Directorate for the Protection of the Rights of the Child in Chisinau. The tickets cost 25 Euros and they can be bought either through the website Pygmalion.at, or write an e-mail to moldwien@gmail.com.
Christmas is celebrated in Moldova on the 6th and 7th of January as it is an Orthodox country. It is common to have a Christmas tree as part of the festivities. Moldovans, however, usually decorate their Christmas trees on New Year's Eve, and some call it the New Year Tree. Moldovans have a unique tradition of singing carols during Christmas. It is a way for children and some adults to congratulate neighbors, friends, and relatives on Christmas. Gifts are given and carols are sung. It is also common for people to attend church on this day since Christmas is a religious holiday. In other cases, people visit their relatives and friends during Christmas dinner to share a meal together.