Author(s): Ana Grama / Language(s): Romanian
Issue: 24/2010
It is known, that over time the members of traditional societies live numerous changes in the way of living and also in the way of dealing with the past, present and future. The “ratio of change”, including it’s scale, is always determined by more or less important features of the moment: historical-political, economic, some that are related to education and sometimes even depending on a certain personality of the group. In Transylvania of the centuries XVIII and XIX, the soldiers that participated at the european campaigns of the imperial habsburgs, were never the same that have once left home. They have seen the world, were obeying other life rules (marriages, divorces etc.), had other incomes (retired), the morale of their pastoral life was substantially touched etc. The most dramatic break in this medium was produced by the worldwars of the XIXth century, especially during the military campaigns of the second and it’s ending. In the interest of the general and specific knowledge, the phenomenon deserves and even has to be carefully researched. Before setting forth any considerations with a high degree of generalization, it is binding to analyse as many sources- primary information. Out of this category, is the present documentary offer. Here, in the few personal letters that we present, “people of the village”, more or less “classic peasants”, remain faithful to the village or leave it (temporarily or definitively), keep, or not, confessed bounds with the essence of traditional life. We think of focusing on the problem “the earth and it’s work”, the bound to the earth (good for us that we have bought…although we might have to leave) , keeping and respecting the relationships in the group (I get along with neighbors, a woman of the village sent her girl over, so that I won’t be alone…) , helping eachother (Mr. Avram brings me wood) , spiritual and moral (baptize Valerica’s child) and even major existential considerations (you must die there, where it is written) etc. But even assuming a lifestyle dominated increasingly by “nontraditional” ideas and technologies, such as newspaper subscription and listening to radio. God, still of all defending, has many implications of national poltics, these possibly mixed with an honest christian feeling (when a soviet-borned child is baptized).
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