The tradition that is strictly observed on the second day of Easter in a village in Alba. What is “State”

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On the second day of Easter, in Şugag, dozens of young people married in the year before Easter gather in front of the town hall to celebrate “Statu la vase”, an old custom of the commune of Alba, held on Easter Monday. The newlyweds celebrate a veritable feast in honor of family life.

By the Observator editorial team on 07.05.2024, 08:47

Young couples come to church dressed in the black and white Shugajan costume, to which the men attach a whistle to their waist. After the religious service, the bride and groom gather in the center of the village to receive the blessing of the priests, through a special service.

The tradition that is strictly observed on the second day of Easter

Vasile Duvlea – organizer: It was found in documents from 1700 and some data about the State of vessels. The custom was kept throughout the south of Transylvania, but it disappeared over time and remained only here in Şugag.

Every young family has a table that the wife decorates as beautifully as possible and fills it with a lot of chosen dishes, specific to Easter, to “humanize” her relatives, friends and all those who want to be with them. The guests give gifts to the young bride, most often dishes.

Marius Moga, local: It was done, basically, to help young families, because the pot was a very important object in the household and the commune being populated with people who raised animals, they needed pots.

The procession of guests begins with the godfather who offers the first gift for the young family in exchange for a cake made of fine flour and called “pupăza”. The rest of the guests give other household items, in numbers of two, which signifies the new union formed by the young people who have moved on to family life.

Man: I got a lot of presents. It is an ancient custom. We try to take it further with what is seen here on the table, scones, homemade cakes, red eggs.

This year there are 14 families of young people who carry on the tradition.