Social Sciences and Education Research Review (Aug 2017)
THE PENTECOST IN ROMANIAN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY
Abstract
The article represents a research on the Pentecost, (Whitsuntide), in the Romanian contemporary society. The Christian holiday of Pentecost stands for the Christian festival celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus after his Ascension, held on the seventh Sunday after Easter. We have resorted for this article to the meta-analytic research method, trying to study carefully the perception that people have on the Pentecost. Although the feast relies on religion, nowadays Romanian people feel more connected to the urban environment, where the rituals have a commercial role. This the reason why during the feasts, the Romanian society leads a continuous fight between what is new and what is old, intending to convince the city dwellers that the traditional elements must remain pure. Tradition is the one that makes the connection between the sacred and the profane. The traditional Romanian dancers have a special role and they turn into the actors that connect the fantastic world to the real world. By the ritual of the traditional Romanian dancers, people become familiar with their customs and are introduced into a state of liminality. Nowadays, Romanians consider the Pentecost to be a reunion of them with God and with all kinds of entities from the times when the traditional village represented the center of customs and traditions. The Christian holiday of Pentecost is also seen by the Romanian people as a reunion with their old self. It is important to know the way of getting familiar with and accepting the creation of a new universe, compatible with the Romanian traditions.
