This past weekend on May 22, the city of Balti celebrated hram and 595 years! Hram translates to “day of the city” and according to Moldova Holiday, “Every city, town, and village in Moldova has a hram day, honoring the patron saint of the locality. By tradition, on hram days family, friends, and guests are invited to festive dinners where guests also enjoy traditional Moldovan folk dancing.”

Since Balti is the second largest city, this means a lot of people come to the city and take part in the various festivities throughout the day. Although I missed the morning ceremony with the Orthodox priests, I did make it in time for the parade. Not only did I get to watch the parade, I participated in it along with a group of students from the “Salut, Balti” community volunteer group.

Some of the students who walked with Salut, Balti in the parade.