TABOR - Tradition and Contemporaneity in the Romanian Orthodox Church
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Funeral "problems" during the communist regime


 

Funeral ceremonies in public space can be object of study in various aspects: anthropological, ethnological, sociological - as phenomena of social cohesion - and not least, when related to important personalities, it can assume a political mission. I consider worthy of special interest the funerals of the latter conducted during the forty years of communist rule. In Romania, an investigation on this subject could highlight significant issues pertaining to the realities of the time, its "spirit", compromises, outbreaks of supervised freedom, cowardice and its apprehensions. Unfortunately, the main documentary source researchers could turn to would be the oral history, "folklore", because such events were not in the media.

They could also consult the "informative notes" of Security "workers", accredited to keep such events under surveillance and "professionally" report about them. As a contemporary with "the last journey" of some of our public personalities, but also of some people "with problems", I will refer to several cases that I could observe "in real time", from "eye witnesses" or from my own observations.

Keywords: funeral, the communist regime, freedom


 

BORIS BUZILĂ