About 100 Bessarabian shirts for men and women that date from the 19th century were reconstituted and exhibited at the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History. They represent all the regions of Moldova and were remade using old chronicles, photos, drawings, sketches, damaged shirts and parts of shirts, IPN reports.

Coordinating researcher of the Museum Varvara Buzilă said the idea appeared three years ago inside the community “Sitting of Bessarabia” that consists of women who promote the tradition of authenticity and originality of the national costume. Almost 250 women attend the sittings are involved in the process of reconstructing shirts. “The shirts were sewed to show that we care about our cultural heritage that we offer to society,” stated Varvara Buzilă.

Plastic artist Olesea Enachi takes part in the exhibition with five women’s blouses and one shirt for men. She said he had a very old shirt whose decoration could be hardly seen. Only the traces of the needle could be seen. She detected on it a basil plant that represented northern Moldova, especially Edineţ district. “This is an atypical shirt as the waves on the sleeve are horizontal. Our Bessarabian shirts were decorated with tree branches or sloping, flowing rivers,” stated Olesea Enachi.

Tamara Begu presented two reconstructed shirts for women. She said she worked with enthusiasm on a shirt for which she could use only a small price of embroidery seen at a museum under the glass. She does not know what period that piece of blouse dates from and what region it represents. “It is evident that this is very old. It does not have crosses. We started to use crosses much later,” she noted.

Elena Echim from Pitușca village of Călărași district is also a member of the sitting. She brought a blouse that represents Orheiului Vechi region. The model used on the blouse existed on paper only. “I was brought up in an environment where my mother was weaving towels, rugs and tablecloths. They didn’t sew blouses in our village. I have many things made by my mother and I also want to leave inheritance to my children,” stated Elena Echim.

The exhibition is open until February 28. Entrance is free of charge.