Sibiu - a different kind of Easter

This year, I spent Easter in a completely different way than usual. I traveled to Sibiu in Romania. There, I met with Kaja, Cordula, and Konrad. Kaja is studying theology and is currently doing a semester abroad. This way, we had someone who knew the area and could show us around the whole city.

The three of us treated ourselves to an Airbnb, allowing us to make the most of our time together. We stayed in this charming street in the old town in a little town house.

After our first little exploratory walk, we had a good initial impression of the city. On the first day, we mainly wandered around the old town. Our daily goal: to eat ice cream at least once a day!

On Saturday, we continued our exploration through the streets, trying delicious food and attending a concert with music for Holy Week.

In the evening, we went to the Orthodox Church for an Easter Vigil, which was a bit different for us. It started at half-past eleven and usually lasts at least four hours, sometimes even longer.

The interior of the church was beautifully painted and pleasantly lit.

Of course, the service was in Romanian, so I unfortunately didn't understand anything. However, it was interesting to experience such a different service. The practices were quite different. For example, many people stand for the many hours. While there are chairs available to borrow, not many people take advantage of this offer. There were also many more signs of the cross than some Christians might be used to. And then, of course, as in every other service, there is a specific liturgy. For us, it sometimes looked quite chaotic, as if they didn’t have a plan. But every person has a clear understanding of what to do (except for women, who are not allowed to work in the Orthodox Church).

Also different from us is the length of the Easter vigil. Usually, it lasts about one to two hours, but not at least four.

The three-doored golden iconostasis separates the space for the congregation from the altar area. You can discover many different icons on it. At the beginning, you can only hear the prayers but cannot see them being spoken, as the priest stands behind the iconostasis in the altar area. Occasionally, a helper comes out from the side doors, and incense is distributed at regular intervals. After a good first hour, the priest came out with all his helpers, with only the priest allowed to go through the main gate. There was a procession to the front of the church and around it a few times. At the end, prayers and preaching continued in front of the church. After about an hour and a half, we returned to our accommodation, as we couldn’t hold out standing for the whole four hours (at least).

On Sunday morning, we slept in and then went on a good egg hunt before heading out for a cozy brunch.

Well-fed, we then climbed some elevation. Once on the church tower, we could view Sibiu well from above.

What’s special about Romania is often the houses. The windows in the roof space always look a bit like eyes.

After our trip up, we headed out for a little hike to the open-air museum about 5km away.

On our last day, we were invited to the Orthodox community by Katja. The priest also spoke German and included a German prayer in the two-hour service, so we understood something every three-quarters of an hour. The small Orthodox church was similarly structured but not as lavish as the large one in Sibiu. The service lasted a little longer than two hours, and, like before, there was more standing than sitting. Afterwards, we had a communal brunch together with the congregation members. This is rather unusual in Romania, as community life is not practiced there as it is in Germany. However, the priest had lived and worked in Germany for a while and brought this 'tradition' into his congregation.

A final walk with a view of Sibiu.

And then it was time to say goodbye. If Kaja hadn't already been there, I likely wouldn't have traveled to the city and probably wouldn't have attended one or another Orthodox service. So overall, it was a very beautiful and interesting experience, especially to witness such a festival in another country, of a different religion.

For Konrad, the journey continued through Romania, while Cordula and I headed to Mediaș in the evening to take the night train to Vienna.

On the night train, we shared the compartment with another young woman and even ended up watching a movie together.

A night train is quite a wonderful thing. In Romania, you say goodnight and travel, in our case, through several countries, waking up in Austria.

So, until next time, then in Austria!