Day 71 - September 17: Mosna/Meschen - Evangelical Church Day of the Germans in Romania

Today was a special day during my trip to the Transylvanian Saxon Lutherans. Every two years, the Evangelical-Lutheran Church and the Democratic Forum of the Germans in Romania organize the so-called "Sachsentreffen", a kind of church day. Both Saxons who have consciously remained in Romania and numerous Saxons who have emigrated from Germany attend this event. What a coincidence - the 2022 meeting took place during my two weeks in Romania this weekend in the old church fortification of Mosna in Mediasch.

I had the opportunity to ride in a rented bus of the forum today from Sibiu, where I had spent the past two days, to Meschen with about 30 other participants. Departure was at 8 o'clock in the morning. The church day or "Sachsentreffen" naturally began with a festive church service in the church within the fortress. The church was completely filled with an estimated 4-500 visitors. The regional bishop of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Romania, Guid, gave the sermon on the Sunday text. He managed to bridge the historical history with the major wave of emigration in the 1990s and the current situation of the Saxons.

Of course, the "Sachsentreffen" is also characterized by something "folkloristic". After the church service, there was a traditional costume parade through the almost exclusively Romanian inhabited village of Meschen. Many young people also participated in the traditional costumes of their former German village. The light rain did not dampen their joy. Afterwards, various dance groups performed on the stage and performed old Transylvanian dances. It was astonishing that mostly young people participated in upholding the Transylvanian everyday culture.

In front of the fortress, there were several stands of Transylvanian handicraft groups, book stands, heritage associations, a stand of the German newspaper in Romania, and other information stands about the life of the Saxons. Snack stands with typical Romanian food provided food and drinks.

In the afternoon, there were other interesting program points. There was an hour with various greetings from Romanian mayors, the consul of the German embassy, Transylvanian heritage associations from Germany and Austria, and some others.

The highlight was a festive lecture on the life of the Transylvanian pastor, school reformer, writer, and politician Stephan Ludwig Roth. Due to his progressive views on school reform and politics, he was executed by a Hungarian military court. The historian impressively lectured on the political circumstances of Roth's execution and also interpreted the motto of the "Sachsentreffen