A couple of weeks ago, school began once again in Moldova. Moldovan schools traditionally start on September 1st, and this year was no different (at least in my village- some districts decided to start the following Monday instead). The first day of school is a big event here, and is called First Bell.
The day starts off with all of the students gathering outside the front of the school in the courtyard, along with parents and teachers. For the first grade students, this is their very first day of school, and much of the celebrations focus on them. There are speeches, recitations of poems, and maybe a song or two. The 1st grade students receive their first textbook, given to them from students in the 9th grade.
Then, at the very end of the ceremony, a ninth grade boy hoists a first grade girl on his shoulders and they walk around the circle of other students as the girl rings a huge bell, signifying the start of the school year (and hence the name “First Bell”). The students enter the school and have a one hour lesson with their homeroom classes, and then everyone is free to go home!
I think it’s a very nice way to start off the school year on the right foot. I was a little nervous in the days heading up to the first day as rain was predicted (meaning all this would have to occur inside a very small assembly room), but the weather ended up being very nice!
The Oke Den 