Apa Sâmbetei

Apa Sâmbetei

In Romanian mythology, Apa Sâmbetei IPA| ['a.pa 'sɨm.bɛ.tɛj] (lit. "saturday's water") is the name given to the World Ocean, the ocean that was said to encompass the entire earth. Its description varies by region, being described as boiling due to the proximity of hell (in Bucovina), or as cold, as the Kingdom of God is said to be built upon it.

It is said that the souls of the deceased follow the course of rivers into the "Apa Sâmbetei". The currents of this ocean encircle the earth three times before descending into hell for the purpose of transporting the souls to the afterlife. It is because of this belief that Romanians make the sign of the cross before drinking from a stream, in order to ensure that they do not "drink" one such soul.

Also in Bucovina, it is believed that a woman is unable to cross the "Apa Sâmbetei", but only men, especially the monks who were considered to live a pious life. [Cosma, Aurel. "Cosmogonia poporului român" (The Cosmogony of the Romanian People) (1942). Bucharest: Tipografia Ziarului "Universul", p 24.]

Contemporary use

The Saturday's Water is often used in colloquial Romanian in the expression "s-a dus pe Apa Sâmbetei!" (it has gone on the Saturday's Water), meaning that something has gone wrong or been wasted.

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • sâmbătă — SÂMBĂTĂ, sâmbete, s.f., adv. 1. s.f. A şasea zi a săptămânii, care urmează după vineri. ♢ Sâmbăta Mare sau Sâmbăta Paştilor = sâmbăta din ajunul duminicii Paştilor. Sâmbăta morţilor (sau a moşilor) = nume dat anumitor sâmbete din an, în care se… …   Dicționar Român

  • Folklore of Romania — A feature of Romanian culture is the special relationship between folklore and the learned culture, determined by two factors. First, the rural character of the Romanian communities resulted in an exceptionally vital and creative traditional… …   Wikipedia

  • duce — DÚCE1, duc, vb. III I. tranz. 1. A transporta ceva sau pe cineva într un anumit loc, a lua ceva sau pe cineva dintr un loc şi al pune în altul. ♢ expr. a duce (pe cineva) la groapă = a conduce un mort la locul de înmormântare. 2. A lua pe cineva… …   Dicționar Român

  • blajin — BLAJÍN, Ă, blajini, e, adj. (Adesea fig.) Blând, omenos, paşnic. ♦ (Despre fizionomia, firea, manifestările oamenilor) Care exprimă bunătate, blândeţe. ♦ (Substantivat, f. pl. art.; mitol. pop.) Fiinţe blânde şi evlavioase care trăiesc departe de …   Dicționar Român

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”