Contemporaneity of Ethnic-Religious Communities.Russians-Lipovans in Romania

The specificity of the Central and Eastern Europe encourages the reanalysis of the ethnic issues within this area, on the background of the religious ideologies, with the specific aim to better understand the relationship between religion, ethnicity and political power. The case study focuses on describing the communities of lipovan Russians in Romania, especially those established in the historical area of Moldova, specifically in Iasi county (North – Eastern Romania). The Lipovan Russians offer an example of community consisting of religious and ethnic reasons, by their specific organization, functioning and existence. The study reminds elements of history, why and how the lipovan Russians got in Romania, what is their spatial distribution within the country and what are the explanations for such spreading. Moreover, it presents their traditions, connected mainly to religious celebrations, habits and occupations – they have been known as good fishermen and farmers – and how do they see themselves and expect to be seen by the outsiders. Last, but not least, to underline the actuality of this type of communitarian construction, the paper refers on one hand to young generations and their perspective regarding their community and on the other hand, what is the relationship between the communities of Lipovan Russians from Romania with the original settlements.All these offer an example of communitarian bonds shaped by threads and connections which come from the religious, ethnic, and traditional field.