orang Lipovan

The Lipovans or Lippovans are ethnic Russian Old Believers living in Romania, Ukraine, Moldova and Bulgaria who settled in the Principality of Moldavia, in the east of the Principality of Wallachia (Muntenia), and in the regions of Dobruja and Budjak during the 17th and 18th centuries. According to the 2011 Romanian census, there are a total of 23,487 Lipovans in Romania, mostly living in Northern Dobruja, in Tulcea County but also in Constanța County, and in the cities of Iași, Brăila and Bucharest. In Bulgaria, they inhabit two villages: Kazashko and Tataritsa.

The origin of the name of the Lipovans is not known exactly, but it may come from the linden trees ("lipa" or in Russian) of the area they populate bordering the Wild Fields. Linguist considers this to be folk etymology. Another hypothesis derives it from "Filippovka", a holiday name dedicated to Saint Philip of Moscow.

Lipovans are considered to be schismatic by the Russian Orthodox Church, not being part of the broad canonical orthodox communion, although relations have improved recently. (See main article on Old Believers.)

The main centre of the Lipovan community in Ukraine is the town of Vylkove, which has its own church, the St Nicholas Church. In order to construct their homes, the Lipovans create islets of dry land by digging mud out from trenches and making a series of canals. The house walls are made of reed and mud, and thatching is standard for the roofing.