THE PRESENCE OF THE EPIC IN THE FOLKLORE OF SPRING-SUMMER CALENDAR CUSTOMS

Authors

  • Eugen Petre SANDU Man’s entire life - from birth to death - is accompanied by customs,, ample folkloric manifestations, true folk spectacles consisting of songs,, mimic representations and with masks, dancing, etc. Idealistic folklorists, gave these folk customs a ritual interpretation, giving undue importance, to magical and religious ceremonies. Many of the spring and summer, customs mark the different stages of traditional life, for which the main, concerns are agriculture and animal husbandry. They keep, involving, special artistic manifestations or not, the remnants of the ancient rites at, the beginning of new year, regarding fertility, or expressing, in symbolic, manner, the joy of revival of nature. The epic genre is very present also in, calendar customs that take place with the beginning of spring. Many, agricultural habits do not manifest through music or their music has been, lost: ‘sambra oilor’, ‘Sângeorzul’, May 1, etc., Usually, caroling started manifestations, but let us not forget that it, is a corollary of all customs, as it marks the transition from one year to the, other. The number of customs with own music is reduced today, and the, thematic - usually agrarian - in some cases may also reflect other situations;, for instance ‘Lazărul’, ‘Scaloianul’, ‘Paparuda’, ‘Cununa’ are customs, containing ritual or ceremonial music, namely they have an agrarian, meaning, while ‘Hăulitul’, ‘Romanul’, ‘Toconelele’ and ‘Căluşul’ are customs, with meanings other than agrarian. Modern research see in some fertility, rites the remnants of archaic mentalities existing in an agrarian people,, such as our ancestors, the Geto-Dacians. The evolution of the plant world, was conditioned both by solar influence and the earthly matrix. The spring-, summer customs retain certain ritual epic melodies and are interpreted in, the most significant moments of the ceremony. We will refer to these in the, following, not without the stating the place and function of music in them:, ‘Lazărul’, ‘Paparuda’, ‘Scaloianul’, ‘Drăgaica’, ‘Cununa de la seceriş’., 1. Lazărul (Lazarus), Despite its onomastic identity, this custom has no affiliation with, the homonymous Orthodox calendar character, and the custom itself has no Author

Keywords:

epic, folklore, spring, summer, calendar, customs

Abstract

Man’s entire life - from birth to death - is accompanied by customs,ample folkloric manifestations, true folk spectacles consisting of songs,mimic representations and with masks, dancing, etc.

REVART Vol. 17 No. 1, 2013

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Published

2026-02-11

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 1 (2013): REVART - Specialized review of theory & critique of arts

Section

Articles