THE KUPALA DAY IN 'STARA BASN' BY JÓZEF IGNACY KRASZEWSKI

• Authors: Wenerska W.
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

The article describes Kupala Day festivities in 'Stara basn' (An Ancient Tale) by J. I. Kraszewski. By reconstructing the ceremony, Kraszewski shows the connections with the traditional folk culture of Eastern Slavs. The participants of the ritual pay tribute to Kupala, the god of the summer sun, crops, affluence, and fertility. The author of 'Stara basn' shows the basic elements of the festival: the ritual bathing, the bonfire jumping, and dancing around the fires. Festival songs seem equally important and their main theme is the marriage of the Sun and the Moon. Singing during the festival time focused on life and abundance. The Kupala ceremony is connected with joy and laughter. Kraszewski also draws the reader's attention to the wonderful, magic meaning of the summer solstice. During the Kupala ceremony people are afraid of Jarucha the witch who could spellbind them. The merry-making in the forest puts an end to the summer solstice ceremony. The Kupala ceremony in 'Stara basn' takes place in an extraordinary setting, and its main feature is the vitality of participants. By showing the summer solstice festival, Kraszewski emphasizes the elements of the sun cult, the magic of soil, and the magic of purifying, erotic aspects of the ritual.

Keywords

EN

EASTERN SLAVS; KRASZEWSKI JÓZEF IGNACY ('STARA BASN'); KUPALA DAY

Discipline

• PHILOLOGY_&_LINGUISTICS: PHILOLOGY & LINGUISTICS

• Publisher: Polska Akademia Nauk
• Journal: Slavia Orientalis
• Year: 2007
• Volume: 56
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 239-248
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Wenerska W.

• W. Wenerska, Uniwersytet Marii Curie-Sklodowskiej w Lublinie, pl. Marii Curie-Sklodowskiej 4, 20-031 Lublin, Poland

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

07PLAAAA02815736