Chapter IX: D. Songs of Family and Private Life

(a) The oldest songs and ones that give a good insight into home life are the _Ritual Songs_, and especially the _Wedding Songs_. In these we see traces of the so-called Matriarchal Age, when the mother was considered the head of a family, which denotes great antiquity for these songs; in most of them the father is rarely mentioned. The main subject is the grief and reluctance of the bride to leave her parents, relatives and home. It is a litany, so to speak, of all the happiness of childhood and virginity and fear for the uncertain future. In these songs, and even at the present day, the people call the bridegroom a prince; the bride, a princess; the best man, ushers and bridesmaids,--the high nobles, etc. The ceremonies are antique, very religious and of great variety. In some parts of Ukraine there still exist the reminiscences of the ancient times when candidates for marriage stole girls for wives, or bought them for a considerable amount of money. This was done away with at the introduction of Christianity.

The author remembers well from his childhood, the wedding rites in his own village of Choroshchinka, in the western part of Ukraine, Podlakhia (Cholm Government). These ceremonies were identical with those of centuries ago. The following brief description may facilitate in the understanding of the beauties of a Ukrainian rural wedding.

After the bans of the marriage are proclaimed, the bridegroom, usually from another village, is preparing in his own home for the marriage reception, while the parents of the bride are doing their best to get ready for the wedding. On Saturday afternoon the bride, with wreaths or flowers on her head and many ribbons hanging from her coiffure, accompanied by some of her maids, goes from house to house kissing elderly persons on the face and hands, with view of obtaining their blessing, and asking everybody to come to the wedding. Some understand that this is a mere formality and although they thank the bride and promise to come, they do not appear, unless they be very dear friends or relatives.

About seven o’clock in the evening almost all the young and middle-aged married women come to the house of the bride and make the Korovay--a wedding cake, and various other small fancy cakes, all sitting at a long family table, singing until about eleven o’clock, chanting in a kind of plaintive voice:

... Oy Korovay, Oy Korovay
What an expensive thing thou art!
A korets[1] of wheaten flour is needed,
And a gallon of spring water....

and other inexhaustible strains of wedding songs are sung.

In the meantime the bridesmaids are making wreaths, loosening the bride’s tresses and hair and asking the parents’ blessing. One must remember that there are songs prescribed for every action. On Sunday morning the bridegroom comes with his mates and many guests in as many wagons as are needed, and brings his future wife many presents. After an introductory reception which consists of bread and salt and consequently (inseparably) some drink for the guests--the young pair kneel down before the bride’s parents, asking for blessing. For this purpose many of the oldest folks of the village (some centenarians) are invited to bless the young by making the sign of the cross over their heads. There is much crying and lamentation while the rural music plays on.

The entire gathering then starts for Mass and the marriage at the church to the accompaniment of musicians; everybody walks. The bride on her way, kisses all the older folks she meets, asking their blessing. The essence of the blessing is wishing for temporal and eternal good, and, especially, marital happiness and a numerous progeny.

After the imposing church ceremonials according to Greek Rite, on returning home, the wedding party sings among others the following song:

* * * * *

We have fooled the pope (priest)
We have fooled the priest
As if he were an uncouth peasant;
We gave him three pence,
But he thought it was an old ruble....

The assembly feasts until midnight when the bride-princess is getting ready to leave her parents’ home, with all her trunks and effects,--an action called locally “Perezviny,” perhaps “Perevozyny,” meaning carrying over, transfer. The wedding continues at the bridegroom’s home for at least two days more:

... Do not cry my little mother after me,
I shall not take all the goods with me.
I shall leave thee my footsteps outdoors,
I shall leave thee my tears upon the table,
I shall leave thee my fragrant herb in the chamber.[2]

(b) _Cradle songs_ are sung by every mother who lulls her baby to sleep. These songs are very emotional because there is no language in the world that is so captivating as the conversation from the heart of a mother to the part of her own body and soul:

It is bright and pretty, it is bright and pretty,
Wherever the little sun shines,
But it is still brighter, it is still prettier,
Where the little mother walks....[3]

(c) _Love themes_ are most numerous in every walk of life. The songs relate the natural affection of sweethearts; but many of them complain of the unsteadiness and treachery of the other party, for example:

Rise, O, bright little evening star;
Say, come out, come out my faithful lass!
Oh, the little evening star would appear, but a black cloud
interferes,
“I should be eager to come out to see you, but my little mother
forbids.”[4]

Or

... When the rye had blossomed,
News came to the village
That the Cossack would no more return to thee
For he lay asleep forever in the steppes.[5]

(d) _Songs of the Conjugal Life._

Though some celebrate the marital happiness and mutual accord, yet most of them tell of the sad disappointments we so often meet with in actual life. In them the woman’s position is attractively depicted, her superior, delicate nature, her suffering and humiliation and patience well described. There is always some third person, usually a relative, who becomes the bone of contention. It is usually the bad mother-in-law; a drunkard husband; an unfaithful husband; the elopement of a wife; unsteadiness of a wife; mistreatment of an orphan by the step-mother, etc.:

I SHUMYT I HUDYT

1. The wind blusters and roars,
Sending down drizzling rain;
Here I am, a young married woman;
Who will lead me to my home?

2. A young Cossack[6] replied
Amid drinking sweet honey,
“Black browed woman dance on
I shall bring thee to thy house.”

3. Do not show me the way,
I beseech thee, do not;
For my husband is bad,
He will object and beat me.

4. Not because I use his salt
Enjoy dainties and bread,
But for loving other men
Will he take vengeance on me.

(e) _Funeral Songs._

Outside of the numerous religious Christian songs about the two elements in man: material and spiritual, the eternal truth that every man must die and decompose, the reward of the soul and body for every good deed, the resurrection of the body, the second coming of Christ-God in his majesty to judge the living and the dead, there are many remnants of the ancient pagan singing, and soliloquy. One might say that a Ukrainian peasant woman, on losing her child or other beloved person, keeps on crying uninterruptedly for three days--the time prescribed for the body to lie in state. She usually cries loud with a wailing, plaintive air that moves to tears all the visitors. It is said that the Ukrainians are the most emotional of the Slavic peoples. While she wrings her hands, she invokes the Deity, clamoring:

Look at your father, consider the bereavement
Of your mother and return to us again!...

... O, God, my God, why hast thou taken my child?
... O my little darling,
My golden child, why hast thou left me forever?

In most of these crying monologues, there is rhythm and rhyme. No doubt in many instances there is the spontaneous outburst of poetic phraseology, but many are sung alike by all. Now, taking into consideration the frequency of diminutives[7] for the dear departed persons and possessions and the intensitives for the grave, death, sickness, calamity--one sees a great poetic beauty in these expressions of despondency:

KOLOMEYKA

How beautiful are the flowers that begin to blossom
How fortunate are the children whose mothers are alive,
Others’ children--happy children, but I am a poor orphan,
Others’ children have their mothers--mine is with dear God.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Korets, a measure, a bushel.

[2] Collections of Osyp Rozdilsky.

[3] Collections of Osyp Rozdilsky.

[4] Ivan Kolessa: Ethnographic collection, Vol. II, p. 118.

[5] Lysenko: “Collection of Ukrainian Songs,” Vol. VII, p. 16. Steppes of Ukraine are the extensive plains not unlike the American prairies, but now rendered very fertile.

[6] Figuratively, and in every day use a Cossack means any young man, wooer, lover or a man of courage; a Ukrainian.

[7] The frequency of diminutives used in the Ukrainian renders the language most harmonious of all Slavic tongues; a word may be used in two, five and even ten different ways.