#kolednicy

[lugvelesasrz]

Turoń - in the rich tradition of Polish winter procession we meet with this type of mask in the form of a black, horned animal with a flopping jaw. Similar type of mask can be seen among other Slavs. By it’s name it is connected to extinct species of large wild cattle and ancestor of domestic cattle that inhabited Europe - the aurochs (Tur). Pictures are taken from the Ethnographic museum of Cracow.

[nexivi]

christmas vibes

[mazowszanka]

[lugvelesasrz]

New episode from our series “Path of the Slavic heritage”. Here we will talk about the participants of Slavic masked processions - koledari.

Subtitles for the English languages are also available.

Enjoy, Slava!

[lugvelesasrz]

Polish kolędnik (member of an ancient Slavic winter rituals) with his handmade star 1937.

[lugvelesasrz]

Masked processions of the Slavs

Kurenti in Slovenia Dondolashi in Croatia Bushari in Baranja Koledari in Serbia Kukeri in Bulgaria Mechkari in Macedonia Kolednicy in Poland Kolyadniki in Ukraine Okrutniki in Russia

Important part of the Slavic winter solstice celebration were masked processions. Younger men, clothed in animal fur, carrying horns and bells would march from village to village throughout the region, making an extraordinary amount of noise, fueled in part by the wine provided by the locals. Their primary task is to scare away evil spirits, and bring fertility to household. In this zoomorphic costumes they would represent ancestors, who came from otherworld to celebrate beginning of the new cycle with the living. In the time of winter solstice cult of ancestors and cult of vegetation are heavily intertwined.

[brahmansadhu]