THE PLACE AND FUNCTION OF KOROVAI SONGS AND COUPLETS IN THE WEDDING RITUALS OF PODLACHIA

The aim of this article is to discuss the function and place of korovai songs and couplets in the traditional wedding rituals of Podlachia. This analysis is based on the songs and couplets accompanying the preparation and sharing of the korovai ([wedding-cake]; Pol. korowaj; Ukr kopobaN [korovai], Russ. before the 1956: kopobaN [korovai], modern: kapobaN [karavai], Old East Slavic: kapobaN [karavai]), and which were taken from the volumes entitled Podlasie [Podlachia] and Lubelskie [Lublin Region] that were published in the series "Polska piesn i muzyka ludowa" [Polish Folk Songs and Music], from selected volumes of Oskar Kolberg's Dziela wszystkie [The Complete Works] and the works of various documentalists and researchers of the eastern cultural borderland. The repertoire of songs was arranged according to the scenario of the traditional wedding ceremony. When choosing the sample texts, the authors took their subjects into consideration and analysed them in terms of language and culture, but not that of music. On this basis, they attempted to determine the function of the korovai songs and couplets. The analysis undertaken confirms that not only is the korovai one of the cultural phenomena of Podlachia, but also an important component of the identity of its inhabitants. The songs related to the specific role of the korovai in the wedding ritual are characterised by both an archaic and unique character, and a rich symbolic content. They fulfil magical, scenario and instructional functions.