Serbian folklore

• The term folklore, which originated in the middle of the last century, soon spread all over the world and became domesticated both in ordinary speech and in scientific terminology. The use of the term folklore was proposed by the English archaeologist William John Thoms in the journal Atheaneum of August 22, 1846. The term was created by merging two English words: folk (people) and lore (knowledge, wisdom). This term denotes a set of phenomena in the national spiritual culture: customs, beliefs, knowledge, oral tradition, all kinds of folk art. The term folklore at the same time signifies the creative flow in folk art - a continuous and very lively process and the surviving remnants of understanding and worldview from various periods of the past are sometimes still living practices that gradually disappear, change or adapt to new living conditions. That is why folklore is at the same time a historical category, a factual state and a creative process. For this reason, it is wrong to call it a living antique, since this eliminates its social role in recent times and in the present. Not going into all branches of folklore, this review will give a brief overview of folk art in Serbia, with an emphasis on play and song.

• The terms "folk play" and "folk song" are nowadays used in our country primarily as a designation for original folk melos and play, and only then for their more developed forms. However, since the process of changing spiritual culture is slower than changes in material, it is not easy to forget the older musical and orchestra heritage, so that the older and newer traditions continue to live side by side.

• A folk song is an artistic whole that is composed of text and melody. Due to the development of the language, different forms have emerged in metrics and especially in rhythmic schemes. Speech intonation served as the basis for the creation of a folk song.

• A typical form of Serbian folk playing is playing in a circle. It is a chain of interconnected players that moves in a circular way and less often in a curved line. After the car comes wood - a chain of players positioned in a straight line or in two opposite types with the direction of movement left and right, back and forth. Solo playing or playing in pairs is a rarity in central parts of Serbia. It occurs mainly in ceremonial games (by the way, queens, queens). These games are very old and are a trace of pagan rites for fertility, rain, or a trace of ancient rites with play on the occasion of birth, initiation, wedding or death.

• The games and songs reflect the experiences and taste of many generations. In the areas of cultural contact, the process of mutual influences and harmonization of music and play patterns is interesting, with the central Serbia playing a significant role. From there, some songs and games became common property.
  Traditional folklore shows in Serbia do not have a long tradition. There were two such events before the war, in 1938 and 1939 at the then Belgrade Fair. After the war, interest in collecting and nurturing original folklore increased sharply, as turning to our own sources was the basis of the renaissance of our folk art. The first festival of Yugoslav original folklore was organized in Opatija in 1951. In order to record the available material and to prepare for Opatija, 10 zone festivals were organized in Serbia, which brought to light a very rich collection of folk games and songs. This tradition has been preserved to this day, so every summer there are selected examples of original folklore at the Parliament of the National Creativity of Serbia (in Leskovac until 1980 and further in Aleksandrovac). There are also a number of permanent festivals of a regional character (Homologous motifs, Black vocabulary in song and play, Dragachev's trumpet and others). Meetings of the villages of Serbia, in addition to other competitive categories, also include folklore competitions.

• Native folklore is also well nurtured in cities. There, individual folklore elements were often the inspiration for the creation of individual artists - composers or choreographers. The care, reproduction and processing of folklore have become the subject of interest of many amateurs or professional institutions. When it is known that folklore is nurtured in its original form, in our modernity there is a balance between nurturing the original folklore and its artistic processing and interpretation.

• Styling and processing folklore are works of artists in which games and songs move away from their original forms but retain essential stylistic features by which they can be identified indisputably. These stylistic features are reflected in a number of distinctive elements that give color to the folklore of individual regions. Such elements are especially emphasized and dosed during processing, since by omitting them or overstating them, folklore would lose its authentic characteristics and become something completely different. That is why the artist, in addition to the implied talent, must thoroughly know the essence and basic characteristics of the original folklore motifs, to notice all the essential stylistic elements, in order to be able to successfully use them in the elaboration.

PLAY WHEN THE CEO WORLD UNDERSTANDS YOU

• Circle as a traditional game of the Serbian people is still very popular today. Without a car, no celebration, wedding, or even a gathering of world officials can pass. It has been danced in all countries around the world, and the best ambassadors for culture have been folk artists. The national dance ensemble “Kolo” danced in the Shops games even at the NBA game, and folklore in Serbia also played for the Guinness Book of Records. Little is known that the largest folklore society of Serbia, Belgrade's Academic Cultural Art Society "Ivo Lola Ribar", performed at the United Nations building in New York and sold as many as 16 concerts at "Madison Square Garden" as part of a US tour in the 1980s. . That's when the saying "Being a Lolinac is a matter of prestige" was created. Today this distinguished folklore society of Serbia magnifies significant events such as the OSCE session, represents our country in the UAE, Russia, Belarus, Japan, performs at world festivals around the world and represents the best ambassadors of Serbia in the world.

FRULA, PLAYER, FASHION

• The playfulness and number of the members contributes to the top quality of the program, which, wherever it is performed, is accompanied by a standing ovation of the audience, and numerous awards are proof of the quality of Serbian folklore. The richness of the costume from all over Serbia, the girl's braids and the smile of everyone who proudly plays the wheel on stage is attractive on all continents. When the sounds of the Serbian flute are heard, there is no one whose heart would not play, even if it did not come from these places. The first to use her were pastors, while today her role is artistic and used to perform carts and songs for fun. That is why the best gifts from Serbia are our original, traditional, Serbian products, such as this wind instrument - a wooden colorful flute, which you can buy online through our store.

JEWELRY, ANTERIUM AND OPANCES

• Even those who are not fans of folklore admire the ease with which artists dance and strive to learn and play a step in a secret manner. The variety of Serbian folk costumes attracts the most attention. These, once everyday clothing, signified the ethnicity of the Serbs, which thus distinguished them from the powerful conquerors. Each folklore society of Serbia uses a different folk costume, depending on which region it originates from and what games it plays. The most commonly used parts of the costume, as well as the best gifts from Serbia, are: shirt with embroidery, skirt, apron, sheikh, belt or fabric, jelly, libados, salvars, headscarves, socks and leggings.

OPCI - OLD SERBIAN CRAFTS

• Opanci are very popular Serbian products. This traditional Serbian footwear is made of tan beef leather with a thick sole and a distinctive tip (beak) that represents the trim of the lapel. Folklore in Serbia without them is unthinkable, so all those who play folklore know that during the game they have to be well fixed to the leg with the straps that go around the article. These original, handmade Serbian products are carefully guarded from oblivion, and can also be fond memories and gifts from Serbia. All types of models, as well as available sizes, can be found on our site through the online store, and you have at your disposal the latest in our ethno offer - leather trim with decorative border, as well as sling with beak, made of pure leather.