Calendar-ritual folklore. What is ritual folklore? Russian ritual folklore Message on the topic ritual folklore

Classical folklore is a rich system of developed, artistically valuable genres. It functioned productively for centuries and was closely connected with feudal life and the patriarchal consciousness of the people.

Works of classical folklore are usually divided into ritual and non-ritual.

Ritual folklore consisted of verbal, musical, dramatic, game, and choreographic genres that were part of traditional folk rituals.

In the life of the people, rituals occupied important place. They evolved from century to century, gradually accumulating the diverse experience of many generations. The rituals had ritual and magical significance and contained rules of human behavior in everyday life and work. They are usually divided into labor (agricultural) and family. Russian rituals are genetically related to the rituals of other Slavic peoples and have typological similarities with the rituals of many peoples of the world.

Ritual poetry interacted with folk rituals, contained elements of dramatic play. It had ritual and magical significance, and also performed psychological and poetic functions.

Ritual folklore is syncretic in nature, so it is advisable to consider it as part of the corresponding rituals. At the same time, we note the possibility of a different, strictly philological approach. Yu. G. Kruglov distinguishes three types of works in ritual poetry: sentences, songs and lamentations. Each type makes up a group of genres.

Songs are especially important - the oldest layer of musical and poetic folklore. In many rituals they occupied a leading place, combining magical, utilitarian-practical and artistic functions. The songs were sung by the choir. Ritual songs reflected the ritual itself and contributed to its formation and implementation. Spell songs were a magical appeal to the forces of nature in order to achieve well-being in the household and family. In songs of magnificence, participants in the ritual were poetically idealized and glorified: real people or mythological images (Kolyada, Maslenitsa, etc.).

Opposite to the majestic ones were the reproachful songs, which ridiculed the participants in the ritual, often in a grotesque form; their content was humorous or satirical. Game songs were performed during various youth games; they described and accompanied by imitation field work, and family scenes were played out (for example, matchmaking). Lyrical songs are the latest phenomenon in the ritual. Their main purpose is to express thoughts, feelings and moods. Thanks to lyrical songs, a certain emotional flavor was created and traditional ethics were established.

Zueva T.V., Kirdan B.P. Russian folklore - M., 2002

    Introductory part. The term “folklore”, history of the genre, the concept of ritual folklore.

    Main part.

    List of used literature.

Introductory part:

Folklore - folk art, most often it is oral; artistic collective creative activity of the people, reflecting their life, views, ideals; poetry created by the people and existing among the masses (legends, songs, ditties, anecdotes, fairy tales, epics), folk music (songs, instrumental tunes and plays), theater (dramas, satirical plays, puppet theater), dance, architecture, fine and arts and crafts. The term “folklore” was first introduced into scientific use in 1846 by the English scientist William Toms, as a set of structures integrated by word and speech, regardless of what non-verbal elements they are associated with. It would probably be more accurate and definite to use the old one from the 20-30s. terminology that has fallen out of use. the phrase “oral literature” or not very specific sociological. limitation “oral folk literature”.

This use of the term is determined by different concepts and interpretations of the connections between the subject of folkloristics and other forms and layers of culture, the unequal structure of culture in different countries of Europe and America in those decades of the last century when ethnography and folkloristics arose, different rates of subsequent development, different composition of the main fund of texts, which science used in each country.

Thus, folklore is oral folk art - epics and songs, proverbs and sayings, fairy tales and conspiracies, ritual and other poetry - reflected the idea of ​​Russian people about their past and the world around them. The epics about Vasily Buslaevich and Sadko glorify Novgorod with its bustling city life and trade caravans sailing to overseas countries. The Russian people created a huge oral literature: wise proverbs and cunning riddles, funny and sad ritual songs, solemn epics, heroic, magical, everyday and funny tales. It is vain to think that this literature was only the fruit of popular leisure. She is the dignity and intelligence of the people. She established and strengthened his moral character, was his historical memory, the festive clothes of his soul and filled with deep content his entire measured life, flowing according to the customs and rituals associated with his work, nature and the veneration of his fathers and grandfathers.

Folk musical art originated long before the emergence of professional music Orthodox church. In the social life of ancient Rus', folklore played a much greater role than in subsequent times. Unlike medieval Europe, Ancient Rus' had no secular professional art. In its musical culture, only two main areas developed - temple singing and folk art of the oral tradition, including various, including “semi-professional” genres (the art of storytellers, buffoons, etc.).

By the time of Russian Orthodox hymnography, folklore had a centuries-old history, an established system of genres and means of musical expression. Folk music has firmly entered the everyday life of people, reflecting the most diverse facets of social, family, and personal life. Researchers believe that in the pre-state period (that is, before the formation of Kievan Rus), the Eastern Slavs had a fairly developed calendar and family ritual folklore, heroic epic and instrumental music.

Songs, epics, riddles, proverbs have reached us through many centuries, and it is often difficult to separate early basis folklore works from later strata. Researchers of folk art identify “ritual folklore” as a separate group, associated with the agricultural calendar and rooted in ancient pagan beliefs. These are the songs and dances performed on Maslenitsa, on the day of Ivan Kupala, and Christmas carols. Ritual folklore also includes wedding songs and fortune telling.

In order to perceive the richness of ancient Russian ritual poetry, you need to know what rituals we are talking about, when and why they were performed, and what role the song played in this. The ritual, as a certain process, was a normative, strictly regulated religious act, subordinate to the canon that had developed over the centuries. He was born in the depths of the pagan picture of the world, deification natural elements. Calendar-ritual songs are considered the most ancient. Their content is associated with ideas about the cycle of nature and the agricultural calendar. These songs reflect the different stages of life of peasant farmers. They were part of winter, spring, and summer rituals that correspond to turning points in the change of seasons. When performing the ritual, people believed that their spells would be heard by the mighty gods, the forces of the Sun, Water, and Mother Earth and would send them a good harvest, offspring of livestock, and a comfortable life. Ritual songs were considered the same obligatory part of the ritual as the main ritual actions. It was even believed that if all ritual actions were not performed and the songs accompanying them were not performed, then the desired result would not be achieved. They accompanied the first plowing and harvesting of the last sheaf in the field, youth celebrations and Christmas or Trinity holidays, christenings and weddings.

Calendar-ritual songs belong to the oldest species folk art, and they got their name due to their connection with the folk agricultural calendar - the schedule of work according to the seasons.

Calendar-ritual songs, as a rule, are small in volume and simple in poetic structure. They contain anxiety and jubilation, uncertainty and hope. One of the common features is the personification of the main image associated with the meaning of the ritual. Thus, in Christmas songs, Kolyada is depicted walking around the courtyards, looking for the owner, giving him all sorts of blessings. We encounter similar images - Maslenitsa, Spring, Trinity - in many calendar songs. These songs beg, call for goodness strange creatures, and sometimes they are accused of deceit and frivolity.

In their form, these songs are short poems, which in one stroke, two or three lines, indicate a mood, a lyrical situation.

Russian folk ritual poetry is closely connected with the old traditional way of life and at the same time conceals an amazing wealth of poetry that has stood the test of time for centuries.

Let's consider some types of calendar-ritual songs:

Caroling began on Christmas Eve, December 24th. This was the name of the festive rounds of houses with the singing of carols, in which the owners of the house were glorified and contained wishes for wealth, harvest, etc.

Carols were sung by children or youth who carried a star on a pole. This star symbolized the Star of Bethlehem, which appeared in the sky at the moment of the birth of Christ.

The owners presented the carolers with sweets, cookies, and money. If the owners were stingy, the carolers sang mischievous carols with comic threats, for example:

Won't you give me the pie?
We take the cow by the horns.
You won't give me guts -
We are a pig by the whisky.
Won't you give me a blink -
We are the host in the kick.

The beginning of the year was given special significance. How will you spend New Year, this will be the case for the entire coming year. Therefore, we tried to keep the table plentiful, people cheerful, wishing each other happiness and good luck.

Cheerful short carols were the song form of such wishes.

One of the types of New Year's songs were sub-bread songs. They accompanied New Year's fortune telling. V. A. Zhukovsky in the poem “Svetlana” retells one of the most popular sub-bowl songs:

…Blacksmith,
Forge me gold and a new crown,
Forge a gold ring.
I should be crowned with that crown,
Get engaged with that ring
At the holy levy.

You can compare it with the folklore version:

The blacksmith is coming from the forge, glory!
The blacksmith carries three hammers, glory!
Skuy, blacksmith, a golden crown for me, glory!
From the samples I have a gold ring, glory!
From the leftovers I’ll give you a pin, thank you!
To be crowned with this crown, glory!
Get engaged with that ring, glory!
And I’ll use that pin to pin the lining, thank you!
To whom we sing a song, goodness, glory to him!
It will come true, it will not fail, glory!

The famous underwater song is quoted in the 5th chapter of “Eugene Onegin” by A. S. Pushkin.

Characterizing Maslenitsa songs, it can be noted that in them, Maslenitsa, is scolded, ridiculed, called upon to return, called comic human names: Avdotyushka, Izotyevna, Akulina Savvishna, etc.

V.I. Dal wrote that each day of Maslenitsa had its own name: Monday - meeting, Tuesday - flirting, Wednesday - gourmet, Thursday - wide Thursday, Friday - mother-in-law's evening, Saturday - sister-in-law's gatherings, Sunday - farewell. This same week it was customary to go sledding down the mountains.

As for the Trinity cycle, it can be noted that it was the richest in calendar and ritual songs, games, and round dances. It is not without reason that the poetic images and melodies of these songs attracted the attention of many Russian writers, for example A. N. Ostrovsky: Lelya’s famous song “The cloud conspired with thunder” and the ritual song of the Trinity cycle:

The cloud conspired with thunder:
Dolya-lyoly-lyo-lyo!
“Let’s go, cloud, for a walk in the field,
To that field, to Zavodskoye!
You with the rain, and I with the mercy,
You water it, and I’ll grow it!”...

as well as composers (the song “There was a birch tree in the field...” in P. I. Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, “The Snow Maiden” by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, etc.).

Spring rituals were performed during the main days of the year, Lent, so they had almost no festive playful character.

The main spring genre is stoneflies. They, in fact, were not sung, but clicked, climbing onto hillocks and roofs. They called for spring and said goodbye to winter.

Some stoneflies resemble the lines “Cockroaches” or “Cockroaches” or “Cockroaches” (“cockroaches to drums”), familiar from childhood.

Here is one of the stoneflies of this kind:

...Tits, tits,
Bring a knitting needle!
Canaries,
Canaries,
Bring some sewing!
Rosary beads, tap beads,
Bring me a brush!
Then, ducks,
Blow the pipes
Cockroaches -
To the drums!

With the adoption of Christianity, pagan beliefs gradually lose their meaning. The meaning of magical acts that gave rise to this or that type of folk music was gradually forgotten. However, the purely external forms of ancient holidays turned out to be unusually stable, and ritual folklore continued to live as if out of connection with the paganism that gave birth to it.

Christian Church(not only in Rus', but also in Europe) had a very negative attitude towards traditional folk songs and dances, considering them a manifestation of sinfulness and devilish seduction. This assessment is recorded in many chronicles and in canonical church decrees. For example, the responses of the Kyiv Metropolitan John II to an 11th century writer are known. Yakov Chernorizets, which says about the priests: “Those persons of the priestly rank who go to worldly feasts and drink, the holy fathers command to observe decorum and accept what is offered with a blessing; when they come in with games, dances and music, then you must, as the fathers command, get up (from the table), so as not to defile your feelings with what you can see and hear, or completely abandon those feasts or leave at a time when there will be a great temptation."

The negative reaction of the Orthodox Church was caused by a very specific area of ​​folklore, born in the depths of the so-called “laughing” or “carnival” culture of Ancient Rus'. Noisy folk festivals with elements of theatrical performance and with the indispensable participation of music, the origins of which should be sought in ancient pagan rituals, were fundamentally different from temple holidays. “Laughter” culture has always been a “distorting mirror” of reality, an absurd “stupid” life, where everything was the other way around, everything changed places - good and evil, bottom and top, reality and fantasy. These holidays are characterized by turning clothes inside out and using matting, bast, straw, birch bark, bast and other carnival paraphernalia for dressing up.

I would like to draw special attention to the fact that such outstanding Russian writers, poets, and composers as A. S. Pushkin, N. A. Nekrasov, A. N. Ostrovsky, S. A. Yesenin, M. I. were interested in ritual poetry. Glinka, N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, P.I. Tchaikovsky and others. Many episodes of “The Snow Maiden” by A.N. Ostrovsky are based on the motifs of stone flies.

Literature used:

    Russian folk poetic creativity: Reader / Ed. A. M. Novikova. - M., 1978;

    Russian folk poetry: Ritual poetry / Comp. K. Chistov, B. Chistova. - L., 1984;

    Kruglov Yu. G. Russian ritual songs. - M., 1982;

    Poetry of peasant holidays. - L., 1970; Nursery rhymes, counting rhymes, fables. - M., 1989.

    Putilov B.N. Folklore and folk culture // Putilov B.N. Folklore and folk culture; In memoriam. St. Petersburg, 2003. P. 95.

    Sedakova O.A. Poetics of ritual. Funeral rituals of the Eastern and Southern Slavs. M., 2004.

    Folklore and ethnography of the Russian North. L., 1973. S. 3-4.

    Bayburin A.K., Toporkov A.L. At the origins of etiquette. L., 1990. P. 5.

    Tolstaya S.M. Ritual voting: semantics, vocabulary, pragmatics // The sounding and silent world. Semiotics of sound and speech in the traditional culture of the Slavs. M., 1999. P. 135.

    Nevskaya L.G. Balto-Slavic lamentation. Reconstruction of semantic structure. M., 1993. P. 108.

    Eremina V.I. Historical and ethnographic origins of common places of lamentation // Russian folklore: Poetics of folklore. L., 1981. T. 21. P. 84.

    Chistov K.V. On the question of the magical function of funeral lamentations // Historical and ethnographic studies on folklore: Collection of articles in memory of Sergei Aleksandrovich Tokarev. M., 1994. P. 273.

    ritual actions (knocking out a tooth) are represented... by a mischievous trickster (stuntman) in folklore Northwest Coast Indians...

  1. Folklore (5)

    Abstract >> Culture and art

    Studying. Artistic and historical significance folklore was deeply revealed by A.M. ... The beginning of the art of words - in folklore. Collect yours folklore, learn from it, ... This is how the transition from ritual syncretism to isolated verbal...


Before the emergence of literature, along with the formation of human speech,

various forms of oral verbal creativity, i.e. folklore. It has come down to us from ancient times. With the advent of writing and then literature, folklore did not disappear. It existed and developed in parallel with literature.

To understand many of the features of folklore works, you need to know what the old traditional life of the people was like and what role folklore played in it.

Folklore was an integral part of folk life. It accompanied the first plowing and harvesting of the last sheaf in the field, youth celebrations and Christmas or Trinity rites, christenings and weddings.

Ritual songs were considered the same obligatory component of the ritual as the main ritual actions. It was even believed that if all ritual actions were not performed and the songs accompanying them were not performed, then the desired result would not be achieved.

Calendar ritual songs belong to the oldest type of folk art, and they got their name due to their connection with the folk agricultural calendar - the schedule of work according to the seasons.

Calendar-ritual songs, as a rule, are small in volume and simple in poetic structure. They contain anxiety and jubilation, uncertainty and hope. One of the common features is the personification of the main image associated with the meaning of the ritual. Thus, in Christmas songs, Kolyada is depicted walking around the courtyards, looking for the owner, giving him all sorts of blessings. We encounter similar images - Maslenitsa, Spring, Trinity - in many calendar songs. The songs beg, call for goodness from these strange creatures, and sometimes reproach them for deceit and frivolity.

In their form, these songs are short poems, which in one stroke, two or three lines, indicate a mood, a lyrical situation.

Russian folk ritual poetry is closely connected with the old traditional way of life and at the same time conceals an amazing wealth of poetry that has stood the test of time for centuries. For example, Christmas new year holidays lasted from December 24 to January 6. These holidays were associated with winter solstice- one of important days agricultural calendar, which separated one year life cycle from another. The Christian Church also refers to this day as the birthday of Jesus Christ.

Caroling began on Christmas Eve, December 24th. This was the name of the festive rounds of houses with the singing of carols, in which the owners of the house were glorified and contained wishes for wealth, harvest, etc.

Carols were sung by children or youth who carried a star on a pole. This star symbolized the Star of Bethlehem, which appeared in the sky at the moment of the birth of Christ.

The owners presented the carolers with sweets, cookies, and money. If the owners were stingy, the carolers sang mischievous carols with comic threats, for example:

Won't you give me the pie?
We take the cow by the horns.
You won't give me guts -
We are a pig by the whisky.
Won't you give me a blink -
We are the host in the kick.

The beginning of the year was given special significance. How you spend the New Year will be the same for the whole coming year. Therefore, we tried to keep the table plentiful, people cheerful, wishing each other happiness and good luck. Cheerful short carols were the song form of such wishes.

One of the types of New Year's songs were sub-bread songs. They accompanied New Year's fortune telling. V. A. Zhukovsky in the poem “Svetlana” retells one of the most popular sub-bowl songs:

…Blacksmith,
Forge me gold and a new crown,
Forge a gold ring.
I should be crowned with that crown,
Get engaged with that ring
At the holy levy.

You can compare it with the folklore version:
The blacksmith is coming from the forge, glory!
The blacksmith carries three hammers, glory!
Skuy, blacksmith, a golden crown for me, glory!
From the samples I have a gold ring, glory!
From the leftovers, a pin for me, thank you!
To be crowned with this crown, glory!
Get engaged with that ring, glory!
And with that pin I’ll use that pin
stick, glory!
It will come true, it will not fail, glory!

The famous underwater song is quoted in the 5th chapter of “Eugene Onegin” by A. S. Pushkin.
A. S. Pushkin:
And she took out the ring
To the song of the old days:
The men there are all rich
They are shoveling silver.
To whom we sing, it is good
And glory!

Folk song:
Rich men live across the river, glory!
They are shoveling gold, glory!
To whom we sing a song, goodness, glory to him!
It will come true, it will not fail, glory!

In Maslenitsa songs, Maslenitsa is usually scolded, ridiculed, called upon to return, called by comic human names: Avdotyushka, Izotyevna, Akulina Savvishna...

V.I. Dal wrote that each day of Maslenitsa had its own name: Monday - meeting, Tuesday - flirting, Wednesday - gourmet, Thursday - wide Thursday, Friday - mother-in-law's evening, Saturday - sister-in-law's gatherings, Sunday - farewell. On this same
During the week it was customary to sled down the mountains.

As for the Trinity cycle, it should be noted that it was the richest in calendar and ritual songs, games, and round dances. It is not without reason that the poetic images and melodies of these songs attracted the attention of many Russian writers, for example
A. N. Ostrovsky: famous song Lelya “A cloud conspired with thunder” and ritual song

Trinity cycle:
The cloud conspired with thunder:
Dolya-lyoly-lyo-lyo!
“Let’s go, cloud, for a walk in the field,
To that field, to Zavodskoe!
You with the rain, and I with the mercy,
You water it, and I’ll grow it!”...

as well as composers (the song “There was a birch tree in the field...” in P. I. Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, “The Snow Maiden” by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, etc.).

Spring rites were performed on the main days of the year, Lent, so they had almost no festive playful character.

The main spring genre is stoneflies. They, in fact, were not sung, but clicked, climbing onto hillocks and roofs. They called for spring and said goodbye to winter.

Some stoneflies resemble the lines “Cockroaches” or “Cockroaches” or “Cockroaches” (“cockroaches to drums”), familiar from childhood.

Here is one of the stoneflies of this kind:

...Tits, tits,
Bring a knitting needle!
Canaries,
Canaries,
Bring some sewing!
Rosary beads, tap beads,
Bring me a brush!
Then, ducks,
Blow the pipes
Cockroaches -
To the drums!

Questions and tasks:

  • What folklore is called ritual?
  • What songs can be called calendar-ritual?
  • When and where were carols sung? How are they different from other songs?
  • What calendar and ritual songs can be called the most fun?
  • Have you ever heard similar songs? Where and under what circumstances? Tell us more about this.
  • Explain the meaning of the words:

oatmeal -

bast shoes - ______________________________________________________________________________

sickle - ______________________________________________________________________________

reap - ______________________________________________________________________________

Such outstanding Russian writers, poets, and composers as A. S. Pushkin, N. A. Nekrasov, A. N. Ostrovsky, S. A. Yesenin, M. I. Glinka, were interested in ritual poetry.

N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, P.I. Tchaikovsky and others.

  • What interested them all in Russian folklore, Russian folk ritual poetry?

__________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Folklore(English) folklore) - folk art; a type of collective verbal activity that is carried out mainly orally. Folklore is divided into two groups: ritual and non-ritual.

To ritual folklore include:

  • calendar folklore (carols, Maslenitsa songs, freckles),
  • home folklore (family stories, lullabies, wedding songs, lamentations),
  • occasional (complots, chants, rhymes).
  • Non-ritual folklore is divided into four groups:

  • folk drama;
  • poetry;
  • prose;
  • folklore of speech situations.
  • Ritual folklore composed verbal, musical, dramatic, game, and dance genres that were part of ordinary folk rituals. Rituals occupied an important place in the life of the people. They developed from century to century, gradually accumulating the various experiences of many generations. Rituals had a ritual-magical meaning and contained rules for human behavior in everyday life and work. They are usually divided into labor (agricultural) and family. Russian rituals at the genetic level are connected with the rituals of other Slavic peoples and have a typological analogy with the rituals of many peoples of the world. Ritual poetry interacted with folk rituals, contained elements of dramatic play. It had ritual and magical significance and also served psychic and aesthetic functions. Ritual folklore is syncretic in its essence, therefore it is purposefully examined as part of the corresponding rituals. However, there is another, strictly philological approach. So., Yu.G. Kruglov distinguishes three types of works in ritual poetry:

  • sentences,
  • songs
  • lamentations.
  • Each type is represented by a group of genres. Mostly songs are important - an ancient layer of musical and poetic folklore. In almost all rituals they occupied a leading place, combining magical, utilitarian-practical and artistic functions. The songs were sung by the choir. Ritual songs actually reflected the ritual, contributed to its formation and implementation. Spell Songs were a magical appeal to the forces of nature in order to obtain prosperity in the household and relatives. IN songs of praise participants in the ritual were poetically idealized and glorified: real people or mythological images (Kolyada, Maslenitsa, etc.). They were the opposite of great reproach songs who ridiculed the ritual participants, often in a grotesque form; their content was humorous or satirical. Game songs performed during various youth games; in them, field work was described and accompanied by imitation, and family scenes were played out (for example, matchmaking). Lyrical songs- a later phenomenon in the ritual. Their main purpose is to determine thoughts, feelings and moods. Thanks to lyrical songs, a certain sensory spectrum was created, and ordinary ethics were established.

  • ru.wikipedia.org - material from Wikipedia;
  • feb-web.ru - material from the “Literary Encyclopedia” (30s of the twentieth century);
  • lit.1september.ru - ritual folklore; calendar rituals;
  • infoliolib.info — Putilov B.N. Folklore and folk culture (monograph).
  • Additionally on the site:

  • What is folklore?
  • What are calendar-ritual songs?
    • What is ritual folklore?

      Folklore (eng. folklore) - folk art; a type of collective verbal activity that is carried out mainly orally. Folklore is divided into two groups: ritual and non-ritual. Ritual folklore includes: calendar folklore (carols, Maslenitsa songs, freckles), home folklore (family stories, lullabies, wedding songs, lamentations), occasional folklore (complots, chants, counting rhymes). Non-ritual folklore is divided into four groups: folklore drama;...

    Russian folklore is the creativity of the people. It contains the worldview of thousands of people who once inhabited the territory of our state. Their way of life, love for the Motherland and their home, feelings and experiences, dreams and shocks - all this has been passed on from mouth to mouth for centuries and gives us a connection with our ancestors.

    The heritage of our people is multifaceted and diverse. Conventionally, the genres of Russian folklore are divided into two groups, which include many types: ritual and non-ritual folklore.

    Ritual folklore

    This group of folk creations is in turn divided into two categories:

    1. Calendar folklore– a reflection of the way of life: agricultural work, Christmas carols, Maslenitsa and Kupala rituals. Through this genre of Russian folklore, our ancestors turned to Mother Earth and other deities, asking her for protection, a good harvest and grace.
    2. Family and household folklore, which described the order of life of each person: creating a family and the birth of a child, military service, death. Great songs, funeral and recruiting lamentations - for each event there was a special ritual that imparted special solemnity and mood.

    Non-ritual folklore

    It represents a larger group of folk art works and includes 4 subspecies:

    I. Folklore drama

    • Petrushka Theater – street ironic theatrical performances performed by one actor;
    • nativity scene and religious drama - performances on the theme of the Nativity of Christ and other events.

    II. Folk poetry

    • Epics: songs-legends telling about the heroes of antiquity who defended their homeland, their exploits and valor. The epic about Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber is one of the most famous. Colorful characters, colorful epithets and the melodic melody of the narrator paint a vivid image of a Russian hero, a representative of the freedom-loving free people. The most famous are two cycles of Russian epics: and.
    • Historical songs describe real events that happened in time immemorial. Ermak, Pugachev, Stepan Razin, Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov - these and many other great people and their deeds have gone down not only in history, but also in folk art.
    • Chastushka - ironic quatrains, clearly evaluating, and more often ridiculing life situations or phenomena.
    • Lyrical songs - responses of the common people to events in the political and public life state, the relationship between peasant and master, the inviolable principles of the peasants’ way of life, folk morality. Frequent (dancing) and drawn-out, bold and beautiful melodic, they are all deep in content and emotional intensity, forcing even the most callous nature to respond.

    III. Folklore prose

    The clearest example, familiar to each of us from childhood, is fairy tales. Good and evil, justice and meanness, heroism and cowardice - everything is intertwined here. And only the pure and open heart of the protagonist is able to overcome all adversity.

    IV. Folklore of speech situations.

    A very diverse group. Here are proverbs, which are folk aphorisms, and riddles that develop thinking, and children's folklore (rhymes, pestles, counting rhymes, tongue twisters, etc.) that helps through play and fun better development children.

    This is only a small part of the heritage that our ancestors left. Their work has great cultural value. It doesn’t matter which genre of Russian folklore a particular masterpiece belongs to. They are all united by one common feature– the principles of life are concentrated in each: love, kindness and freedom. Something without which human existence itself is unthinkable.