Muzyka as a Traditional Leisure Activity of Young People in the Opillia Region in the First Half of the XXth Century

Author

Diakivnych Roksolana

a postgraduate at Ethnology Subdepartment of the Ivan Franko Lviv National University

Muzyka as a Traditional Leisure Activity of Young People in the Opillia Region in the First Half of the XXth Century

Abstract

The article is based on field-study ethnographic materials and gives detailed description and analysis of muzyka as one of the most widespread and popular leisure activities of young people in the Opillia region in the first half of the XXth century. During this period muzyka took place in the warm season, when entertainment singing and dancing were allowed by the church. Muzyka consisted in organizing dancing events where young nubile boys and girls came together. Such parties provided them with opportunity of associating with coevals in unconstrained atmosphere and thus encouraging potential formation of married couples.

The article analyses the role of young men in arranging muzyka and keeping to order at the parties; it shows how exactly the place of dancing party was chosen, and describes the methods of hiring musicians and remunerating them, etc. To the point, on the territory of Opillia, muzyka could be held in private houses, barns, clubs, schools, village reading rooms (if lads managed to make certain arrangements with village authorities in advance). Muzyka events could be visited not only by all unmarried youth of a village, but also by old maids, pokrytkas (mothers having parturiated children born out of wedlock), young people from neighbouring villages, married men and women, elderly people and even children, which distinguishes Opillia from other Ukrainian historical and ethnographic regions, where similar gatherings were visited by a considerably narrower circle of attendees.

Among the most popular dances in Opillia were waltz, polka, foxtrot, and kozak, to which a lad traditionally asked a lass for dancing. In the region under study, a girl could not refuse to dance with a boy asking her for a dance in public, since such a rejection would be taken as an offence to all young men of a village.

When muzyka was over, lads took their girlfriends home, trying to separate quietly from the group of friends to avoid village gossips about their relations. Besides, the article shows the attitude of village community to the custom when a boy and a girl spent night together after a muzyka.

Muzyka as a form of youth leisure activity was important for forming socially important ideals in young people, as well as behavioral patterns in their future family life and premarital communication in general.

Keywords

ethnology, Opillia, young people, premarital communication, youth community, muzyka, dances, musicians.

References

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