Flowers, Fruit, and Food: Symbolism in Bosnian and Macedonian Love Songs and Wedding Songs
Flowers, Fruit, and Food: Symbolism in Bosnian and Macedonian Love Songs and Wedding Songs

Summary/Abstract: This paper examines the comparative symbolism of specific flowers, herbs, fruit, and food in Bosnian sevdalinke, Macedonian love songs, as well as in wedding songs from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia. Various herbs, flowers, and fruits are used as gifts in courting, to symbolize masculinity or femininity, or as symbolic elements at a wedding, and thus function as powerful cultural elements in these folk songs from the Balkans.Likewise, certain types of food such as baklava, kajmak, honey, and sugar itself represent romantic love and/or passion, and are typical cultural elements of Bosnian and Macedonian folk literature.

• Details
• Contents