Piesne letného slnovratu na Slovensku ako súčasť slovanskej kultúrnej tradície
Midsummer Songs in Slovakia as Part of Slavonic Cultural Tradition

Summary/Abstract: The territory of Slovakia belongs to one of those regions of Europe where there is an extant repertoire of ritual songs which are associated with the celebration of Midsummer and St. John’s Day. Analysis of the textual and musical components of the Midsummer songs jánske piesne has enabled a reconstruction of the ritual context. It has confirmed the assumption that songs with a ritual function conserve many contextual associations of singing, which retrospectively illuminate the vanished forms of ritual. A comparative sounding of the song repertoire of selected Slavonic ethnic groups (Czech/Moravian, Polish, Croatian, Ruthenian, White Russian) has contributed to the study of common elements and semantic analogies in Midsummer rituals. It helps to verify data on the relationship of the “text” (song) and “context” (ritual), acquired by analysis of song material which is territorially/ethnically delimited, as well as to study Slavonic tradition of the celebration of summer solstice.

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