Name:

The tradition of celebrating the Children’s Christmas Rite “Kury” (“Hens”) in Kličaŭ District, Mahilioŭ Region

The second item name ICH (adopted in a particular community, the local version):

Kury (Chickens)

Corresponding to (s) Community (s), group (s) or individual (s) described:

The residents of the villages of Dzmitraŭka, Virkaŭ and Niaseta of Kličaŭ District, Mahilioŭ Region (children and adults)

Habitat:

Short description:

The Kury Rite is connected with the celebration of so-called Sviatki, winter holidays between Christmas and Epiphany, is observed every year on Ščodry Viečar, which is celebrated on New Year’s Eve on January 13. The Kury Rite is unique in that it involves only children (aged 6 to 14). Another interesting feature of the tradition is that this Christmas group carry no traditional caroling masks, that would represent any traditional characters – they do not have a goat, or a bear, or a horse. The girls and boys wear special ceremonial clothes, decorate a Christmas star, and go through the village singing songs. When approaching a house, they sing special Christmas holiday songs, one of them being a special song called Kury (Chickens). The homeowners, in their turn, give the members of the group some treats: pancakes, local kind of bacon sala, and sweets. The rite ends with the sunset. The ritual act is associated with some special ceremonial attributes, such as the clothing, a Christmas star and a candle that burns in the Christmas star at the icon of Our Lady of Sorrows. Not one generation of the villagers from Dzmitraŭka, Virkaŭ and Niasieta took part in the Rite when they were children. Many of them - today’s grandparents, parents, or elder sisters – are enthusiastic about sharing the caroling tradition, the songs and the order of performance with today’s rite performers

Category:

Traditional Ceremonies » Rituals

Origin:

The Kury Christmas Rite is about a hundred years old. It was performed by the grandmothers and mothers of today’s participants of the Rite. Historically, the Rite was practiced in every village in Kličaŭ District. But with time it was lost in some of the villages, and today there are only three localities - Dzmitraŭka, Virkaŭ and Niasieta – where it is still practiced. According to Maryja Fiaśko from the village of Virkaŭ (born in 1935), the Kury Christmas Rite has been held in the village since long time ago. Children aged between 10 and 14 would gather at someone's home, tie scarves, prepare a bag or a basket and would go caroling. In Virkaŭ village they neither carried a star, nor wore Christmas costumes. “Being a five-year old, I myself used to go caroling and sing the Kury Christmas song. Why is it called “Kury”? Young children go caroling, chirping like birds... So, adults called them “Kury” (“Chickens”) or “Kuraniaty”(“Chicks”)... We would come to the window and say, “New Year’s night, holy night! Would you let the kuram (chickens) sing?” If allowed, we would sing “Hey, kury, kury (chickens, chickens), and do not drink early. Holy night! Do not drink early, do not wake up Pan, your Lord. Do not wake up Pan, Pan will arise by himself...”(written after Maryja Fiaśko, born in 1935, resident of the village of Virkaŭ). Usually it was younger children, who would sing this song, and elder ones would be watching from the corner. The homeowner would came out and give simple thin pancakes and a piece of sala to the children. The word she would say are, "Thank you for not forgetting about us, for coming along and singing the song. Take the treat from me.” The “Kury” would thank the homeowner by saying, “Thank you, my mommy, may you have everything you need in the house, and in the barn, and in the yard, and the growth of the cattle and of the family.” Having finished caroling, the children would get together is someone’s place to share the treats they had earned. According to Maryja Navumčyk, carrier of the tradition (born in 1928, Niasieta village), in this village too there were groups caroling and singing this song. They did not wear Christmas costumes either, just would tie large scarves over their coats or sheepskin coats. In the village of Dzmitraŭka, however, caroling teams did carry a Christmas star and wear costumes

Language or dialect used:

The local people speak their local dialect

Material objects that are associated with the practice of the element:

The tangible objects associated with the practicing the Rite areas follows: the clothes that the girls wear, and the Christmas star, which is used for caroling. The girls’ Christmas clothes are: traditional multi-colored skirts, mostly black with ribbons sewn on the bottom, as well as embroidered blouses, embroidered aprons, which are a must, a warm overcoat or an old fur coat. They wear scarves on their heads, and boots. Thus, their clothing resembles the outfit their mothers and grandmothers used to wear at their time. “What the mother would give us to wear was our caroling outfit... And then somehow it became traditional clothes for this even,” say N. Kaledzich from Virkaŭ and M. Navumčyk from Niasieta. The Christmas star is made of wood. On a long thin stick there is a quadrangular star, in the middle of which there is a special place for the icon of Out Lady and some candles . Also, a basket made of twigs, which is carried by the mechanoša, a child assigned to carry the basket to collect the treats, can also be considered a tangible objects associated with the Rite

Other intangible elements associated with the practice of the element:

The songs and the wording of the wishes to the participants

Transmission model element in the community:

Currently, there are several models for the transferring the element: - the family (girls copy the manner of performing the songs from their mothers, grandmothers and older sisters); - from generation to generation: the carriers of the tradition pass on the lyrics, the scarves, the blouses, the order of the ceremony to the girls, who participate in Christmas caroling groups; - in the group – from elder girls to younger ones by means of voice; - through the media; - by means of booklets, albums; - by means of engaging ethnographic societies in the Rite, thus ensuring its continuity and study of the traditions; - by means of engaging school students in the Rite (the participants study in the local general and musical schools); - by means showing a video produced by Mahilioŭ Regional Methodological Center of Folklore Art And Cultural Education in collaboration with the Mahilioŭ 1 TV channel

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Купалачка_гурт.pdf

Купалачка_гурт.pdf

Рэспубліка.pdf

Рэспубліка.pdf

Сцяг_Саветаў.pdf

Сцяг_Саветаў.pdf

пажаданні_куранят.pdf

пажаданні_куранят.pdf

песні.pdf

песні.pdf

2011-08-14-Куры-песня А куры не пейце рана-Віркаў_Клічаўскі р-н_архіў СЭТ.mp3:

2011-08-14-Куры-песня А куры не пейце рана-Віркаў_Клічаўскі р-н_архіў СЭТ-converted.mp3

1998-куры-песня Ой, куры-куры-Н Казак-Віркаў.mp3:

1998-куры-песня Ой, куры-куры-Н Казак-Віркаў-converted.mp3