Folk Song and Dance

Lemkos have been characterized as singing all the time -- singing while they work, and having songs for both ceremonies and for play.  Therefore, it is not surprising that the number of Lemko folk songs is varied and vast.  However, it is usually only women who sing while working.  A particular tradition is that when a girl starts to sing, another girl joins in, then many others, until the song is heard over the whole village.  Men seldom sing while working; usually only at festivities.  Most of the songs are of native origin, especially the wedding and humorous songs.  The melodies of the native Lemko songs show a remarkable variety of forms, rich ornamentation, and a wide rhythmic range.  Some are variants of widely known Ukrainian songs, and others are of eastern Slovak origin with dialectal changes.

An example of the latter is the lyrics and music of "rjadovyj", the "bridal dance."  The Slovak and Lemko melodies are extremely similar, by variation of the lyrics is more evident.

But also FYI, the female blogger of this discussion continues with the following:

Costume:

Another ritual that is involved in the Redovy is putting the bridal "headgear" on the bride before the start of the dance.  I say "headgear" because this can range from elaborate embroidered caps (more common in the Czech version, as Czechs were generally more affluent) to bonnets and headscarves.  Here's a picture of some Slovak women in full kroj (pronounced "kroy"), or traditional folk costume.  They are removing the bride's veil to put the cap on her:

This symbolizes the bride's transition from unmarried to married woman.  The colors used in a woman's kroj are often specific to the village she is from, similar to the use of heraldic devices on banners and shields.  It's rare to see women in the states dress up in full kroj for the bridal dance, but some do still choose to don the traditional bonnet or scarf.  You can also make your own using brightly colored cloth and ribbon like this: (No Picture provided)

Yes, I plan to wear one. :)

How the Dance Works:

This typically varies depending on the bride's heritage, so I'd love to hear how others do it.  For us, the money is handled by a starosta who is sort of the master of ceremonies.  In our family this is typically the maid of honor or a bridesmaid who wears an apron, and guests will give their money to the starosta in order to have a dance with the bride.  After that the guest is given a shot of alcohol (or, in my family, candy for the kids) and a napkin.  The guest then takes his or her place in a circle around the bride and waves his or her napkin in the air in time to the polka and sings along.  By the time everyone in line has finished, the bride is surrounded by wedding guests and many, many napkins!

At this point it is time for the groom to attempt to whisk his new wife off her feet and carry her away.  I say "try" because at this point all the male relatives lock arms and the groom has to try and break through to get to her! Of course, this is a more of a jokey thing where the relatives will let him through after a few tries, heh!  Then the groom picks the bride up and carries her away!  My fiancé’s currently lifting weights to get in shape, hee, hee!

Location:

This is hard to say.  Since the tradition is tied more to ethnic groups than to a particular location, it's not a good idea to generalize and say it's an East Coast thing or a Northeast thing or whatever.

I hope that everyone here found this entry informative, and I would be glad to answer questions people might have about this tradition; I want to make it crystal clear that the Redovy isn't about how much of a "haul" the couple can get from guests.  It's about honoring familial ties, celebrating heritage, and creating a sense of community.  For all of you who took a few minutes out of your day to read this, thank you.

End of "dativesingular's" discussion.

Now, the lyrics are going through my head. But as I know the words, I would not be able to write them. For my wedding in 1971, I had a bridal dance. We followed family traditions of the bride taking off her veil and replacing it with a specially sewn white babushka. A new sewn white apron was worn by the maid of honor to hold the dollars collected from those who wanted to  dance with the bride.  For the men, there was a shot of whiskey. Then the very last dance everyone circled the bride and the groom had to get through to scoop up the bride and carry her away.   I have very fond memories of that  day so long ago. 

Do you remember?    

Mrs. Taveira-dasilva,  Out of curiosity, I looked in to information on the Bridal Dance, and to the latest generation of the more affluent couples, it is called the "money Dance", and an embarrassment to some couples, with one or both of Slovak, Carpathian Rus, and also Polish ancestry,

  And the medley is based on a Slovak folk song, which with both Sovak and Polish immigrants, in the coal mining towns, started a tradition that has evolved over the years to the Bridal Dance ceremony.  And bands picked up on it and have added both Polish and Slovak lyrics, both from locals singing it to added versions of it.  But nowhere have I found written text lyrics., except from a young lady bac in 2007 who wrote a nice history on it, with both Lemko, Slovak, and English lyrics, based on a more traditional weddings back in Europe. And since she no longer has the internet address, with name unknown, I copied and re-edited it, but to send it will take at least 3 posts.  But worth it as it has the lyrics.

If interested, I can post it with your recommendation to do so. But note that it may not be what your son's band will be singing, if they strictly sing Polish medleys.  Today, in the Western PA area, true Slovak polka bands are hard to find.  So, congratulations on your son's upcoming wedding.  And awaiting your reply on this forum.

God Bless you!