Číslo 4, roč. 111 (2024)

In the Moravian region of Slovácko, wind music occupies a special position, which has been influenced by a number of factors. At the time of its introduction into the rural environment, bringing with it modern contemporary elements, the discourse of authenticity was beginning to grow stronger in the field of ethnographic science. A few decades later, this construct of originality and ancientness became a factor that paradoxically contributed to the development of wind bands in this environment. This study describes the complex relationships between traditional music and its performance and repertoire development in the context of the long-standing discourse of authenticity in Czech folklore studies and the so-called folklore revival movement.

The article seeks to provide insight into the process of establishing Slovenia’s oldest folklore festival named Jurjevanje in the town of Črnomelj through a discursive approach. Focused on the Zeleni Jurij (Green George) ritual as the basis of the festival, the article captures the local discourse and explores the festival’s historical development and its connection to broader folklore festivalisation in Slovenia. Key events in the 1930s related to various folklore events and festivals at that time within the region and outside it played pivotal roles. After the Second World War, Črnomelj attempted to revive regional folklore by hosting folk dance group displays, resulting in the emergence in 1964 of the Jurjevanje festival, which blended socialist ideology with heritage preservation. Today, it embodies heritage, identity, and development goals, showcasing the marketability of regional traditions globally.

On 7 May 2022 a crowd formed around the war memorial in the village of Randwick, Gloucestershire. The crowd grew in numbers and in excitement, with photographers from local news outlets manoeuvring to capture the event. It was the second Saturday of May which, for the inhabitants of Randwick and the surrounding villages, meant that it was the day of the Wap. Through qualitative interviews with organisers, participants, and attendees, as well as field work observations of the Wap and its contemporary format, I will show the custom’s importance in the local cultural calendar and investigate how it has become entwined with the village’s identity. I will focus directly on the community, through first-hand accounts and use the words of the respondents to explain the ongoing importance of this custom and others like it.

This study examines how Pennsylvania Dutch people maintain their heritage and express their identity through oral histories at the Kutztown Folk Festival, an annual celebration of the traditions and contemporary practices of the Pennsylvania Dutch. This folklife festival is the oldest continuously held festival of its kind in the United States. It emphasizes current cultural practices while honoring its cultural heritage through entertainment and education. Many of the educational events occur at the Seminar Stage, the site for the collection of oral histories of “Growing Up Dutch”. Festival participants provide remembrances of the early years of the festival and their Pennsylvania Dutch childhoods. These individual remembrances become meta-folklore and contribute to a community resource for understanding Pennsylvania Dutch identity and belonging in the 21st century, more than three hundred years after the origin of this distinct American ethnic group.