Ethno linguistic material regarding Christmas rituals among the Serbs in Bela Krajina

Abstract

The paper aims at presenting the current ethno linguistic situation in four Orthodox Serbian villages in the Bela Krajina region of Slovenia. Ethno linguistic material collected in these villages enables the synchronic state of traditional culture to be established. Special attention is payed to the way the interviewees describe Christmas rituals and interpret and evaluate then-present state; apart from description of Christmas interviewees' statements (here named ethno linguistic texts) also carry precious information about attitudes of carriers of a certain culture towards its values, and indicate in- and out-group relations, establishing oppositions such as then vs. now, me vs. them, us vs. them. These subjective comments provided by the interviewees help obtain a complete, multilevel picture of a traditional culture, with all interactions that characterize it, both within the ethno linguistic community and in relation to other communities. It is especially important that these interactions be taken into account for isolated ethnic and linguistic groups such as the Orthodox Serbs in Bela Krajina.

U najjužnijoj slovenačkoj regiji Beloj Krajini, uz reku Kupu, u neposrednoj blizini granice sa Hrvatskom, nalaze se četiri srpska pravoslavna sela Bojanci, Marindol, Milići i Paunovići. Pravoslavno stanovništvo u ovim selima predstavlja potomke Uskoka koji su se u 16. veku naselili u oblasti nekadašnje vojne granice između Turske imperije i Habzburške monarhije.