Klaipėdos universitetas

The article is devoted to the results of ethno-musicological research on historical parallels between the publication and studies of Lithuanian and Polish folk songs. Lithuanian and Polish folk songs represent significant integral part of the musical folklore of those nations. They reflect common national and regional features of the world outlook and the mode of artistic expression of the folklore performers in different countries. Both Lithuanian and Polish folk songs have been published in different publications starting with the 18th century, and from the 19th century they started appearing in reputable many-volume collections of songs. Those were abundant, diverse, and manifold folklore materials that have been an independent object of research for several centuries. However, comparative studies of folk songs of both nations, of their lyrics and melodies, represent a totally new field of study.

The article is devoted to present the results of ethnomusicological research on parallels in folk song melodies of the Prussian ethnic minorities: Lietuvininkai, Masurians, Kashubians. In the history of ethnic groups of the south part of the West Prussia and East Prussia speaking dialects of the Polish language – Kashubs and Masurs – you may distinguish quite a lot of parallels with the history of the lietuvininkai (residents of Lithuania Minor). A more detailed analysis of the melodies of investigated ethnic groups permits to state that the melodies of the lietuvininkai evidently differ from Polish melodies by the character of intonation, rhythm and performance. Nevertheless, they have intonation complexes, rhythmic elements that are alien to the melodic lines of the lietuvininkai folk songs and could be absorbed from the Polish ethnic music.

The present article analyses the features of a language occurring in the border. The results were. Based on field research material and analysis of different authors the article analysis characteristics of Southeast Lithuanian Polish bridal coronet twinning and materials used for coronet. Customs of the first wedding day evening related to the symbol are analyzed. The task is to determine whether in Lithuanian Polish weddings bridal coronet is distinctive example of Lithuanian Polish wedding traditions or it is synthesis of Polish and Lithuanian wedding ceremony and customs. It is concluded that distinctive traditions of use of material for Southeastern Lithuanian Polish wedding coronet are developing. Also Lithuanian customs are taken over and treated meaningfully. Therefore during the wedding through symbol it is aimed to highlight ethno-cultural distinction of Southeastern Lithuanian population

The presented here article analyses the features of a language occurring in the border. The results were achieved by using the ethno-linguistic method, which is based on the systematic analysis of the ritual structure and vocabulary. The object of the analysis was a little fragment of the spiritual culture – the winter period of the ritual year. The structure of the ritual was established according to the methodology as well as the terminology of rituals, which includes several lexical-semantic microfields, was analyzed. The research was carried out nearby Vilnius (region of Vilnius, partly Širvintai and Molėtai) and also in the regions close to Byelorussia (Šalčininkai and Švenčionys).

The article is devoted to the ethnological and the religious culture history research results on the cult of the Hills of Crosses in Lithuania and Poland. It is typical to have still preserved the cult of the Hill of Crosses both in Lithuania and Poland. The Hill of Crosses in Lithuania is not far from the Šiauliai city, while in Poland – it is in Grabarka localities. The research allows us to make the conclusions about the identities (geographical situation, the origin of the cult, the heritage of the religious culture, and rituals), peculiarities (Catholic and Orthodox sanctuaries) and rituals here. The hypothesis was raised that the cult of the Hill of the Crosses in Lithuania and in Poland is a Christian symbol of the fights for religion and freedom.

The article is devoted to the ethnographic and folk art research studies on sacral folk art and its decoration in Lithuania and Poland, paying attention on memorials of the roadsides, cemetery and other places. Lithuania and Poland are two neighbour countries with their landscapes decorated by sacral folk art and architectural works. The aim is to review the main attributes of the works of Lithuanian and Polish sacral folk art, to identify the similarities and differences of their decorations and methods of production. Nowadays memorials seen on the roadsides and cemeteries are the examples of folk art history, living tradition and influence of the industry and new technologies. They reflect the religious and cultural heritage of a nation. Memorials leave the first impression of the character and value system of a particular nation.

The article is devoted to the new comparative ethnographic and ethno-musicological research results on Polish and Lithuanian spring carols, paying special attention for their ritual, genre, and parallelisms features. This genre of songs is classified in Polish folkloristic studies among carols, as the customs of going from door to door with łałymki and with Christmas carols have many analogies and many shared phrases; however, Christmas and spring carols are separate phenomena as regards their tunes and specific choruses. Author presents an initial analysis of both the rich symbolism of the rhymes and a musical typology of this song genre. Certain tune and rhyme types of łałymki are found both in Lithuania, Byelorussia and in Poland, even in distant locations.

The article is devoted to the new ethnographic and social research results on the Karaitic religion’s minority in Lithuania and Poland. After the last partition of Poland in 1795 main part of Karaites lived in Russia and was given some privileges by the tsars too. When Poles regained their independence and created new Polish Republic Karaites declared full loyalty towards it. During II World War Karaites were not ex-terminated by the Nazis like Jews although they easily could be taken for Jews because in Karaitic liturgy Hebrew language is still present. Today in Lithuania there are two main Karaitic centres: in Trakai and Vilnius with two churches still open. While visiting Trakai it is worth to see Karaitic wooden houses with three windows situated next to a road being a sign of presence of Karaitic community composed of 154 persons.

The article recollects the history and activity of the National Museum in Szczecin. This institution, established as the Museum of West Pomerania in 1949, possesses rich collections of Polish and European art (old masters and modern art), collections of ethnographic and archaeological objects of Pomerania, of numismatics and an interesting maritime section. There is also a large ethnographic collection of non- European objects. The museum employees have been conducting their research in non-European countries for years, publishing their results in the museum publications. In the beginning the establishment of the Section of Non-European Cultures and gathering of the above mentioned first African collections were the result of the co-operation with institutions of sea and maritime economy that had helped in the organisation of expeditions to Africa. The paper characterises the above mentioned collection and educational work of the museum.

Symbols, as a certain expression of signs, may be examined when concentrating on social functions of a sign or on logical functions of the same sign. This article deals with the place of signs (gestures) in communication not only in the eyes of the representatives of semiotics but also in the eyes of anthropologists and ethnologists. This article is restricted to the first group of gestures when non-verbal gestures appear as a part of ritual behaviour that is they are used in everyday situation at the moment of greeting. It is a hand-kissing which is the object of research in this article. The aim of the article is to reveal the origin of hand-kissing and follow the development of this gesture in Lithuania in the 20th century. The tasks there are: to examine forms of the expression of hand-kissing; to determine functions of ethical norms which regulate hand-kissing with regard to a sex, age, social status, degree of acquaintance; to show modifica­tions of the expression and normative functions of this gesture in a certain period of time. The work is grounded on the data of field works from the territory of the Republic of Lithuania collected in ethnographical expeditions in 1998-2005 by the author herself, and it is also based on the archive manuscript collections, as well as works on non-verbal communication published by other researchers.