Folklore expedition in Russia seeking volunteers

[Anna Berman]

American Friends of Russian Folklore invites you to join our research team as we return to the Cossack khutor of Kakichev to document the special songs and customs dedicated to Sviatki (holy evenings), better known to English speakers as the Twelve Days of Christmas.

Starting with Christmas,  Sviatki extend all the way to Epiphany, with a stop for a New Year's celebration along the way. (Of course, everything is observed according to the Russian Orthodox calendar, so the local dates are January 7 to January 19).  Two traditions are especially strong in Kakichev -- the New Year's masquerade and bathing in icy waters on Epiphany.  We plan to be there to record the songs, accompany the masquerades, watch the bathers plunge into the blessed water through the hole sawed in the ice, enjoy the wonderful Cossack cuisine and admire the snowy landscapes of the Severskii Donets river. 

Dates:  January 11 - January 22, 2012

Location:  Rostov province (capital:  Rostov-na-Donu), Belokalitvenskii district, khutor (village) Kakichev

For information, visit our website: http://www.russianfolklorefriends.org/2012expeditions.html

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