In the course of centuries,
the Romanian people have created for themselves a rich stock of artistic
and cultural possessions, ornaments of their existence. Their artistic
creations are, to this day, the object of a common preoccupation: at every
stage, from the cradle to the grave, they are bound to the life of the
people whose thoughts, feelings and aspirations they embody.
The child itself creates
its own world of sonorous toys, of songs and dances. The yearly feasts
are adorned and cheered by special songs and dances. The shepherd accompanies
his daily work with special melodies and certain songs and dances have
been conceived in direct connection with the work of the field. Weddings
have their characteristic songs and dances, and death has given rise to
the creation of certain heartrending songs.
The genres of folklore being
historic categories with a social function and content and having their
own means of artistic realisation, continuously change their aspect in
time and space according to the evolution of the people's conception of
life. Folk customs, ritual and ceremonial in their essence, are a vestige
of the past. Their origin, lost in the mists of past ages, lies in the
continuous aspiration of man to understand life and all that is happening
around him and to master surrounding nature, to make it actively his slave.
The knowledge of these creations
is particularly useful to those who for the development of a national art
at the service of the people. |
