Bećarac

Bećarac
Slavonski bećari ensemble in 1997
Stylistic originsCroatian music
Cultural originsSlavonia
Bećarac singing and playing from Eastern Croatia
CountryCroatia
Reference00358
RegionEurope and North America
Inscription history
Inscription2011 (6th session)
ListRepresentative

Bećarac is a humorous form of folk song, originally from rural Slavonia, Croatia and eventually spreading into southern Hungary and the Vojvodina region of Serbia. The root of the word comes from bećar (Turkish: bekâr), meaning "bachelor", "reveler" or "carouser". Bećarci are always teasing, mocking and/or lascivious, and are usually sung by a male company at village parties ("sijelo" or "kirvaj" (kermesse)) or weddings.[1] However, they are also sung by women in equal footing,[2] especially in kolo dance.

Description

Bećarac uses a strict form of couplet in trochaic decasyllable, always sung to the same music, played by a tamburitza orchestra, less common accordion or samica,[2] or just by the choir. The first verse is sung by the choir leader and forms a logical thesis; it is repeated by the choir. The second verse is a humorous antithesis, also repeated by the choir (but often broken by laughter). Bećarci are usually performed at the peak of a party as a drinking song after the crowd is sufficiently warmed up by wine and music. A series of bećarci can last indefinitely. The lyrics are often made up at the spot or improvised,[3] and the best ones are spread and reused for later parties.

Bećarci are often difficult to translate and to understand by outsiders, because the use puns, reference to local events and cultural allusions. A simple example: "sjedi Ćiro na vrh slame, brkovima plaši vrane" -> "Chiro sits on top of straw, with his mustache he scares a crow". But it is difficult to make sense of: ""mala moja, visoki jablane, je l' ti mjesec vidio tabane"-> "my little one, tall apple tree, has the moon seen your soles".[4]

History

It is believed that bećarac originated in the late 19th with the abolishment of the Croatian Military Frontier, a borderland of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.[2]

Friedrich Salomon Krauss, an ethnographer born in Požega, studied and collected around two thousand bećarac songs.[2]

UNESCO's protection

In 2009, Croatia submitted the bećarac among others for inclusion in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.[5] In 2010, the attempt was again unsuccessful, and English translations were made for better reference.[6] In 2011, it was finally included on the list.[7]

Bećarac museum

In 2017, it was announced that a museum dedicated to bećarac would be opening in the town of Pleternica, Croatia.[8][9] The concept was described by the director as contemporary museum which would tell the traditional heritage of bećarac in a modern setting.[10] Due to bećarac being a vital part of the intangible cultural heritage of Croatia, 85% of the museum project was funded by the European Union, with expectations of it having a positive impact on the well-being of the town and the entire region.[8][11]

See also

References

  1. ^ Cvitanic, Marilyn. Culture and Customs of Croatia, Greenwood Publishing, 2011. ISBN 978-0-313-35117-4.
  2. ^ a b c d "UNESCO protected it, now it has its own museum in Croatia". croatiaweek.com. Croatia Week. 23 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  3. ^ Dubinskas, Frank. Performing Slavonian folklore, Stanford University; 1983
  4. ^ Bećarci zbog ulaska na Unescovu listu prevedeni na engleski
  5. ^ Nina Ožegović (2009-02-03). "Bećarac, licitari i alka u UNESCO-u" [Bećarac, licitars and Sinjska alka in UNESCO]. Nacional (in Croatian). No. 690. Archived from the original on 6 May 2010. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
  6. ^ "Bećarci zbog ulaska na Unescovu listu prevedeni na engleski". Večernji list (in Croatian).
  7. ^ "Slavonski bećarac i nijemo kolo iz Zagore na UNESCO-ovoj listi". Večernji list (in Croatian). 2011-11-27. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
  8. ^ a b Balen, Vedran. "Pleternica će prva u svijetu dobiti Trg bećarca". lokalni.hr.
  9. ^ "Museum of bećarac (becharac)". Network of European Museum Organisations. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  10. ^ Justament, Domagoj. "The project of the Bečar Museum as an interpretation center was presented in Pleternica".
  11. ^ Dragana Lucija Ratković Aydemir, Helena Tolić & Ivana Jagić Boljat (23 Dec 2019). "Intangible Cultural Heritage as a Catalyst for Local Development and Well-being: The Case of Pleternica, Croatia". Museum International. 71 (3–4): 156–167. doi:10.1080/13500775.2019.1706954.

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