Page:The Ballads of Marko Kraljević.djvu/232

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it, as she always does, the "suitor" produces rakija—the просачка буклија mentioned on p. 38, line 334—and the bargain is sealed.

A full-dress Serbian wedding is an imposing affair, and it may be well to state very briefly the names and functions of the chief personages in the cavalcade. They are catalogued in the two ballads entitled "The Marriage of Djuro of Smederevo," p. 159, and in "The Marriage of Stojan Popović," p. 168.

Kum: 1st witness, sponsor or godfather; the chief personage from the religious point of view. The relationship between the kum and the bridal pair is considered one of the most sacred and binding. A fictitious blood-relationship is established which precludes inter-marriage between the respective families in perpetuity^[1].

Three kinds of kumstvo are commonly recognised:

(1) Kumstvo vjenčanoKršteno kumstvo = sponsorship at baptism.

(2) Kumstvo vjenčanoKumstvo vjenčano = sponsorship at„ marriage.

(3) Kumstvo vjenčanoKumstvo šišano = sponsorship at„ the hair-cutting.

Dever: the bride-leader (παράννυμφος). Sometimes there are two deveri. They are the bridegroom's most trusted friends. Cf. Gk. δαήρ Lat. levir.

Stari svat: "the senior wedding-guest"; the 2nd witness. On the wedding-day he stands behind the bride and it is he who acts as M.C. at the wedding feast.

Čauš: in the ballads the čauš appears to mean a kind of marshaller of the wedding-cavalcade. The word comes from the Turkish and signifies literally "a herald." Nowadays it is applied to the licensed jester whose duty it is to bandy witticisms with all and sundry and so keep the guests amused.

Vojvoda: the leader of the procession; very often the bridegroom's uncle.

Barjaktar: the standard-bearer.

Privenac: "nuptialium hominum quidam," says Vuk. He suggests that the word may be a corruption of prvijenac.

Prikumak: the kum's attendant; he sometimes acts as barjaktar also.

THE "SLAVA" OR "KRSNO IME"

Every Serb family has a patron saint whose ikon hangs in a conspicuous place in the house and each year, when the saint's day comes round, the family holds a celebration known as the "Slava" or "Krsno ime."

It is a social duty to call on one's friends on the day they hold their Slava, and I have before me a sort of Slava directory published in Belgrade for the convenience of the inhabitants. This little book is entitled "Имена Свечара" and contains a list of saints' days with the dates on which they fall^[2]. Under the name of each saint are

 

1. Cf. Sir Henry Maine, Early Law and Custom, pp. 257-259.
2. This list of Slava days and the families celebrating them was compiled in 1896.