Zelman¬ – A Folk Song and Ritual Play in the Writings of Oskar Kolberg and Other Scholars. Materials and Interpretations

Abstract

The folk song and ritual play known under the name of Zelman was recorded and documented in the Ukraine in more than ten varieties by Oskar Kolberg in the 19th century. It may be interpreted from two perspectives: historical and mythological. In the former, its context is the practice of Orthodox churches being leased out to Jews. In the latter, it is related to the gods of ancient mythology. Scholars, like M. Hruszewski, have long dismissed any link between the ritual “Zelman” with Zelman Wolfowicz, who lived in the 18th Century in the town of Drohobych. They believed the practice of Jews taking churches in lease to be no more than a legend. The author presents the social, religious and political background of this legend and examines its parallels both with ‘haijwka’, an Easter ritual, and the forms of the legend which exist to this day. He considers this tradition part of enduring legacy in the relations between Ukrainians, Poles and Jews, which even today is not without significance