Wednesday, December 25, 2013

The Guba says Merry Christmas!


Posted by Byzantine, TX

3 comments:

  1. ElizabethDecember 27, 2013 at 10:14 AM

    PLEASE give some context/explanation of this very odd photo! I presume it's some sort of prank and the subjects thought themselves very clever.

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  2. ElizabethDecember 27, 2013 at 10:15 AM

    ....and please tell us what/who "the Guba" is. Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Byzantine, TXDecember 27, 2013 at 10:19 AM

      Oh, sure. Here from the Carpatho-Rusyn Society:

      "Each Carpatho-Rusyn home is also visited by the Jaslickari, or Bethlehem carolers, a custom that can be traced to the blending of pre-Christian caroling customs and the medieval passion plays. The Jaslickari are young men from the village dressed as shepherds and angels, who witnessed the miraculous birth of Christ. They come into each home to enact a play with song, about their visit to the manger and their coming to grips with the mystery of Christ’s birth and their own human failings. The Jaslickari are a genuine folk expression and were a vital piece of the peasant’ s education in his or her faith.

      The Jaslickari enter the home carrying a replica of the parish church or a stable. Some are in the role of angels, wearing white robes and tall, stovepipe hats. Others are the shepherds. Among the shepherds is a particularly colorful character, Guba, who dressed in sheep’s wool and sporting a beard and mask, represents mankind’s human tendency towards evil, chasing and frightening many a Carpatho-Rusyn child in the home."

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