Jízda králů -Doc. PhDr. VÁCLAV FROLEC, CSc. A KOLEKTIV THE KINGS' RIDE      This showy folk ceremony with its ride on gaily bedizened horses is still observed now in only a few villages in South-Eastern and Central Moravia, in the ethnographical regions of Slovácko (Moravian Slovakia) and Haná. It is a direct continuation of the old Whitsun customs, once observed in a number of European countries. Historical reports prove their existence in the Middle Ages. The origin of the custom of the Kings' Ride is the subject of arguments among scholars and some of these arguments have not yet been settled satisfactorily.       The Whitsun King's ceremony in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia took place traditionally on Whit Monday. It was initiated by the younger generation, aged between 13 and 20 years. From the end of the 19th century, when the stimulus for holding the Kings' Ride began to emanate also from clubs and other organisations (in the post-war period also from the cultural sections of National Committees and folk song and dance ensembles), the age-range has moved upwards. Only the King, in the spirit of the tradition, is selected from boys aged between 9 and 13.      The Whitsun tradition is now generally known as the "Kings' Ride". Earlier it was also known as "chasing the King", etc. The main participants in the King's procession on horseback are the King and his aides, standard-bearers, heralds, collectors and thankers. The King may not speak nor even smile. For this reason he holds a rose between his lips throughout the ceremony. The Kings' Ride takes place seriously and ceremoniously. This is also helped by the ceremonial national costume: the King and his aides are dressed in women's costumes (in some villages only the King is dressed in this way), the rest of the participants in the Kings' Ride are wearing ceremonial men's dress. The King has one hand on his hip and rides a white horse, the aides carry swords, the standard-bearer carries a standard. Before the Kings' Ride the young men ask the representative of the village for permission to hold the Whitsun ceremony. The procession rides right round the village and the heralds call out short addresses at individual houses in which there appear both positive and negative evaluations of members of village society and also general opinions. Today they often also make rhyming statements about outsiders watching the ceremony. For this "town crying" they are given presents which are taken by the collectors. Formerly the King's procession went round not only his own village, but also visited the surrounding district. The Whitsun Kings' Ride is an example of a traditional custom which was once widespread and now is an isolated occurrence. In the first half of the 19th century this tradition was still observed in many villages in the South-East and Centre of Moravia, in Silesia and also in West, Central, South and East Bohemia. In the course of the second half of the 19th century this custom became gradually less frequent in Bohemia until it vanished completely. In the same period the tradition weakened also in Moravia and Silesia. Up to the beginning of the present century the Kings' Ride continued to be observed in villages around the towns of Uherské Hradište, Uherský Brod, Kyjov, and to a lesser extent around the towns of Ždanice, Kromìøíž and sporadically in the villages of Haná to the North of Olomouc. In the period following the First World War the Kings' Ride took place only occasionally in Haná and in the villages around Brno. In South-East Moravia it still survives in varying intensity and regularity in the area around Uherské Hradištì, Uherský Brod, Kyjov and Strážnice. This situation remained basically unchanged even after 1945. The pictorial part of our publication introduces the atmosphere of the ceremony of the Kings' Ride in the villages of South-East and Central Moravia, where it has become a permanent part of modern cultural life.. This is particularly the case in Vlènov, a village lying between the towns of Uherské Hradištì and Uherský Brod. Here the Kings' Ride has kept its continuity from time out of mind and also adopts new elements; apart from the procession of lads in national costumes on gaily decorated horses there are numerous performances by folk groups, exhibitions and other cultural events. The Kings' Ride takes place in Vlènov regularly at the end of May. Similar in nature is the ceremony of the Kings' Ride in the nearby small town of Hluk. The revival of the Kings' Rides in the village of Skoronice near Kyjov and in the Haná village of Doloplazy near Olomouc. The ceremonies of the Kings' Rides are examples of the use of the traditions of folk culture in present-day Czechoslovakia. They are an integral part of the culture of the Czech nation, a living cultural heritage and an important cultural factor today.    -   obsah                   - předchozí strana                -  další strana