#kraljice

Spring Procession of Ljelje/Kraljice (Queens) from Gorjani, Croatia

“Kraljice (queens) from the village of Gorjani are girls who go through their village in a procession and perform a ritual consisting of special songs and dance with sabres in spring, on Whitsunday. They are divided into kraljice (queens) and kraljevi (kings); about ten kings wear sabres and male hats decorated with flowers and half as much queens wear white garlands on their heads like brides.

From a wide repertoire of kraljica lyrics they choose songs corresponding to the families they are visiting; most often they sing to a girl, boy or a young bride. Then kraljevi perform a dance with sabres, and kraljice comment on the dance figures through song. This is followed by a folk dance accompanied by musicians that can be joined in by the household members.

Kraljice – Ritual Dance

The ritual dance Kraljice was performed by young girls dancing and singing. In refrains of their songs, the names of Slavic deities Lade and Ljelja were often mentioned, which was the reason for ecclesiastical prohibitions and persecutions. Kraljice were performed before and during the Pentecost/Duhovi and St. George/ Đurđеvdаn, both containing a lot of early Christian characteristics, making Kraljice a relic of these early Christian ceremonies. Kraljice were usually identified with mythical beings – Rusalke in Serbian folk tradition.

The ritual dance Kraljice is part of the female spring fertility rites and contains elements of initiation too. The King and Queen are leading characters in the rite, as well as standard-bearers and singers. Queens, as part of their standard equipment, had swords or long knives, sometimes replaced with scarves. Kings and standard-bearers danced individually, but were also related to each other by changing places during the dance. Female singers accompanied their dance with songs, alternately two and two. They were very careful not to hit the other banner; they could not place them to the ground, otherwise, it would cause the hail. When they were tired of dancing, they were not allowed to stand still, but had to be constantly on the move.

In the dance, motifs of crossing and threading are especially emphasized. In many parts of the country, dancers were dancing around the queen making a kind of a circle, called kolo. The purpose of this magic circle was transmitting the energy and power from the queen to the dancers and, indirectly to the whole community. The motif of threading while dancing marked the renewal of life, while crossing in order to change places was interpreted as the action of two sexual forces in the creation of life.

The way of dancing tells us that it was an agrarian ritual – small steps with occasional jumps were characteristic of female ritual dances in agricultural groups. There were also individual jumps at the end of the dance with the goal to encourage the growth of crops.

Dancers got some kind of a reward in the form of food or money, and were also welcomed to come to people’s homes.

This ritual dance Kraljice has a long history among the Serbs, especially in Southern and Southeastern Serbia. Unfortunately, by the end of the 20th century, the dance had completely disappeared.

The Procession of Queens is performed by the young girls of the village of Gorjani in the Slavonia region of north-east Croatia every spring. The girls in a group are divided into ten “kraljevi” (kings), who wear sabres and men’s hats, and about five “kraljice” (queens), who wear white garlands on their heads like brides. On Whitsunday (a feast in the Christian calendar), they process from house to house, performing for the families they encounter. While the kings dance with their sabres, the queens comment on the dance in song. The family then joins in a larger folk dance and provides refreshments before the girls continue to another house. The next day, the party visits a neighbouring town or village and returns for a feast at one of the performers’ homes. The entire community, including the elementary school, the church and many of the town’s families, assist in the preparations for the procession, which is a source of particular pride for the women who have participated in it. Although the meaning and origin of the ritual are uncertain, villagers view it as a symbol of Gorjani and a showcase for their children’s beauty and elegance.