From legends, we know that songs and dances of the Polish people accompanied their religious ceremonies before Christianity. When they exchanged their pagan gods for the teachings of the early Christian fathers, many of these songs were lost, but some of them were handed down merely by changing the pagan name to the Christian. These songs have been traced by the fact that many of them are based on the old pentatonic scale. The Slavs, the Lithuanians and the Germanic races have kept this scale in Eastern and Middle Europe, and the Greeks, the ancient Italians and the Celts brought it into Western and Southern Europe. These scales are supposed to have come from Indo-China, for it must not be forgotten that the Polish along with all Slavs migrated from Asia, the cradle of the human race.
Two festivals,—St. John’s Eve and Christmas, came down from the pagan era in Poland and the manner of celebration has changed little throughout the centuries.
Christmas Carols
The Polish Christmas Carol was also handed down from the days before Christ. The word “carol” comes from the old French carole which was a dance, and gave its name to the song by which it was accompanied. In the pagan time there were summer carols, winter carols, Easter carols and carols that celebrated a religious winter festival. As the winter festival occurred about the same time of the year as the Nativity or birthday of the Saviour, it was celebrated in the Christian Church as Christmas. In England, the old Yule-tide of the Druids has influenced the present celebration of Christmas with its fun, festivities and Christmas trees!
Throughout Germany, Christmas Carols are still sung early every Christmas morning, and many of the old hymns have thus been preserved.
The Christmas Carol in France is called Noël and the old English word was Nowell.
(3) Love Songs
It is safe to say that there are more love songs than any other kind of folk music, and among them is some of the most beautiful music in the world. You will find charming folk love songs of every nationality on earth.
Different countries have different marriage customs which give an intimate picture of the life in different periods, of countries and tribes far apart. Again we can trace forgotten relationships in like customs of bygone days. Singing and dancing are very important in all marriage celebrations, and some wedding music is of great age.
In Russia, for example, the marriage customs and wedding music are very beautiful and impressive. At the same time no folk dancing is wilder or gayer than that celebrating a peasant marriage.