Nazewnictwo wschodniosłowiańskie związane z Bożym Narodzeniem na Białostocczyźnie

Abstract

The article, which is a part of the monographic study on the dialectal vocabulary concerning annual festivities, customs and rites used in the region of Białystok, presents the analysis of East-Slavic terminology related to Christmas. The dialectal terms for Christmas, carollers, Boxing Day, the fourth day of Christmas and the evenings celebrated between Christmas and New Year’s Eve are discussed. The above discussion is additionally illustrated with numerous local customs and rituals whose character resembles magical incantations. The dialectal terminology of the region is outlined in two ways. Lexemes in the descriptive part are arranged in chronological order. Entries in Słownik nazw gwarowych are presented alphabetically along with their literary and dialectal equivalents in Byelorussian, Ukrainian, Russian and Polish. Moreover, etymology of some words is provided.