Marchuk Z. The Evolution of the Ukrainian wedding ceremony (on the basis of folklore)

The folklore of Ukrainian weddings in the context of traditional customs is described in the dissertation. Ukrainian wedding customs have very deep roots therefor their use is observed not only in the wedding ceremony but also in fairy-tales and in the yearly observance traditional songs. A detailed analysis of the basic melodies the song demonstrates each genre depicts a different type of wedding and is not a minor aspect but dependents on time of wedding seasons determined by the calendar. Some of Kupala's songs due to this observance are sung at the same time as wedding songs. In the dissertation, the links between the wedding customs of the Ukrainians and the way of life of the people, who lived in Ukraine since ancient times, are demonstrated on the basis of comparison of the Ukrainian wedding retuals, depicted in folklore texts, and ethnographic and archaeological data.