Contribution short abstract:

The study examines Macedonian folklore's institutionalization, focusing on Lazarus Day archaic singing. These traditions, linked to agricultural practices. The research highlights folklore elements' survival, institutional challenges.

Contribution long abstract:

The questions of "folk art" have developed uniquely in a region that was part of the Ottoman Empire until 1912 and where manual harvesting was common until the 1970s. This region contains many relics, particularly due to the dense fragmentation of high mountains. One characteristic phenomenon is archaic singing, integral to customs related to agricultural efficiency.

These songs and activities remained outside mainstream Christianity's official liturgical actions for centuries, becoming part of folk beliefs connected to agricultural efficiency. The Macedonian territory typically preserved archaic elements, particularly in singing. These elements, often labeled as pagan, persisted through time. Their extinction began with the spread of global culture.

Through the Lazarus Day songs and customs case study, we highlight the content and institutional questions.

In Macedonian folklore research, the term "folk art" is rarely used. Compared to the Hungarian system, Macedonian research reflects more original forms, although its institutionalization is less developed. Over the last 10 years, our project has focused on undetected folklore elements in the Macedonian custom corpus.

This study elucidates the presence of agricultural cult reminiscences in contemporary society, the influence of folk beliefs on agricultural efficiency, and the changes in folk customs. It also examines Macedonian folklore databases, institutionalization, registration, storage, and research delays. Additionally, it opens opportunities for understanding contemporary perceptions and functional changes of archaic customs, researching mythological parallels, and the poorly documented proto-Slavic culture.

This research enhances understanding of Macedonian traditions and opens new perspectives for studying Central and Eastern European folklore.