Jievaras Bridge lyrics and meaning

Grįskime, mergos, jievaro ciltų,
Aleliumai rūtela, jievaro cil-.

Iš ko mes grįsim jievaro ciltų,
Aleliumai rūtela, jievaro cil-?

Iš beržo šakų, amalėlio lapų,
Aleliumai rūtela, amalėlio la-.

O ar praleisit jievaro žmones?
Aleliumai, rūtela, jievaro žmon-

Visus praleisim, cik vienu pasliksim
Aleliumai, rūtela, cik vienu paslik-

Oi, mes ir eisim, ir jūs nebijosim
Aleliuma rūtela, ir jūs nebijos-

Oi, mes paslikom, pacių geriausių
Aleliuma rūtela, pacių geriaus-.

Jievaras Bridge — second version lyrics

O jūs paslikot pacių aršiausių
O mes paslikom pacių gražiausių

Jievaras Bridge: song interpretation

This song with the refrain "Aleliumai rūtela" can be understood as the song of the game "Jievaras Bridge," centered on choosing the best one. At the beginning the girls are urged to pave the jievaras structure, a bridge or floor, and are asked what it should be paved with. The answer is birch branches and mistletoe leaves. This plant-built construction creates a playful, ritual-tinged image.

Then the question is whether the jievaras people will be allowed to pass. The answer is that all will pass, but one will remain. This can be interpreted as a game in which one of the passing participants is selected as the best or most fitting.

At the end, the one kept is called the very best; in another version, one side keeps the worst and the other the prettiest. This motif of selection can be understood as a symbolic choosing of a suitable partner or member. This is one possible meaning, but the game and selection character of the song is clear.

Jievaras Bridge: symbols and phrases

Jievaras bridge
The jievaras bridge or floor paved with plants. It is the space of the game and a symbolic passage.
Birch branches and mistletoe leaves
The materials used to pave the bridge. They give the game a ritual, plant-based character.
Letting people pass
Participants pass through the bridge while one is kept behind. This marks selection through play.
Keeping the best one
The best or prettiest participant is kept. It symbolizes choosing a suitable partner or member.

Jievaras Bridge: song history

"Jievaras Bridge" belongs to game and round-dance songs closely connected with youth games and wedding customs. During the game, singers form a bridge or gate through which participants pass, and one person is held back, symbolically chosen as the best or most suitable. The song is characterized by dialogic question and answer, asking what the bridge should be paved with and whether people may pass, by the refrain "Aleliumai rūtela," and by words cut off and completed at line endings, reflecting the singing manner.

The exact place and time of recording are not given on this page, so the song is presented through genre features. The motif of the jievaras bridge is widely known in Lithuanian folklore, with variants recorded in different regions. A bridge paved with birch branches and mistletoe leaves gives the game a ritual, plant-based color, while the refrain with rue connects it to youth and wedding song layers.

sources

  • Lithuanian Folk Songbook, vols. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
  • P. Jokimaitienė. Lithuanian Children's Folk Songs, Vilnius 1970
  • Catalogue of Lithuanian Folk Songs, 6 vols., Vilnius 1972-1986

Jievaras Bridge: sources