Hey, are you at home?
Vesnivka Catalog Number 0087
Hey, are you at home? | Гей, чи ти там дома? | Hej, chy ty tam doma?
Arranger: Zenoby Lawryshyn | Зеновій Лавришин
This is a shchedrivka from the Lemko region. Lemkos are one of several ethnic Ukrainian sub-groups that inhabit the Carpathian Mountains of Western Ukraine. Their spoken language, which is uncodified, has been described as a unique regional dialect, almost a language in its own right. In this song, the carolers reference St. Nicholas and the Virgin Mary when they ask the master of the house if he is ready to host some special guests who are about to arrive. The guests turn out to be three forces of nature: the sun, the moon and the rain and each of them believes they are the best, as each brings joy to mankind in different ways. At the end of the song, the carolers ask God for everything they and the master of the house will need for a bountiful new year. Ukrainian Christmas traditions reflect achievements of an ancient culture, impressive in the musical and contextual diversity of its songs and in the number of its carols and epiphany carols. There are two distinct groups of Ukrainian Christmas music. Koljadky (Ukrainian Christmas Carols) are sung in church alongside traditional liturgical texts and hymns from Christmas Eve (January 6, according to the Julian Calendar) to Epiphany (January 19). Shchedrivky (New Year’s songs), being much older and having pagan roots, are rarely sung in a liturgical setting, given their secular themes of bounty and prosperity. These delightful and festive new-year folk songs of felicitation, with their charming and rhythmic melodies, reflect sectarian life and express wishes for health, happiness and bountiful harvests.
Koljadky and shchedrivky are an important part of Vesnivka's repertoire and have been sung annually since the ensemble was established in 1965.