FOLK TRADITIONS IN THE SURROUNDINGS OF DONJA STUBICA — A RESEARCH ON THE OCCASION OF THE ANNIVERSARY OF CROATIAN AND SLOVENE PEASANTS UPRISING IN 1573

Kada je god. 1969. Institut za narodnu umjetnost započeo istraživati folklornu tradiciju šire okolice Stubice u Hrvatskom zagorju, želeći tim radom obilježiti skoru obljetnicu hrvatsko-slovenske seljačke bune, bilo je još neizvjesno hoće li se među usmenim kazivanjima u tom kraju moći čuti priče, predaje ili pjesme tematski vezane uz ustanak zagorskih seljaka.When, in 1969, the Institute of Folk Art in Zagreb started work on the study of folk traditions in the surroundings of Stubica in Hrvatsko Zagorje, as its contribution to the forthcoming anniversary of the 1573 uprising of Croatian and Slovene peasants, it was still quite uncertain whether any reference to the uprising would be found in the stories, legends or poems preserved in that part of the country. Until that moment, no such references had been found. It was therefore decided that teams of researchers from the Institute would prepare a monograph dealing with the oral traditions, folk customs, folk music and dances from the surroundings of Stubica (which was -the focal point of Matija Gubec\u27s peasant uprising) and ithat particular attention would be paid to oral traditions thematically based upon the life of feudal serfs and peasant revolts in Hrvatsko Zagorje. The results of our research have justified this orientation. Very inte¬resting legends and oral traditions have been found dealing with peasant life in feudal times and with peasant rebellions. They do not, admittedly, date from as far back as 1573, but though they are of more recent origin they are still important and authentic examples of folk creativity. This aspect of our re¬search is dealt with by the first three papers in the present volume. At the same time, a great deal of folk material has been collected — be-longing to both traditional folk art and to various other levels stemming from cultural and social changes that have taken place in that part of the country. In this region not far from Zagreb, the world of folk art is still very much alive in the border area between past and present. The study of this world is important for a better understanding of long-gone times of peasant revolts, but it is equally important for a better understanding of the cultural situation of the present time. The present volume can include only part of the collected material — folk poems, stories, descriptions of customs, etc. Among the prose texts included here, the majority are those which correspond to the thematic orientation of the monograph; the examples of folk poems, songs, dances, and customs have been selected in accordance with the specific criteria of each paper