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Perperúna is an ancient rainmaking ritual song with origins that are lost in the mist of time. It is a procession almost totally forgotten, only surviving in the rural communities of the Balkans as part of the rituals of homeopathic magic. Its goal is to invoke a deity for rain in favor of the seasonal crop.
In this music film, the female vocal ensemble Perperúna performs it magnificently for us with Theodore Koumartzis on the Lyre of Hermes, masterfully handcrafted by the LUTHIEROS family in Greece.
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📽️ Directed by Nikolaos Koumartzis.
The video shooting took place in the MaHalla Cultural & Music Venue, Berlin: [ Ссылка ]
⚪️ About the ritual song
Ritual song accompanying the invocation for rain in times of drought in rural communities. The women of the village would choose the least fortunate (usually an orphan) young girl and transform her into Perperúna by draping her with leafage, green branches, and flowers. They would carry out a procession through the village and, door to door, Perperúna would receive gifts, symbols of good fortune, and would be doused with water, a representation of the longed-for beneficial rain. Perperúna belongs to the rituals of homeopathic magic and has been employed by rural populations since ancient times during spring and summer to invoke a deity for rain in favor of the seasonal crop.
The ritual is met, among other regions, in Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Rumania, Serbia, Kroatia, regions of the Black Sea, Hungary and varies regionally in name (e.g., Pirpiritsa, Dodola, Peperuda, Paparudă, Paparouna, Peperuga), as well as in rhythm and lyrics of the accompanying ritual song.
The female vocal ensemble Perperúna presents here, in collaboration with Theodoros Koumartzis (ancient lyre), an urban reinterpretation of the ritual song version coming from Aiani, Kozani - Northern Greece (original source from documentation by singer and folk music researcher Domna Samiou).
🎙️ About Perperúna female vocal ensemble
The ensemble emerged from open singing circles in the parks of Berlin during the summer of 2019 and was officially founded in early 2020. Since then, the members of Perperúna, driven together by their common passion for Greek and Balkan oral traditions, focus on the study, reinterpretation, and communication of the female polyphonic sound, often with the use of performative elements. They explore the symbols, languages and dialects, myths and tales, melody and structure of songs that have been accompanying generations and generations of people in the celebration of life and expression of love, in the working field, in migration, in the time of war, in the mourning of death, in the praising of nature. They have participated in festivals in Germany (including 48h Neukölln, Import Export Munich, GutAlaune) and various collaborative artistic projects.
Perperúna ensemble consists of Lorena Atrakzy (Israel), Claire Fontanille (France), Dimitra Kandia (Greece), Klairi Kountouri (Greece), Angela Monaco (Italy), Saraï O’gara (Spain), and Johanna Schlottke (Germany).
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🎙️ About Theodore Koumartzis
Theodore is the youngest brother of the Koumartzis family. Being part of the family's endeavor since its early stage, he soon came to be an inspiring top-notch lyre player, constantly learning and experimenting with musicians around the world.
He is the founder of the PAUSIS Project, a curator at the SEIKILO Museum of Ancient Music in Greece (Thessaloniki), and an integral part of LUTHIEROS Music Instruments.
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