Kolysanky by Leléka

We dedicate this album to all Ukrainian children who have been killed, maimed, orphaned, torn from their parents, and deported by russia.

Lullabies (Kolysanky) have always been an integral part of Leléka's concert repertoire, which resulted in the desire to dedicate an album entirely to the world of falling asleep and dreaming.

According to old Ukrainian folk legends, a dream is a journey of the soul into another world. Sleep is often pictured in the form of a kind, good natured ‘shaggy man with four eyes’. He also has an acquaintance called Drimota (nap). Sleep and Nap turn into people, go from house to house, sing songs and have a clear division of tasks: ‘You will cradle, and I will put the child to sleep’.

In many lullabies, the motif of falling asleep is also associated with another mythical creature: the cat. This animal stands on the edge of the two worlds, between the real and the other. In the past, it was not called ‘singing lullabies’ in Ukraine, but ‘singing cat’. This expression originated from the tradition of placing a cat in a new cradle, rocking it and humming a lullaby. After this ritual, the child was placed in the cradle and sung to until it fell asleep.

The lyrics of these lullabies are not always of a trivial and childlike nature but speak of hardships. In Svit, for example, the child being sung to is being prepared for the difficult fate of being born as a Ukrainian.

Lullabies are among the oldest genres of Ukrainian folk literature. In the times of paganism, singing over the cradle was thought of as spell of protection, a musical talisman that protected the child from illness and other misfortunes.

With this album we would like to take up this tradition. On the one hand, it is intended to protect and revitalise a piece of Ukrainian culture and make it known beyond borders; on the other hand, it is intended to soothe and calm our souls for a brief moment, despite the dark times of today.

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