Muštuluk can have a strong dramatic dimension, as it indicates Muštuluk može imati snažnu dramaturšku dimenziju, jer indikuje jaka uzbuđenja i potres duše
ists and can be.
estimation of whom the message is meant for: the head of the household, his wife, or some other member of the household. If the muštuluk in question is a mark of enjoyment – joy for a new life, a new begin- ning – how can all of that function without the participation of children? Children’s muštu- luk contributes to the atmosphere of joy and in uences emotions that enhance levels of joy and the beauty of the moment. In their most beautiful out ts, dressed in clothes that are reserved for rare occasions of joy, uncon- sciously lured, excited, lled with expecta- tions, as curious as only they can be on such occasions, they utter the sentence: A bird just ewdownandtoldusjoyfulnews;Wehearda bell from afar saying this and that. At the time when postmen visited villages, the children knew where to await him, to“snatch”some joyful news. In rural areas, during times with no tra c or other connections, postmen, for- esters and teachers were regularly asked for muštuluk, because they were the rst to re- ceivejoyousinformation.Manymuštulukgiv- ers became best-men, blood brothers, sons- in-law and great friends. The customs associated with muštuluk vary the most when it comes to wedding joy. After all, no two weddings are identical, and thus muštuluk cannot be the same ei- ther. Muštuluk givers, walking on foot or riding by horseback, took valuable gifts when bringing joyful news: for engagements, weddings in church or municipal buildings, for the arrival
People knew about muštuluk before they gave it a name. It emerged during times when information travelled for days, even months, relayed from mouth to mouth. Un- der such circumstances, every piece of news was valuable, especially if important and joy- ful. As a kind of enchantment of unexpect- ed joy and enormous amounts of emotion, muštuluk has never been beyond life, time and space. It is sometimes impossible to de- scribe the emotions of people who participate in that act. Muštuluk testi es to great desire and attention to making others happy, which is why it is said: the gift of muštuluk is muštu- luk itself. Within it a huge amount of cathartic emotion is condensed. The joy that muštu- luk brings is inherent to human aspirations for happiness and dignity. At the moment when they deliver their messages, muštu- luk givers are happy people, because they are aware that they’ve made others happy. Muštulukhasthepropertiesofhypersen- sitive, intimate and family magic. It contains excitement and the shuddering of the soul. It symbolises human self-realisation, proves one’s existence, attains the meaning of co- herence and perfection, highlights the lux- ury of life that lives despite latent distress and scarcity. Every muštuluk is a guard of re- membrance. It recognises itself only as an au- thentic interpreter of endless joy and herald of celebrations, holidays and joy. What are these decidedly joyful events that have impacted on muštuluk becoming one of our important cultural institutions, with characteristics of a universal phenomenon, which – alongside conventional, cultural and other di erences – is applied among many nations on the planet? They include, primar- ily, the birth of a child, the return of a loved one from war or the end of their military ser- vice, a wedding engagement and marriage, university enrolment and graduation, mili- tary success, the end of war, various state and national successes (literary, cultural, cine- matic, sport etc.). Muštuluk can also certainly be personal, familial, team, local, state-wide and national joy. There are expected muštu- luks, which produce a result that’s beyond doubt, and those that come as a complete
strong excitement and a quaking of the soul
surprise. In such a scale of special and rare magni cent moments for every individual, there is almost nobody – from ordinary men to crowned heads – who haven’t given some joyful news during their life. Despite being spontaneous, every muštuluk is authentic and special, to the extent to which human characters di er. In every type of environment, but particularly in villages far from main tra c ows and oth- erchannelsofcommunication,mušulukhad its own local rules and speci cities, starting from communicating messages, to choices of gifts and ways of donating. With regular joys that are sure to happen – the birth of a child, wedding engagements and ceremonies, the selecting of a best man or maid of honour etc. – it is agreed in advance, within villages and families, who will go in search of muštu- luk and how it is sought. Here we will note a few characteristic phrases which muštu- luk givers use to express the news they are communicating: There is muštu- luk; I bring you joyous news; for joy- ous news I come for muštuluk; Joyous and, as of today, happy mother, I come for muštuluk; A happy voice is arriving for muštu- luk; I’m the rst customer for muštuluk... Sen- tences still recalled and uttered among the people include: To catch muštuluk; I’m o to pick up muštuluk; I’m running for muštuluk for my mother; Hurry kids to grab muštuluk; He’s gone for muštuluk. The very act of announcing joyous news most often happened at the gate of a yard, and less often in the home itself. Muštuluk givers seek the head of the household from the doorstep. In the event that he is absent, the information is transmitted to some oth- er family member, or his return is awaited. Muštuluk givers are led in such cases by an
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