Manerov, 22 May 2010

About the Ride of the Kings
Draped with ribbons, the stilted Moravian ride surges under fluttering flags into the village and takes control of it with that difference in quality that has always separated cavalry from infantrymen. This is the Ride of the Kings, one of the most famous
Moravian traditions, literally the symbol of certain villages and towns for which it represents a pillar of local culture and a magnet for tourists.
Nowadays, the Ride of the Kings is mistakenly associated mainly with the
Dolňácko region (Hluk, Kyjov, Vlčnov, Kunovice). This is because there traditions have generally survived longer and without interruption, while in other parts of Moravia, particularly in Haná, customs and the wearing of traditional regional costumes went into decline as early as the second half of the 19th century. This occurred despite the fact that the Rides of the Kings used to be very celebrated, splendid and combative in Haná. It used to be part of the tradition, which we describe in detail below, that entourages from different villages tried to capture the others’ kings. At the same time, they had to guard their own king very carefully, because the ransom for his release was expensive. Real battles were fought for the kings; for example, in 1819 four different entourages consisting of 80 riders in total clashed at Lověšice pastures near Přerov. Eight riders were killed on the spot and five out of the twenty seriously wounded died later. The authorities subsequently banned the carrying of weapons and the tradition gradually declined.
The origin of the Ride of the Kings Numerous experts have attempted to interpret the
Ride of the Kings over the past 150 years. Many ideas have been suggested, so many that the interpretation became rather fuzzy and blurred. Nevertheless, it is immediately clear that the Ride of the Kings is wrapped up in several temporal layers. According to certain symbols used during the ride (see below), the original core of the custom was probably an ancient magical ritual to ensure good crops. There is an evident link here to field rituals which obviously could have been performed by our Neolithic predecessors six thousand years ago in a form suitable for that time – going around the land, collecting sacrifices, the symbolic joining of earth and the power of fertility. Surprisingly, in contrast to other originally pagan rituals and traditions performed throughout the year, Christianity did not leave many traces on this custom. Rather, it was affected by social differentiation in the Middle Ages and especially in the Early Modern and Modern periods. Here we arrive at the bearers of the tradition, the group of individuals who perform it. One hundred and one ways of singing carols was widespread in old times and was performed to support e.g. poor families here, a shepherd or a teacher there, the two poorest men in the village, or at other times young boys or girls. From the Three Kings to Epiphany, Passion Sunday,
Easter whippings, little queens, the Ride of the Kings, the harvest festival, Korochun and
Saint Nicholas Day, there was always a socially defined group asking for food in the village.
The semi-military character of the horse ride predetermines its rendition – conscripts were gradually established as the performers of the custom. Over the course of time, the ride acquired the character of somewhat of a rogue rampage and payment was practically extorted. It follows from the logic of the situation – conscripts were taken out of their native village with the prospect that they either would never return and if at all only after many years; they will have suffered many injuries and illnesses, they will be prematurely old and, above all, poor. Conscription meant the end of social life. Conscripts therefore wanted to amuse themselves for the last time, to have a little fun. So they would threaten, half jokingly and half seriously, to trample flower beds or to steal the thatch for

horses’ bedding, unless they received various goodies and especially invigorating beverages. The youngest time period wrapped around the tradition is contemporary social demand influenced by folklore. It is evident especially in the villages and towns where the ride has been preserved without interruption to the present day. The original purpose of the ride has completely perished there (they no longer ride in fields), only the superficial symbols (rose, the virgin king) have been preserved and without an awareness of their meaning. Also exaggerated is the representative significance of the function of the king and the modern rules of his appointment, the performance of his duties, etc.
Unfortunately, political tendencies, too, especially during the period of the
National Revival, have affected the interpretation of the origin of the Ride of the Kings.
Czech nationalism of the 19th century subordinated scientifically verifiable evidence to national myths. They literally created suitable cock and bull stories with which to address the country people with the aim of winning them over to the revivalist political camp. To this day the most widespread interpretation of the Ride of the Kings is precisely one such made up story, according to which the Ride caricatures the flight of King Matthias
Corvinus from a battle with George of Poděbrady. It is a perfect misunderstanding of symbols, such as dressing in women’s clothes (allegedly in order to disguise the king), a rose in his mouth (so as not to reveal his identity) and especially the title of king, the true meaning of which will be discussed below. The representatives of the National Revival ignored “unnecessary” facts, such as the tradition’s requirement of virginity of the king
(how to explain this in the case of a real king?) or the fact that common people were never particularly interested in high politics and that political skirmishes were never carried over into folk culture.
The mysterious language of symbols We noted above that the Ride of the Kings contains several key symbols which explain the tradition’s original nature, not visible today at first glance, concealed behind bombastic external theatrics. We will not start with the king, but with “ječmen” (barley). Grain is mentioned in many connections – that one will ride through it, that the king hid in it, is being searched for and has been found, even the name of the king of Haná – Ječmínek. All this points to the centre of all effort – it’s about grain.
It’s about the crop. Ultimately, it’s about survival. Precipitation in May determines how the grain crop will turn out (“a May drop for a ducat”). The golden kernel, wealth, fields.
The other storeys are built on this foundation. Virgin – as has already been stated, a condition is that the king be a virgin. This is why 13-year-old boys take part in the rides – there is still some certainty that they have not yet sinned. In the traditional sense this means that their procreative power is still intact, untouched and that it can be manifested in full during the magical ride through the land which is to be fertilised. Horse
– more precisely a stallion, according to the original tradition. This is a clear symbol of fertility. Moreover, it’s a natural force subordinated to man, pulling, tillage and everything that a horse did for man in cultivating the land. In pagan times the Slavic people viewed the stallion as representing deities, as their property; it was used for fortune-telling and the like.
Women’s clothes – the disguise that confused the naïve national revivalists is nothing more than a manifestation of folk witchcraft intended to enhance fertility. In folk culture a similar “trick” can be found on other occasions as well, e.g. dressing a groom in a women’s apron, veil sheet, or other elements of women’s traditional regional dress. The combination of masculine and feminine elements is a relatively conspicuous fertility manoeuvre. Rose – in addition to sometimes symbolising fertility in its own right,

it is mainly a symbol of mystery. A rose laid on a grave prevents the vampire from coming out. A rose symbolises silence, sleep (e.g. the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty). What would become of the magic if one chattered while practicing it – this is the logic behind the rose in the king’s mouth; silence throughout the whole ceremony is a condition for its success. King – finally we have come to the main figure of the ride. It’s necessary to state at the outset that this really was not a royal title, because all communities have always chosen their king, duke or foreman, be they tribes, families, villages or only groups of herdsmen. The word “král” (king) is derived from the Frankish name for
Charles (the sovereign Charlemagne), similarly to how the name for a ruler in Rome and later also in other empires was derived from Caesar. The original term for ruler in the
Slavic languages was the reconstructed word “knez” (read with a nasal vowel as “knenz”, related to old Germanic “kyning”, now English “king”) which developed later into the words “kníže” (prince) and “kněz” (priest). It was no exception, but rather the rule that the
“kníže” and “kněz” were the same person. In this sense one must view the figure of the king of the ride not only as the secular “kníže” (leader of the entourage), but in particular as the spiritual “kněz” who, as the master of ceremonies, performs the entire magical act as we have described it above.
A similar “play” can be found in agrarian cultures all over the world; it’s not just our regional specialty. For example, in Bulgaria a pagan custom known as “perepuga” was long practiced, where in periods of extreme drought a lad was led from house to house clad in leaves and representing “King Perun”. The customs of farmers on the other side of the globe, for example those of the Aztecs in Central America, were also similar in principle. Regular rainfall was vitally important for this Indian civilisation.
When there was no rain and famine began, the priests would select a young man and serve him all possible delicacies and beverages, as well as young women to cheer him up, and they would worship him as if he were, yes, their king. He lived in clover, but only for a time. In the end, they would sacrifice the young man to the god of rain by drowning him in Lake Texcoco. And then it would start to rain. All in all, the Ride of the Kings is a last outgrowth in the long development of an ancient agrarian ritual, a magical practice that was gradually concealed with several other layers over the course of the centuries.
Nowadays, all of them are obviously full-fledged components of the tradition, which is so beautiful precisely because it is not only old, but also mature, rich, colourful, theatrical... and a little mysterious.
What type of ride we want Certain folk traditions which have survived to the present day, whether as continuous traditions or traditions which have been renewed, often involve activities whose origins are unknown to people today. We believe the right insight into the tradition as well as its performance in practice are not possible without a deeper understanding of these origins. It is true that many details of the tradition have long been forgotten or were never recorded; no one will ever reconstruct them in their original form, but these partial elements can either be replaced or overcome, and many things can be made up (this is one way folk culture has always been “improved”). However, the substance of the tradition must not be neglected or ignored. The result is a synthesis of various periods that does not claim to be the only correct or unerring version. Our ambition is to renew the ancient tradition on a substantiated basis, albeit in modern form, in order to naturally overcome, if possible, those aspects of the tradition which were not preserved or did not have a chance to develop as they did in regions where the tradition

was not interrupted. For us, the Ride of the Kings in Manerov represents the culmination of ten years’ work in the renewal of folk culture.
A final word to our guests
It’s all about the crop, about rain. But paradoxically we, the organisers, prayed that it not rain and the ride was successful. And this is already the other side of the matter, the social aspect of the tradition which is wrapped around folk customs as the last layer, making it all the more important. Without people, without their participation and a bit of spectacle, or, more familiarly, without their eyeballing and revelry, not only would it not make any sense, it would not exist at all. But when we all know what we’re doing and why, this is the difference between a folk tradition and mere performance.
Thank you for your visit!