Betlehemezés a zentai Thurzó Lajos Általános Iskolában
Nativity Plays at the Thurzó Lajos Primary School in Senta

Summary/Abstract: The study examines the activity of the Nativity play group that has been operating for more than two decades at the Thurzó Lajos Primary School in Senta. The aim of the research is to present how one of the most significant dramatic folk customs of the Christmas period appears within the institutional framework of a school, and how the phenomenon can be interpreted within the theoretical framework of representational folklorism. The qualitative research, based on structured interviews, explores the organisational process of the Nativity play, the principles guiding the development of the script, the practice of casting and costume-making, as well as the com- munity-building and pedagogical effects of the performances. The analysis demonstrates that the institution-to-institution performances do not represent the continuation of the traditional house-to-house custom but rather a staged form of folk culture, which nevertheless consciously strives to preserve the textual and motif heritage of the Senta Nativity tradition. The study con-cludes that the Nativity play fulfils an identity-forming, value-transmitting and community-building role within the school environment, while serving as an important medium for the living transmission of local cultural heritage.

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