FOLKLORE OF THE OLD-BELIEVERS’ IN LITHUANIA: INTERACTION AND MUTUAL ENRICHMENT OF CULTURES

The author of the article states that, to some extent, old-believers' folklore in Lithuania came under the influence of long contacts with bordering nations. The statement is illustrated by ample examples. It is not characteristic for old-believers’ communities in Lithuania to lead an insular and closed life. As a rule, Russian villages neighbor with Lithuanian or Polish ones, and what is even more common that inhabitants in these villages are of different nationalities, i.e. (consisting of) Lithuanians, Russians, Poles, Byelorussians, and Tatars of Lithuania. Also, Until 1940s in small towns quite a few of Jews lived. This situation of "special folklore microclimate" used to (and still does) foster active interaction and mutual enrichment of traditional cultures of different nations. Bilingualism and polylingualism is a common phenomenon in Lithuania. The old-believers usually speak two or three languages which are mostly spread in Lithuania. It is a prerequisite for extending of folklore repertoire and enrichment of artistic and expressive means of expression. Thus, the aim of the article is to identify Byelorussian paradigm in folklore of the old-believers in Lithuania. As far as the format of the article is limited the author focused only on the genre of proverbs and sayings. The author advocates that proverbs of the old-believers in Lithuania is constantly enriched by live sources of ancestors' spiritual heritage, golden grains of national wisdom of the Lithuanians, Poles, Jews, and Byelorussians.