Parodies of religious hymns in Žemaitijan (Samogitian) Shrove Tuesday carnival

In the Shrove Tuesday costumed processions in fiemaitija, the beggars were and are among the main characters, as attested by the distribution area of the mask, by the name of the Shrovetide beggars given to the whole group of masked people, and the relative abundance of the costumed beggarsí songs. This study examines part of fiemaitijan Shrove Tuesday carnival singing repertoire: parodies of religious hymns and folk songs, which the performers called hymns and which were performed in imitation of sacred singing. The present analysis identifies their features, origins and function at the Shrove Tuesday carnival.