Slavonske lole

Bećarac is a humorous, improvisatory folk-song form from the Slavonia region of eastern Croatia that later spread across nearby Baranja, Srijem, southern Hungary and Vojvodina (Serbia). Performed by a lead singer and a small group or larger company, it unfolds as playful, teasing two-line (decasyllabic) couplets delivered in call-and-response over a repeating melody, typically accompanied by tamburica (tambura) ensembles and sometimes fiddle or accordion. Themes are flirtatious, boastful, satirical and often mildly lascivious, providing a socially accepted outlet for wit and innuendo at weddings, fairs and village gatherings. Although the name derives from bećar (bachelor/reveller), women have long sung bećarac as equals—frequently while dancing kolo—today participating as much as men.