Yesterday one Vilnius-based Belarusian publicist rebuked me for using a Belarusian form “Kaziuki”in my brief blog post about a famous Vilnius traditional fair Kaziukas. He argued that the fair which is centuries-old should be translated into Belarusian as Kaziuk (singular) because it is the correct interpretation of Kaziukas (singular, Lithuanian) while “Kaziuki,” the form I used, is plural. Before I tell you about our linguistic argument, here’s my video report from Kaziukas Fair 2009.



By the way, if you are in Vilnius, today is the final day of the fair. Don’t miss it!

I chose to write “Kaziuki” because I encountered this form solely in the Belarusian language. Nobody whom I know would say “Kaziuk.” There is a similar annual fair called “Kaziuki” in Hrodna, Belarus. Many Belarusians I have met call Vilnius fair “Kaziuki,” as well. By the way, many Poles say “Kaziuki Wilenskie,” too. Not “Kaziuk Wilenski.”

I must acknowledge the publicist’s reproach is fair enough. It is more correct to say “Kaziuk,” keeping in mind that “Kaziukas” is translated as “Kaziuk,” not “Kaziuki.” The plural form can be used as a reference to a series of such fairs or the Kaziukas tradition in general. In such case, a single fair would legitimately be interpreted as “Kaziuk.”

But then how should we go about the actual tradition of using the form “Kaziuki”in Belarusian? Should we correct ourselves and start saying one Kaziuk instead of one Kaziuki fair? Maybe, the Belarusian tradition is wrong. The guys in Hrodna messed up. They should have called their fair “Kaziuk.” But how about a number of “Kazuiki” fairs in Poland?

Maybe, he is right. We need to adapt our translation to the original. But I strongly doubt the name of this fair originated in the Lithuanophone circles in the first place.

According to Wikipedia, Saint Casimir Jagiellon (October 3, 1458 - March 4, 1484), was a Polish-Lithuanian prince from the Jagiellon dynasty who became a patron saint of Poland, Lithuania, and youth. A member of the Jagiellon dynasty, Casimir was born at Wawel, the royal palace in Kraków, and died in Hrodna.

The tradition of celebrating Kaziukas Fair spread around Rzecz Pospolita. It is still celebrated in a number of towns and cities across the former two-nation state. The tradition is centuries-old not just for the present-day Lithuanian state; it’s just as old for present-day Belarusians and Poles, as well, who shared one state with Lithuanians in the past.

Over the centuries, the use of Lithuanian language was retained to the northwestern part of the Great Duchy of Lithuania, rivaled by the Ruthenian (Old Belarusian) to the East and South. And then Polish dominance came. I contend that the term Kaziuki Fair originated in predominantly Polish language environment wherefrom it migrated to Belarusian and Lithuanian popular usage.

In the Belarusian popular usage, it has become known as Kaziuki.

I might be dead wrong in my judgments. If some linguists read my blog, you are welcome to challenge my profane assumptions.