The spring was a time of engagements and weddings, so many khorovods during this period were dedicated to youth and love, courting, games of abduction and ransom, betrothal and wedding. In old Russian the word 'courting' is close in sound to the word 'wreath,' so a wreath was an important part of courting khorovods, symbolizing both a betrothal circle and a wedding crown. The song, With a Wreath I Walk, is a game, in which the couple in the circle - a young woman and man - play out the ritual of the choosing of a beloved and a ransom for the bride." - Excerpted from Russian Folk Songs: Musical Genres and History by Vadim Prokhorov (Scarecrow Press 2002).
