Serşo/en
Serşo is the form of song sung during the "Serşoyê" ritual, a special ceremony performed for the groom in Kurdish weddings. These serşo songs are performed while the groom is being washed and his face is being shaved.
No govend is danced to these songs; they are sung more often in a dîwan setting or while seated. In this respect, serşo differs from forms that accompany dance and carries a ceremonial character.
Formal characteristics
- The serşo form is generally free.
- Different meter and structural features may appear within a single song.
- Rhythm is often distinct, but at times it moves outside rhythm.
- Long phrases may alter the rhythmic structure.
- Sometimes words are cut off halfway; this places the structure between rhythmic and free form.
For this reason, serşo belongs neither to a strictly rhythmic form nor to an entirely free structure; it shows a transitional quality between the two. In some respects it resembles the style of Şeşbendiyan.
Serşo holds a unique place in wedding rituals both symbolically and musically, and is regarded as one of the ceremonial forms of Mûzîka Kurdî.