The rituals, customs and traditions of the Russian people go back to ancient times. Many of them have changed significantly over time and have lost their sacred meaning. But there are also those that still exist. Let's look at some of them.
The calendar rituals of the Russian people go back to the times of the ancient Slavs. At that time, people cultivated the land and raised livestock, and worshiped pagan idols.
Here are some of the rituals:
- Sacrificial rituals to the god Veles. He patronized cattle breeders and farmers. Before sowing the crops, people went out into the field, wearing clean clothes. They decorated their heads with wreaths and held flowers in their hands. The oldest resident of the village began to sow and threw the first grain into the ground
- The harvest was also timed to coincide with the festival. Absolutely all the villagers gathered near the field and sacrificed the largest animal to Veles. The men began to plow the first strip of land, while the women at this time collected grain and gathered it into sheaves. At the end of the harvest, the table was set with generous food and decorated with flowers and ribbons.
- Maslenitsa is a calendar ritual that has survived to this day. The ancient Slavs turned to the sun god Yaril with a request to send a rich harvest. They baked pancakes, danced in circles, burned the famous Maslenitsa effigy
- Forgiveness Sunday is the most important day of Maslenitsa. On this day, people asked for forgiveness from loved ones and relatives, and also forgave all insults themselves. After this day, Lent began.
Despite the fact that Maslenitsa has lost its religious meaning, people still happily take part in mass celebrations, bake pancakes and rejoice in the coming spring.
Yuletide Traditions
It is impossible not to talk about Christmas rituals, which remain relevant to this day. They are traditionally held from January 7 to January 19 during the period from Christmas to Epiphany.
Christmas rituals are as follows:
- Kolyada. Young people and children go from house to house dressed as mummers, and residents treat them with sweets. Nowadays caroling is rare, but the tradition has not yet become obsolete
- Christmas fortune telling. Young girls and women gather in groups and perform fortune telling. Most often, these are rituals that allow you to find out who will become the betrothed, how many children will be born in the marriage, etc.
- And on January 6, before Christmas in Rus', they cooked compote with rice, cooked delicious pastries and slaughtered cattle. It was believed that this tradition helps to attract a rich harvest in the spring and provide the family with material well-being
Nowadays, Christmas rituals have lost their magical mystery and are used mainly for entertainment. Another reason to have fun in the company of girlfriends and friends is to arrange a group fortune-telling for your betrothed, dress up and sing carols on holidays.
Family rituals in Rus'
Family rituals were given great importance. For matchmaking, weddings or baptism of newborns, special rituals were used that were sacredly revered and observed.
Weddings were usually scheduled for a time after a successful harvest or baptism. The week coming after the ceremony was also considered a favorable time for the ritual. happy holiday Easter. The newlyweds were married in several stages:
- Matchmaking. In order to match the bride to the groom, all close relatives on both sides gathered together. They discussed the dowry, where the young couple would live, and agreed on wedding gifts.
- After the parents' blessing was received, preparations for the celebration began. The bride and her bridesmaids gathered every evening and prepared the dowry: they sewed, knitted and wove clothes, bed linen, tablecloths and other home textiles. Sang sad songs
- On the first day of the wedding, the bride said goodbye to her girlhood. The girlfriends sang sad ritual songs of the Russian people, farewell laments - after all, from that moment on, the girl found herself completely subordinate to her husband, no one knew how her family life would turn out
- According to custom, on the second day of the wedding, the newly-made husband and his friends went to his mother-in-law for pancakes. We had a wild feast and visited all our new relatives
When in new family When a child appeared, he had to be baptized. The baptism ceremony was performed immediately after birth. It was necessary to choose a reliable godfather - this person bore great responsibility, almost on an equal basis with the parents, for the fate of the baby.
And when the baby turned one year old, a cross was cut on his crown. It was believed that this ritual gave the child protection from evil spirits and the evil eye.
When the child grew up, he was obliged to visit his godparents every year on Christmas Eve with a treat. And they, in turn, gave him gifts and treated him to sweets.
Watch a video about the rituals and customs of the Russian people:
Mixed rites
It is worth mentioning separately such interesting rituals:
- Celebration of Ivan Kupala. It was believed that only from this day onwards it was possible to swim. Also on this day, the fern bloomed - the one who finds the flowering plant will reveal all the hidden secrets. People made fires and jumped over them: it was believed that a couple who jumped over the fire holding hands would be together until death
- The custom of commemorating the dead has also come down from pagan times. There had to be rich food and wine at the funeral table.
Whether to follow ancient traditions or not is everyone’s business. But you can not elevate them to a cult, but pay tribute to your ancestors, their culture, and the history of your country. This applies to religious customs. Concerning entertainment events, such as Maslenitsa or the celebration of Ivan Kupala - this is another reason to have fun in the company of friends and your significant other.
We often don’t think about what turns us from a group of people living together into a real unit of society. But here not last role customs that have developed over the years play out. In our article we will talk about what are family traditions, what is their meaning, and also give examples of habits that occur in families different countries and make your list.
Family traditions: what is it?
To define what a family tradition is, let’s first define what it means – “family”. According to the Great Encyclopedic Dictionary- is "based on marriage or consanguinity" small group, whose members are bound by a common life, mutual assistance, moral and legal responsibility.” This means that in a full-fledged unit of society, relatives not only live under the same roof, but also love each other, take care of each member, and spend time together. If some activity or action is repeated repeatedly, passed from one generation to another, then it becomes a custom of this kind.
Family customs are not necessarily something grandiose and large-scale. Even modest weekly rituals that are established in one union or another can be considered a tradition. For example, cleaning on Saturdays, having breakfast together on Sunday mornings, or watching cartoons with the children on Fridays.
Moreover, the habit of wishing each other good morning, kissing when meeting or saying goodbye, calling that you have arrived safely at your destination can also be attributed to the norms accepted in a given unit of society.
Types of family traditions
The list of what can be classified as family traditions can be endless. However, they can be conditionally divided into general ones, which are inherent in many people in different variations, and completely unique, specific rituals.
The first group includes such actions as:
Joint celebrations
In most homes in Russia, on birthdays, New Years, and Easter, people gather around a richly laid table. big circle relatives and close friends to congratulate the birthday person or spend the outgoing year.
These days, it is customary to present gifts and souvenirs, write congratulations, sing songs and dance, make toasts followed by drinking alcohol, which of course does not benefit the nation.
Joint meeting of important events in life
For many people, it is customary to discuss daily or at least once a week in a small circle how the day went, what events happened, share their thoughts on this matter, give advice or simply empathize from the heart. Plans for the weekend and the near future are also discussed here. Such close, frank communication is very unifying and allows all members of the family to feel their importance and significance for the rest.
Traveling together
If circumstances permit, many spend their holidays together, if possible going to the sea or to another city. And there are those who prefer annual trips to the dacha in the summer, where outdoor recreation is combined with work responsibilities. Any such trip brings a lot of positivity to each participant, which strengthens the relationship between household members.
Photos for memory
I want to capture pleasant events on photographs so that, if desired, I can return to the memorable day at any time. Photo shoots, which are now fashionable, can become a good tradition, especially in families with children. After all, every age of a baby has its own charms, and time flies so quickly that you won’t have time to come to your senses. In addition, long joint preparations usually take place for such an event, and the child will perceive the shooting itself as an adventure.
Joint attendance at various events
Cinema, theater, exhibitions, museums, festivals - it's all very interesting and educational. If everyone in the house is committed to developing their personality, then household members will never be bored with each other. So visiting cultural or entertainment events together is a very good and useful custom.
The list of other common family traditions can be very long. After all, the smallest daily habits can also be included here, as well as all religious rituals, national characteristics associated, for example, with marriage or initiation into religion. Russia is a multinational country, and each nation has its own historical customs.
Specific customs include those features that are unique to your social unit. For example, you like to eat only oatmeal for breakfast, or don’t go to bed until dawn on Friday.
In addition, there are those actions that developed on their own, and there are those that were specially introduced. In any case, this is exactly what is repeated in one house with some frequency.
The role of family traditions: what does it mean to observe them?
If we highlight the main positive theses, they will probably sound like this:
- Traditions give a feeling of stability and inviolability of marriage for spouses.
- Develop respect for elders.
- They instill a desire for work and order.
- They rally and unite relatives.
- They allow you to feel like an integral part of something big, strong, what we call a social unit.
What are family traditions for children?
Compliance with established customs is especially important for children, because it gives a feeling of stability, and therefore safety. Children love when something is repeated many times; it is good for their psyche and makes the child calm and balanced. This is why doctors so strongly recommend following a daily routine.
The following traditions will be especially useful for children:
Reading bedtime stories and singing lullabies to babies
Evening reading not only develops the child’s imagination, but also puts him in a calm mood, appropriate before bed, and the mother’s voice always calms and lulls him to sleep.
Cooperative games
In the age of computers, televisions and an endless amount of entertainment, it is very easy to keep a child busy. However, the warmest memories from childhood will be those when the baby played with his parents. It can be Board games or active recreation in nature, the main thing is that all loved ones take part in the game.
Household duties
It is good when each member, even the smallest one, has some responsibilities around the house. This does not have to be a fixed labor duty. Activities can be changed and each time a new task can be offered. Invite your child to wipe the dust during one cleaning session, and the next time to use a vacuum cleaner. And even kids are happy to handle such an assignment as watering flowers.
Family meals
Kisses and hugs
Psychologists say that to feel happy you need at least eight hugs a day. And children need even more. So hug your kids on any occasion. And a goodnight kiss will be a wonderful end to the day for both the child and the parents.
Preparing for the New Year
For many adults, some of the most magical moments of childhood are new year holidays. You can create a fairy tale with your child, decorate a Christmas tree together with themed songs, make souvenirs as gifts for your family, write letters to Santa Claus. After all, the baby can do what many adults have forgotten how to do - believe in miracles.
All these and many other traditions will allow children to form right attitude to marriage as one of the main elements of your life. Already as adults, they will carry into their young unit of society exactly those foundations and principles that they learned from childhood.
Description of family traditions of different countries
Of course, every society has its own historically established customs. Let's talk in more detail about what is accepted in other states.
In Russia
Since ancient times, traditions have been honored and protected in Russia; they have been an important part of the life of both the common population and the nobles.
One of the main customs was a good knowledge of one’s clan, all one’s ancestors up to the tenth generation. In an aristocratic environment, family trees were necessarily compiled for each surname, which listed all the ancestors with first names, patronymics, last names and titles. Stories from the lives of our ancestors were passed on from mouth to mouth, and with the invention of the camera, photographs were passed on. Until now, many families carefully preserve old photo albums, gradually supplementing them with modern cards.
Respect for elders is one of the pillars of education in Rus'. In our country, unlike Western countries, it is not customary to send parents to live out their lives in boarding houses and nursing homes. Children up to last day take care of their elderly. And after their death, it is customary to remember departed relatives on the day of death and birthday, and to care for their graves.
Another Russian feature that demonstrates respect for one’s family is the assignment of a patronymic to a child. This is a tribute, first of all, to my father. It was also often possible to come across a “family” name, that is, often found in this family, when a child is named after one of the relatives.
The transfer of heirlooms by inheritance was also widespread. Moreover, these are not necessarily jewelry that cost a fortune. These can be simple, but dear to the heart things - interior items, cutlery. Often the wedding dress was passed from mother to daughter.
Almost all of the above traditions have been preserved in our society to this day. But many, unfortunately, are practically lost. For example, professional dynasties, when a craft was deeply studied and its secrets were passed on from generation to generation.
A good trend has become a return to roots and age-old traditions. "Russian House of Genealogy" offers assistance in compiling family tree kind. They have more than five hundred genealogists working all over the world, who will certainly find any archival documents, where this or that surname is mentioned. Also, experts not only compile a pedigree, but also teach this difficult craft. A wide selection of designs will allow you not only to create a tree for yourself out of interest, but also to purchase a family tree book as an original and useful gift.
In Great Britain
This is a country that sacredly honors its customs, especially for aristocratic dynasties. Traditions are observed in everything: from the daily rituals of morning oatmeal and evening tea to the concept of how to raise children.
One of the peculiarities of the British is to instill in their children strict control over their emotions. Saving face for a true gentleman is as important today as it was a couple of centuries ago.
In Italy
Italy is a very patriarchal state. Almost 90% of all enterprises there are related, that is, passed on from father to son. In addition, the surname in this state is not limited to a narrow circle of the closest relatives; all relatives are an important part of the large clan.
On holidays, the whole family must gather around a richly covered festive table, joke, laugh, share news.
To America
Despite the fact that Americans are mostly workaholics and very career-oriented, many social units have three or more children. An interesting tradition is to take your baby with you everywhere, even to parties and get-togethers with friends. It is believed that such early integration into society will help the child in adulthood.
Historically, family traditions are an integral part of the life of any society in every state. They are like cement when building a house, they bind all relatives and allow them not to lose common interests. So follow existing customs and create new ones, then there will always be an atmosphere of love and friendship in your home.
Tradition, custom, ritual are a centuries-old connection, a kind of bridge between the past and the present. Some customs are rooted in the distant past; over time they have changed and lost their sacred meaning, but are still observed today, passed on from grandparents to their grandchildren and great-grandchildren as a memory of their ancestors. IN rural areas traditions are observed more widely than in cities where people live separately from each other. But many rituals have become so firmly established in our lives that we perform them without even thinking about their meaning.
Traditions can be calendar, related to field work, family, pre-Christian, the most ancient, religious, which entered our lives with the adoption of Christianity, and some pagan rituals mixed with Orthodox beliefs and were somewhat modified.
Calendar rituals
The Slavs were cattle breeders and farmers. In the pre-Christian period the pantheon Slavic gods included several thousand idols. The supreme gods were Svarozhichi, the ancestors of all living things. One of them was Veles, the patron of cattle breeding and agriculture. The Slavs made sacrifices to him before sowing and harvesting. On the first day of sowing, all villagers went out to the field in new, clean shirts with flowers and wreaths. The oldest resident of the village and the smallest one started sowing, and they threw the first grain into the ground.
The harvest was also a holiday. All, even the old and sick, villagers gathered at the border of the field, a sacrifice was made to Veles, most often a large ram, then the strongest and handsome men and young guys with scythes in their hands and simultaneously walked through the first lane. Then the girls and young women, always fast and healthy, tied the sheaves and placed the money. After successful cleaning, a rich table was set for all residents of the village; a large sheaf, decorated with ribbons and flowers, was placed at the head of the table, which was also considered a sacrifice to the god Veles.
Maslenitsa also belongs to the calendar rituals, although at present it is already considered a semi-religious holiday. In ancient times, this ritual invoked Yarilo, the god of the sun and heat, on whom the harvest directly depended. That is why the custom arose on this day to bake pancakes, fatty, rosy, hot as the sun. All people danced in circles, which are also a symbol of the sun, sang songs praising the power and beauty of the sun, and burned an effigy of Maslenitsa.
Today Maslenitsa has abandoned its pagan meaning and is considered almost a religious holiday. Each day of Maslenitsa week has its own purpose. And the most important day is Forgiveness Sunday, when you should ask all your family and relatives for forgiveness for involuntary offenses. Sunday is a turning point Lent, the strictest and longest, when believers abstain from meat and dairy foods for seven weeks.
Yuletide rituals
When Christianity was firmly established in Rus', new church holidays appeared. And some holidays that have religious basis, have become truly popular. This is precisely what should be included in the Christmas festivities, which take place from January 7 (Christmas) to January 19 (Epiphany).
On Christmastide, young people went from house to house with performances, other groups of boys and girls caroled, girls and young women told fortunes in the evenings. All village residents were required to participate in preparations for the holidays. They slaughtered livestock and prepared special dishes. On Christmas Eve, January 6, the evening before Christmas, they cooked uzvar, a sweet compote with rice, prepared cheesecakes and pies, sochevo, a special dish of cabbage with grain.
Young people sang special comic carol songs, asked for treats, and jokingly threatened:
“If you don’t give me some pie, we’ll take the cow by the horns.”
If they didn’t give treats, they could play a joke: close the chimney, destroy a woodpile of firewood, freeze the door. But this happened rarely. It was believed, and is still believed, that generous gifts, songs with wishes of happiness and prosperity, and grain brought into the house by guests bring happiness to the house for the whole New Year, relieve illnesses and misfortunes. Therefore, everyone tried to treat those who came and give them generous gifts.
Young girls most often wondered about their fate, about their suitors. The bravest ones told fortunes in a bathhouse with a mirror by candlelight, although this was considered very dangerous, because in the bathhouse they removed the cross from themselves. The girls brought armfuls of firewood into the house; by the number of logs, even or odd, one could tell whether or not she would get married this year. They fed the chicken with counting grain, melted the wax and looked at what it predicted for them.
Family rituals
Perhaps the most rituals and traditions are associated with family life. Matchmaking, wedding, christening - all this required compliance with ancient rituals that came from grandmothers and great-grandmothers, and their strict observance promised a happy family life, healthy children and grandchildren.
The Slavs used to live large families, where adult children who already had their own families lived with their parents. In such families three or four generations could be observed; families included up to twenty people. Such an elder big family there was usually a father or older brother, and his wife was the head of the women. Their orders were carried out unquestioningly, along with the laws of the government.
Weddings were usually celebrated after the harvest or after Epiphany. Later, the most successful time for weddings was “Red Hill” - the week after Easter. The wedding ceremony itself took a fairly long period of time and included several stages, which means a large number of rituals.
The groom's parents came to woo the bride together with their godparents, and less often other close relatives. The conversation should have started allegorically:
“You have goods, we have a merchant” or “Didn’t a heifer run into your yard, we came for her.”
If the bride's parents agreed, a viewing party should be held where the bride and groom would get to know each other. Then there will be collusion or handshaking. Here the new relatives agree on the wedding day, the dowry, and what gifts the groom will bring to the bride.
When everything was discussed, her girlfriends gathered at the bride’s house every evening and helped prepare the dowry: they wove, sewed, knitted lace, embroidered gifts for the groom. All girls' get-togethers were accompanied by sad songs, because no one knew what the girl's fate would be. In her husband's house, a woman expected hard work and complete submission to her husband's will. On the first day of the wedding, the songs sounded mainly lyrical, majestic, farewell laments. Upon arrival from church, the newlyweds were greeted on the porch by their parents with bread and salt, and the mother-in-law had to put a spoonful of honey in her new daughter-in-law's mouth.
The second day is a completely different matter. On this day, according to custom, the son-in-law and his friends went “to their mother-in-law for pancakes.” After a good feast, the guests dressed up, covered their faces with bandages or canvas, and drove around the village, visiting all their new relatives. This custom is still preserved in many villages, where on the second day of the wedding, the costumed guests themselves harness themselves to the cart and drive the new matchmakers through the streets.
And, of course, speaking of customs, one cannot miss the rite of infant baptism. Children were baptized immediately after birth. To perform the ceremony, they consulted for a long time, choosing godparents. They will be second parents for the child and, equally with them, are responsible for the life, health and upbringing of the baby. Godparents become godfathers and maintain friendly relations with each other throughout their lives.
When the child turned one year old, the godmother sat him on an inside-out sheepskin coat and carefully cut a cross in his hair on the crown of his head with scissors. This was done so that evil spirits would not have access to his thoughts and further actions.
Every year, on Christmas Eve, the grown-up godson always brought the godfather kutya and other treats, and the godfather gave him some sweets in return.
Mixed rites
As we have already said, some rituals originated in the pre-Christian period, but continue to live to this day, slightly changing their appearance. It was the same with Maslenitsa. A widely known ritual is the celebration of the night of Ivan Kupala. It was believed that only on this single day of the year does the fern bloom. Whoever can find this flower that cannot be handed over will be able to see the treasures underground, and all the secrets will be revealed to him. But only a person who is pure in heart, sinless, can find it.
In the evening, huge fires were lit, over which young people jumped in pairs. It was believed that if the two of you, holding hands, jump over the fire, then love will not leave you throughout your life. They danced in circles and sang songs. The girls wove wreaths and floated them on the water. They believed that if the wreath floated to the shore, the girl would remain alone for another year, if she drowned, she would die this year, and if she floated with the flow, she would soon get married.
- 151.50 KbMINISTRY OF CULTURE, PRESS AND INFORMATION
UDMURT REPUBLIC
STATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION
SECONDARY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
"UDMURT REPUBLICAN COLLEGE OF CULTURE"
COURSE WORK
SUBJECT SOCIO-CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
ON THE TOPIC OF:
« Folk family and household rituals in Russia.”
Completed by: student 3tt
Chazova A.N.
Checked by: Demus O.I.
Izhevsk, 2010
Introduction………………………………………………………… ...
CHAPTER 1. Family and household rituals: concept and typologies.
1.1 Concept, origin and meaning of rituals……………………..
1.2.Typology of rituals……………………………………………………..
CHAPTER 2. The most significant family and everyday rituals of the Russian people.
2.1. Maternity rite……………………………………… ……………
2.2. Wedding custom in the history of Rus'.
2.2.1. Acquaintance…………………………………………………… ……..
2.2.2. Matchmaking……………………………………………………………..
2.2.3. Bride………………………………………………………… …
2.2.4. Collusion……………………………………………………………… ….
2.2.5. Hen-party………………………………………………………… ………
2.2.6. Wedding day…………………………………………………….
2.2.7. Wedding………………………………………………………… …..
2.3. Recruitment ceremony………………………………………………………………………
2.4. Funeral rite………………………………………………………………………..
Conclusion…………………………………………………… ……………..
Bibliography………………………………… ………………………
Introduction.
Folk culture is the centuries-old concentrated experience of the people, materialized in objects of art, labor and everyday life: these are traditions, rituals, customs, beliefs; these are ideological, moral and aesthetic values that determine the face of a nation, its identity, uniqueness, its social and spiritual features.
However, for many reasons, most of the spiritual heritage and material objects folk culture turned out to be lost. The process of irreversible loss of this national heritage continues to this day. A critical situation is being created in which we can, after some time, deprive the current and subsequent generations of the most valuable heritage of the regional people's artistic culture and thereby completely destroy the spiritual connection of contemporaries with cultural traditions and the creative experience of past generations. It follows from this that the problem of preserving traditional folk artistic culture is becoming important.
The relevance of the chosen topic is that in the current conditions of searching for the origins of the spiritual revival of Russia, it is important to support one’s national culture, to concentrate the character of the people, to educate a worthy personality who can develop and preserve the folk traditions, rituals, and customs of Russia.
Family and household rituals are part of this folk culture. They are also subject to extinction. Already now the younger generation does not know many rituals, they do not know their essence and meaning. But these rituals played an important role in the life of society.
Purpose course work is to deepen knowledge in the subject “Socio-cultural activities”. Also, having chosen this topic, I set a goal: to study in more detail and deepen my knowledge of family and household rituals that exist in Russia.
The object of study of the course work is the revival and development of folk traditions of Russia.
CHAPTER 1. FAMILY AND HOUSEHOLD RITUALS: CONCEPT AND TYPOLOGY.
1.1. The concept, origin and meaning of rituals.
Rituals and holidays are a multifaceted social phenomenon that reflects both the life of each person and society as a whole. This special kind human activity, expressing the harmony of man and society or the desire for it.
A ritual is a set of established actions in which religious ideas or everyday traditions are embodied. It is a way of conveying certain ideas and concepts in symbolic form.
The roots of most folk holidays go back to pagan times. Despite a thousand years of effort Orthodox Church After their eradication, many of the ancient rites and rituals have been preserved in folk tradition to this day. The church skillfully adapted some of these rituals to its holidays, and some folk holidays became part or continuation of church holidays.
In the old peasant life(just like in modern times) human life developed cyclically - birth, growing up, wedding, having children, old age, death. In this regard, family and household rituals arose. Their appearance was associated with the population’s need for protective actions from evil spirits. The rituals were also aimed at recovery,
1.2. Typology of rituals.
The emergence of family and household rituals is predetermined by the cycle human life. They are divided into maternity, wedding, recruiting and funeral.
Maternity rites sought to protect the newborn from hostile mystical powers, and also assumed the well-being of the infant in life. A ritual bath of the newborn was performed, and the baby’s health was charmed with various sentences.
A wedding is a complex ritual, consisting of ritual actions and ritual poetry, expressing the economic, religious, magical and poetic views of the peasants.
Recruitment rituals arose due to the fact that peasants went into military service for 25 years. They were aimed at ensuring that the recruits said goodbye to their parents, whom they might never see again, to their fiancées, to their friends, to their usual way of life.
Funeral rites are aimed at ensuring that the soul of the deceased appears before God in purity and integrity, and also that the deceased does not “disturb” the living.
CHAPTER 2. The most significant family and everyday rituals of the Russian people.
2.1 Maternity ritual.
“In all parts of the house the same feeling that Princess Marya experienced while sitting in her room was poured out and possessed everyone. According to legend, than less people know about the suffering of the mother in labor, the less she suffers. Everyone tried to pretend ignorance, no one talked about it, but in all the people, in addition to the usual sedateness and respect for good manners that reigned in the prince’s house, one could see some kind of general concern, a softness of heart and an awareness of something great, incomprehensible, taking place in this minute" 1.
The birth of a person is a huge event for a family, anticipated with joy, hope and fear. Long after the mother was relieved of her burden, they prayed for a successful outcome of the birth and wanted to find out the gender in advance and at least partly future destiny baby.
The main meaning of maternity rituals was the desire to ensure the safety of the newborn and the woman in labor, to subject them to magical “purification”, to influence their future fate in a favorable way, and finally to perform a symbolic act of introducing him to the family team.
In Russia, the patron saints of women in labor were considered to be Saint Anastasia the Pattern Maker and Saint Anna, on whose memorial day (December 22) pregnant women were supposed to fast and were forbidden to engage in any work.
By appearance pregnant women tried to determine the sex of the baby. There were such signs and observations: if the first three months of pregnancy are easy, a boy will be born, if the first three months of pregnancy are heavy, a girl will be born; the fetus is on the right side if the mother, sitting, stretches out her leg; if he eats all kinds of food well, a boy will be born; if she willingly listens to songs, puts out her left leg, the fetus is in her left side and has a lot of quirks, she’s a girl. The mother sticks out with her left leg - a boy will be born, with her right - a girl.
If a pregnant woman gets fat or is embarrassed when asked who she is expecting, and her belly does not change its round shape during pregnancy, then a girl will be born. On the contrary, if she is not embarrassed when asked, and her stomach takes a sharp “poke” shape, then a boy will be born.
In the old days, it was also believed that a pregnant woman should avoid everything unpleasant and ugly. It was not recommended to look at animals or freaks, which she often saw or was afraid of.
The Helvetic Chronicle of Sempt tells how a Roman woman, who was in connection with Pope Martin 4, gave birth to a son “shaggy like a wolf cub, with long hair like beast of prey, claws." She explained this by saying that dad had many paintings depicting various animals. In France, there was its own version of the effect on the fetus: pregnant women were recommended to visit the French Institute and look at the scientist whose field she wanted to choose for her future child. The Russians recommended looking at the month, not at the stars, and somehow try to ensure that the child is not born on the day of the Archangel Gabriel (April 8), otherwise he will be ugly. And as for conception in Lent... You can laugh at all the superstitions, but looking at flowers, works of art, listening to classics and reading books that create a good mood obviously won’t hurt expectant mothers.
Pregnant women were also not recommended to look at the fire - the child would have a birthmark; be at a cemetery and crossroads; leaving the house after sunset; approaching a house under construction, combing your hair on Fridays; sit on the threshold of a house, on a log and step over it. You can’t eat secretly - the child will be a thief, eat on the go - he will grow up whiny, help himself to hare meat - the child will be timid. To prevent twins from being born, you should not eat double fruits.
To protect against evil spirits, they wore amulets - red woolen threads, shreds and bundles of multi-colored yarn, which were tied around the finger, arm, neck, belt.
Upon the onset of childbirth, the woman said goodbye to her household and remained only with her grandmother-midwife. To alleviate suffering, they untied all the knots on their clothes and unraveled their braids, and unlocked all the locks and drawers in the house. If a woman suffered greatly and for a long time, wedding candles were lit in front of the images, they were taken around the table three times, and the husband was forced to harrow the sand. Sometimes, in order to speed up the delivery of the pregnancy, the family would suddenly frighten the woman in labor, shouting under the window “We’re burning! Fire!". If a woman suffered from childbirth for two or three days, they asked the priest to serve a prayer service 2. After the successful completion of the birth, the midwife cut and tied the baby's umbilical cord and washed him. When a newborn was bathed for the first time, silver money was placed in the water to ensure future wealth.
At the birth of a girl, water after the first bath was often poured into the raspberry tree, because Among the Slavs, raspberries symbolized beauty. After bathing the boy, the water poured out onto the crossroads - for good luck. There was a custom to receive a newborn in his father's shirt, so that the father would love him, and put him on a shaggy sheepskin coat, so that he would be rich. The child was first handed over to his father, who himself put him in the cradle and publicly recognized him as his brainchild. Prosperous families set up maternity tables, and peasants prepared special beer. Guests presented gifts to the mother in labor, usually with money, and said: “A roll for the nipple, and a piece of soap.” The place of honor at the festival rightfully belonged to the grandmother - the midwife. For services, the woman in labor gave the midwife some gift: an apron, scarf, soap, etc.
2.3. Recruitment ritual………………………………………………………
2.4. Funeral rites……………………………………………………..
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………..
Bibliography…………………………………………………………
The study of family rituals is perhaps one of the most time-consuming work of a field ethnographer. In some cases, one has to limit oneself to recording observations without directly participating in the ritual. Family rituals represent entire cycles of ritual actions unfolding in space and time. As a rule, an ethnographer is not able to observe this entire cycle from beginning to end. Therefore, it is necessary to supplement personal observations with information obtained from respondents.
A significant difficulty is the fact that the researcher, as a rule, does not have the opportunity to take notes during the ceremony. Therefore, you have to make notes of all elements of the ritual from memory. It is advisable to work in a group of 3–5 people, distributing responsibilities among researchers. Let's say, one monitors the rituals associated with the bride and groom, carefully records them, another does the same in relation to the parents of the young, the third records song repertoire etc. This method has its drawbacks, which are due to the subjectivity of perception. However, they are largely overcome by the fact that the observations of research participants inevitably overlap each other and duplicate, which allows the necessary adjustments to be made when summing up the results.
Recordings of songs, wishes, communication formulas, etc. can be done later, by prior agreement with the performers. In this case, the researcher has the opportunity to prepare good sound recording equipment and record at a fairly high technical level.
Photography, filming, and video recording can only be done with the permission of the ritual participants. It is advisable to obtain such consent in advance and for the entire cycle of rituals. This makes it possible to record events unnoticed by the participants, which significantly increases the value of the received materials.
There are elements in family rituals that are generally very carefully hidden from prying eyes. These are some rituals associated with the birth of a child, the choice of a name, and in general the first year of a newborn’s life. The same can be said about the elements of a wedding. Here we have to rely almost exclusively on the information of the respondents mentioned above.
It happens that recording an event and keeping records is impossible for purely ethical reasons. Thus, the study of the rituals of the funeral and memorial cycle excludes any possibility of fixation on the spot. Here it is necessary to rely more on one’s own memory and on the ability to obtain the necessary information in a simple conversation, since the survey of respondents does not give the desired results: although people answer questions, they do so formally, formally, without going beyond what is officially recognized by the church or public organization ritual script.
When researching family rituals, you need to Special attention pay attention to the roles of relatives of various degrees of kinship. This will make it possible to clarify the kinship system and the meaning of kinship relationships in the society being studied. The same can be said about women and children. The participation of children in rituals largely characterizes the reproduction system ethnic culture and degree of inclusion of children different ages into the life of society. In this regard, children’s “holiday games”, which often turn out to be echoes of the most ancient elements of rituals, can clarify a lot. Rituals are accompanied by a variety of actions with elements of clothing, home decoration, a stove, a red corner, etc. For example, removing a veil and tying a scarf at a wedding. These actions in ancient times clearly had magical meaning. Echoes of this can be found in modern times, especially in the songs and sentences that accompany the removal of the veil and tying of the scarf. The same can be said about the bride’s costume at different stages of the wedding, about changing the decoration of the groom’s house during the wedding, etc. It is unnecessary to talk about the connection between family rituals and mythology. Careful recording of all elements of the ritual takes on even greater significance in this light.
Embroidery patterns, color and structure of clothing and decoration are also important and most often strictly regulated for each ceremony; from them, one can determine the wedding ranks, relatives, and their position in the kinship hierarchy in relation to the bride and groom (in the wedding ceremony). And embroidery patterns, decorations, color and structure of clothing also functionally go back to magic and mythology. Therefore, in family rituals it is very important to pay attention to them.
Family rituals have also undergone changes. The long period of implantation of the so-called socialist rituals and the declaration of traditional rituals as relics and superstitions, supported by the educational system at all levels, led to the partial extinction of traditional rituals, its degeneration into a “social event” based on the dominant ideology and political practice. The crisis of the latter led to attempts to revive the tradition, which by this time had been significantly lost and blurred. This is connected, on the one hand, with the inclusion of alien elements in the tradition, and on the other, with the emergence of people and groups who, due to circumstances, turned out to be guardians traditional rite, and are invited as a kind of “producers” by the surrounding population. Both the inclusion of innovations in rituals and the activities of invited “directors” should also be carefully recorded.
To remember:
1. Family rituals are cycles of ritual actions unfolding in space and time. One researcher is not able to observe all the actions that can take place simultaneously in different places. A well-trained group of researchers is needed to study family rituals.
2. As a rule, the researcher is deprived of the opportunity to record the ritual during its performance. In some cases, such recording is absolutely excluded for ethical reasons.
3. When studying family rituals, one must remember that the data obtained from respondents have much less scientific value than when studying other aspects of ethnic culture.
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Fedarowski M. People of Belarus. Vyaselle. Mn. 1991.
The Russian people, their customs, rituals, legends, superstitions and poetry. Collection M. Zabylin. Riga, b.g.
Marriage among the peoples of Western and Southern Europe. M., 1989.
Marriage among the peoples of Central and South-Eastern Europe. M., 1988.
Kostomarov N.I. Feature article home life and the morals of the Great Russian people in the 16th and 17th centuries. M., 1992.
On the routes from Perm Land to Siberia. Essays on the ethnography of the Northern Ural peasantry of the 17th-20th centuries. M., 1989.
Woman. Marriage. Family. Until the beginning of a new time. M., 1993.
Chuvash: modern ethnocultural processes. M., 1988.
Belarusians. T. 5. Syam’ya. Mn., 2001.