Journal articles on the topic 'Paganism – Rituals'
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1
Carr, Mike. "Ecology, Witchcraft and the Enchanted World." UnderCurrents: Journal of Critical Environmental Studies 1 (April 1, 1989): 33–39. http://dx.doi.org/10.25071/2292-4736/37639.
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Pagans, or more properly neo-pagans have been growing in numbers and influence over the past decade or so in the U.S. and Canada. This is evidenced in the feminist, peace, green (or ecology), and anarchist movements. Margot Adler, author of Drawing Down the Moon, an examination of contemporary neo-paganism, has estimated that there are about 100,000 people in the U.S. alone who describe themselves as pagan or neo-pagan. Over the past 5 or 6 years, I have developed a strong sympathy, more, an empathy with the neo-pagan sensibility and earth centredness. Apart from reading Dreaming the Dark by Starhawk, I had not studied paganism or ritual practice. This summer however, both at the North American Anarchist Survival Gathering and the North American Bioregional Congress the presence of pagans was very obvious to me. At the Bioregional Congress I had the chance to experience paganism directly, through earthbonding rituals which had a powerful effect on many participants.
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Balsys, Rimantas. "PAGANISM OF LITHUANIANS AND PRUSSIANS: RITUAL LAUGHTER." Bulletin of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Literary Studies. Linguistics. Folklore Studies, no. 29 (2021): 5–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.17721/1728-2659.2021.29.1.
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Ritual laughter is considered an integral part of the rituals used to make sacrifice to the ancient gods. This article analyzes instances of ritual humor in written sources from the 16th to 17th century and echoes of the joke in calendars, family traditions and folklore in the 19th and 20th centuries. The aim is to investigate how jokes and fun were understood in the religion and mythology of the ancient Balts; what influenced the expression of this sort of joke and how; and what forms and manners for eliciting jokes and fun are recorded in written sources, customs, traditions and folklore. Information in the written sources from the 16th and 17th centuries (even if it is fragmentary) shows Lithuanians and Prussians knew of ritual laughter which is a component part of rituals for making sacrifices to the ancient gods. The aim of ritual laughter was to succeed in making the gods happy (especially gods protecting agriculture and its different branches). From the examples presented, although there might not be many of them, we can nonetheless determine that the ritual laughter of the Lithuanians and the Prussians was divided into two categories: a) the happy god (with the request and wish the god would be happy) and b) the ritual laughter and fun of participants in rituals. After Christianity came to dominate in the late 17th century, ritual humor became an important part of calendrical, family and other customs, recorded in folklore and echoed in everyday speech and phraseology.
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Alekseevna-Titova, Tatyana, Kseniya Jurievna-Khusnutdinova, Elena Valeryevna-Frolova, and Elena Gennadyevna-Gushchina. "Kryasheny pagans: a cultural and psychological study of old tyaberdino village, the republic of Tatarstan." Revista de Investigaciones Universidad del Quindío 34, S2 (August 9, 2022): 223–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.33975/riuq.vol34ns2.930.
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Based on the expedition materials received by the authors in 2014, the article reveals the cultural and psychological characteristics of the sub-ethnic group of Kryashen-pagans in the village of old Tyaberdino, the Republic of Tatarstan. The purpose of the article is to study the ethnocultural characteristics of the Kryashen pagans. The main attention in the article is paid to the traditional rituals and customs of the life cycle, and the issues of ethnic self-awareness and self-identification of “unbaptized Kryashens” are raised. The article demonstrates the way paganism and Christianity are closely intertwined in the Kryashen calendar, festive and everyday traditions, folk beliefs and customs. First of all, such a synthesis of pagan and Christian rituals is due to the geographical location of the area and interaction with neighboring peoples. Secondly, during the periods of mass Christianization, paganism was not completely ousted from the consciousness of the Kryashen people, and Christianity was not fully understood yet. The authors of the article also describe the sacred rituals and places of worship that have survived at present among the Kryashen pagans. The materials of this article can be useful for ethnologists, social and cultural anthropologists, historians, museologists and culturologists, as well as anyone interested in this topic.
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Zaitsev, D. M. "Traditional ceremonies and worships in East-Slavic paganism." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Humanitarian Series 65, no. 2 (May 18, 2020): 145–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.29235/2524-2369-2020-65-2-145-151.
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This article is relevant, first of all, for compatriots, as it addresses issues of the cultural heritage of Eastern Slavic peoples. The article discusses worship and rituals in East Slavic paganism as the most important part of the religious life of Belarusians, Ukrainians and Russians. The issues of the origin and development of these phenomena are analyzed. Numerous examples show the diversity and importance of the system of rites, rituals and worship in ancient and modern Slavic paganism. It is noted that the activities and heritage of the wanderers and the Magi are significant material for studying the culture of our ancestors. The most visited religious objects are distinguished: first of all, sanctuaries, temples, burial mounds, burials of the Magi, the graves of ancient Russian princes of the pre-Christian time. For thousands of neo-pagans, the reverent attitude to the object of worship serves as the fulfillment of the will of the ancestors. The purpose of the study is to identify the features of worship and rites in East Slavic paganism, to show the influence of historical, geographical, cultural factors on their formation. This work may be useful for solving urgent problems of interaction with representatives of different religious denominations.
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Renser, Berit, and Katrin Tiidenberg. "Witches on Facebook: Mediatization of Neo-Paganism." Social Media + Society 6, no. 3 (July 2020): 205630512092851. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2056305120928514.
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This article investigates the mediatization of neo-Paganism by analyzing how Estonian witches use Facebook groups and Messenger and how Facebook’s affordances shape the neo-Paganism practiced in those spaces. This is a small-scale exploratory study based on ethnographic interviews and observational data. To understand the mediatization of neo-Paganism, we use the communicative figurations model which suggests three layers of analysis: framing, actors, and communicative practices. For a more granular understanding of these three on social media, we rely on the framework of affordances. We found that social media neo-Paganism is (1) characterized by networked eclecticism; (2) enacted by witches who amass authority by successfully using social media affordances; and (3) consists of practices and rituals that are preferred by seekers, easily transferable to social media settings and validated by Facebook algorithms. Social media neo-Paganism thus is a negotiation between authoritative witches, seekers, and platform affordances that validate some practices over others.
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Caseau, Béatrice. "LATE ANTIQUE PAGANISM: ADAPTATION UNDER DURESS." Late Antique Archaeology 7, no. 1 (2011): 111–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/22134522-90000154.
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This paper examines the ways in which worshippers of the old gods adapted to the new world order of the 4th c. Roman empire, where emperors, through various pronouncements, consistently attacked elements of their religious infrastructure and rituals. This included forbidding divination sacrifices, temple funding, and eventually led to the temples’ definitive closure. This led to a privatisation of pagan worship and then to secrecy, a process difficult to detect in the archaeological record.
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van 't Spijker, Gerard. "The Role of Social Anthropology in the Debate on Funeral Rites in Africa." Exchange 34, no. 3 (2005): 248–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/157254305774258654.
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AbstractIn view of the actual debate on funeral rites in Christian Churches in Africa, a revision of the old position of missionaries that forbade all traditional ritual concerning death as belonging to paganism should be undertaken on the basis of social anthropological research which analyses structure and function of the funeral practices. Thus the mourning rites are understood as means of purification and reconciliation of the bereaved extended family. Parallels between African rituals and those of Israel of the Old Testament may also be taken into account. The efforts towards contextualisation of the Christian message in days of mourning by the ancient Ethiopian Church and by churches in Zimbabwe of today may serve as guidelines for developing rituals marking the end of mourning focused on reconciliation and the victory of life over death.
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Iagafova, Ekaterina, and Valeriia Bondareva. "Chuvash ‘Paganism’ at the Turn of the 21st Century: Traditional Rituals in the Religious Practice of Volga–Urals Chuvash Groups." Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics 14, no. 1 (June 1, 2020): 111–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/jef-2020-0007.
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AbstractTraditional rituals formed the basis of ethnic Chuvash culture, and are still relevant in today’s festive and ritual culture, primarily among Chuvash ‘pagan’ ethno-religious groups. Today among the unbaptised Chuvash there is, with varying degrees of preservation, a set of ideas about the spirits of nature and the patron deity of different fields of life, practice of ritual prayer and sacrifice, and festive culture. The focus of ritual practice is the cult of the Supreme God Tura (Tură) and the ancestors, who during the calendar year appear in a single complex and in strict sequence. Traditional rituals play an essential role in the funeral and memorial rites and customs of the Chuvash. Thus, ‘pagan’ elements are characteristic not only of the unbaptised Chuvash, but also of some local groups of Christians and Muslims, for example ritual mourning of the dead, weekly commemoration on Thursday evenings until the ritual of ‘seeing off the soul’, ritual singing, sacrificing and ‘feeding’ souls of the dead on remembrance days, and other rituals and their elements. These ‘pagan’ elements in the culture of the Orthodox Chuvash and Chuvash Muslims living in ethnically mixed villages with Russians, Mordovians and Tatars both constitute the basis of their ethnic and cultural identity as Chuvash and contribute to the preservation of their ethnicity. Chuvash ‘paganism’, despite centuries of influence from Russian Orthodox and Muslim Tatar traditions, has a moderating influence over contemporary modernisation and is an element in religious practices of Chuvash confessional communities that is an important resource for the formation and development of ethnic and cultural identity.
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Martins, Joana. "Connect and Celebrate the Great Mother Online." Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions 27, no. 2 (November 1, 2023): 48–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/nr.2023.27.2.48.
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Rituals are creative embodied and emotional practices and are central in the lived spiritual and religious experience of contemporary Pagans, strengthening their community ties. In March 2020, with the outbreak of COVID-19 and the consequent restrictions raised by the Portuguese and British governments, isolation and the impossibility of onsite ritualization led to alternative forms of engagement and relationality within the community. Contemporary Pagans used online and digital tools and developed several strategies to care for and offer emotional and spiritual support during these challenging times. This article, based on online fieldwork among Portuguese and British contemporary Pagans during 2020, argues that Pagans embraced online forms of ritualization as an answer to the uncertainty of the period, feeling connected with each other even without the embodied, sensorial, and nature-based experience of onsite ritualization. It examines the challenges that these forms of engagement raise to the academic study of Contemporary Paganism.
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Cusack, Carole M. "Charmed Circle: Stonehenge, Contemporary Paganism, and Alternative Archaeology." Numen 59, no. 2-3 (2012): 138–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156852712x630752.
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AbstractThe impressive stone circle Stonehenge is understood by academic archaeologists to be a site of ritual significance to the prehistoric inhabitants of Wiltshire. It is constructed on cosmological principles based on a solar alignment, reflecting “a distinctive idea of time, which revolved around the cyclical movements of sun, moon, and stars across the heavens, as indicators of the passing seasons” (Fagan 1998:160). This article sketches mainstream archaeological interpretations of Stonehenge, then contrasts them with the popular narrative of its Druidic origin and purpose, which emerged in the seventeenth century. Modern Druids have negotiated the right to perform rituals at Stonehenge with English Heritage, the custodial body with responsibility for the monument, and Druidry has been recognised as a religion in the United Kingdom in 2010 (Beckford 2010). Modern Druidry, an “invented tradition,” conflicts with academic archaeology in its claims regarding Stonehenge (Chippindale 1986:38–58). Postmodern archaeological theories, which privilege “popular folk archaeology” (Holtorf 2005b:11), are more open to vernacular interpretations of artifacts and sites. These perspectives are broadly compatible with the deregulated religio-spiritual marketplace of the twenty-first century, which is characterized by a plethora of new religions and a pluralistic model of religious truth.1
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Isaichev, Sergei. "Superstitions and folk rites in the Samara, Saratov and Penza Governorates." Tambov University Review. Series: Humanities, no. 181 (2019): 185–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.20310/1810-0201-2019-24-181-185-191.
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Often in everyday life we have to deal with various signs and superstitions that are quite tenacious, despite their incompatibility with Orthodoxy. Superstitions usually refer to the stories of the water spirit, bogie, puck, mermaids, healers, sorcerers, etc., as well as various supernatural creatures and inexplicable phenomena. Various charms, amulets, nauzes, etc. can also be attributed to superstition, as all of the above is an attribute of witchcraft. These phenomena arose, most likely due to a lack of enlightenment, education and Orthodox culture. Superstitions come to life in the usual proverbs, sayings, signs. Many rituals and customs – weddings, christenings, funerals, and even Orthodox holidays intertwined with more ancient rituals. They cannot be destroyed, it is transferred from century to century by one generation to another down to every last detail. Therefore, folk paganism constantly attracts close attention of researchers, as well as all who would like to understand the spiritual origins of our culture today. The phenomenon of dual faith is one of the varieties of neo-paganism. We explore the superstitions and folk rites in the Samara, Saratov and Penza Governorates.
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BALSYS, Rimantas. "Paganism of the Balts: Sacred Sites, Temples and Sacrifice Sites." Наукові зошити історичного факультету Львівського університету / Proceedings of History Faculty of Lviv University, no. 22 (July 14, 2022): 51–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.30970/fhi.2021.22.3676.
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It has been noted by many scholars that in order to understand a people’s history, customs, folklore, folk music, folk art, architecture, literature, theater, art and any other area of culture, one must first learn of their religion and mythology. Based on written sources known today, as well as findings and published work from other academic disciplines (linguistics, folklore, ethnology, archaeology and others), it can be stated that the main features of Baltic paganism should be considered the following: a) an abundance of hierarchically and functionally different gods, b) the ancestor cult, c) open sacred sites with an eternal flame or one kindled during rituals, d) communal rituals performed by servants of the cult in order to confirm the cosmic order or the welfare of members of the community, e) the expression of godly powers and a return connection to the gods via mediums, and hence a deep respect for nature, and f) a conception of the afterlife as reward for loyalty to the gods and their established order. This article is dedicated to one of important elements of Baltic paganism, namely, characterizing the sacred buildings, sacred sites and sacrificial sites.
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Strmiska, Michael. "The Music of the Past in Modern Baltic Paganism." Nova Religio 8, no. 3 (March 1, 2005): 39–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/nr.2005.8.3.39.
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Modern Baltic Paganism grew out of nineteenth- and twentieth-century folklore research into the folk music, folklore and traditional ethnic cultures of Latvia and Lithuania. Research into native Latvian daina and Lithuanian daino folk songs with their rustic beauty, symbolic richness, and intriguing linkages to ancient Indo-European cultures and religions generated a new sense of pride and ethnic identity among Latvians and Lithuanians. Spiritually inclined folklorists developed religious movements that recreated rituals and beliefs linked to the dainas and dainos. Repressed during Soviet times, these movements have reemerged and flourished in the post-Soviet period. There can be no doubt that music, which over the centuries has played such a crucial role in the transmission of Latvian and Lithuanian folk traditions including native Pagan religions, will remain front and center in the continuing evolution of modern Baltic Pagan religions in Latvia and Lithuania and beyond.
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Troeva, Evgenia. "Old Shrines, New Worshipers: Cultural Practices for Connection with Nature." Yearbook of Balkan and Baltic Studies 7 (July 2024): 32–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.7592/ybbs7.02.
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There are many ancient cultural sites in Bulgaria that not only attract tourists but are also believed to facilitate a person’s connection with deities and natural forces. Today, cultural practices performed at these sacred places from the period of antiquity and the early Middle Ages are often associated with neopaganism and the New Age movement, while also incorporating elements of Bulgarian traditional culture. Through ‘mysterious’ rituals, the participants seek to connect with a higher spirituality, which they feel is missing in their everyday lives. Interest in ancient paganism is also one of the manifestations of contemporary nationalism. The feasts, reenactments and rituals presented serve to ‘re-establish’ man’s relationship with nature, with the aim of achieving health, well-being, and spiritual growth in an uncertain world. These practices often interweave esoteric and environmentalist ideas with strategies for the development of cultural tourism.
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PETROV, IGOR G., and EKATERINA А. IAGAFOVA. "EVOLUTION OF THE RELIGIOUS WORLDVIEW AND MODERN RELIGIOUS PRACTICES IN THE СHUVASH VILLAGE OF SOUTH URALS (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE VILLAGE OF KOSH-ELGA, BIZHBULYAKSKY DISTRICT OF THE REPUBLIC OF BASHKORTOSTAN)." Study of Religion, no. 4 (2021): 106–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.22250/2072-8662.2021.4.106-116.
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The article examines the confessional situation, as well as the transformation of religion and religious practices at the present stage, using the example of the Chuvash village of Kosh-Elga in the Bizhbulyak district of the Republic of Bashkortostan. Religious practices are considered in historical dynamics, starting from the last quarter of the 18th century. In addition, the influence of the parish and the church on the religion of the villagers and their ritual culture is shown: calendar and funeral and memorial rituals. The study showed that the religious situation in the village during the 18th -20th centuries developed in the direction of a gradual transition from paganism to Orthodoxy. The Chuvash settlers who settled on the Bashkir lands, although they were considered new Baptists, were actually adherents of the old, i.e., pagan religion. After the construction of the temple in the last quarter of the 19th century in the religion and religious practices of the villagers, Orthodox-pagan syncretism began to strengthen and assert itself...
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Smorzhevska, Oksana. "NEOPAGANS IN UKRAINE AS A "SOURCE OF CONFLICT": ACCORDING TO INTERNET MEDIA." Almanac of Ukrainian Studies, no. 25 (2019): 100–109. http://dx.doi.org/10.17721/2520-2626/2019.25.16.
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Virtual media like television or other types of media influence the audience from year to year more and more powerful. The role of social networks as a source of information and its interpretation is growing especially rapidly. Modern pagans (neo-pagans) in Ukraine represent a small part of religiously oriented citizens of Ukraine. However, they are also present in the information virtual space. And not only in their social groups and pagan sites. Quite often, representatives of the pagan movement of Ukraine and their worldview and lifestyle became the objects of news related to conflict situations. Typically, in virtual media, information was conveyed through the prism of “pagans and others”. Thus, voluntarily or involuntarily, there is the perception of the pagans in Ukraine and the pagan movement as a whole is somehow exotic, extravagant, sometimes dangerous and even hostile. Although paganism is not widely known in Ukraine, it is also not informationally isolated. For the majority of the population of Ukraine, paganism is more associated with “Ivan Kupala”, jumping over a fire and spectacular historical reconstructions. However, the media covers not only holidays and interesting rituals, but also conflict situations related one way or another with the rejection of the pagans and their worldview. I focused only on the most resonant cases, which received quite noticeable and lengthy coverage in the Internet media. Among them: the destruction (burning, logging, dousing) of the shrines of the pagans. Such cases became especially resonant on Khortytsya island in Zaporizhzhia, where one of the centers of the pagan movement of Ukraine, the Ruske Pravoslavne Kolo, was deployed. The acts of vandalism and religious hatred also took place in the other cities of Ukraine. Among the most high-profile cases is the destruction of a wooden statue of Perun and a stone sculpture of Svitovid (a copy of the Zbruchansky idol) in Kyiv. Also publicized was the case of the taking away by social services of children from pagan parents in Buki willage in the Zhytomyr region and their return through the court. Relations between pagans, Ukrainian Greek Catholics, and the local population of the Gusyatinsky district in the Ternopil region were difficult, too. Stormy discussions on social networks caused the burial of the pagan who died in the war, Marian Nayda.
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Roberts, Rosemary. "“Healing my Body, Healing the Land”." Ethnologies 33, no. 1 (February 14, 2012): 239–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.7202/1007804ar.
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Healing holds a central place in the tradition of Reclaiming Witchcraft, a branch of contemporary Paganism that unites magic and political activism. Rituals are opportunities to bring about healing and are commonly structured around a three-fold model: healing the self, healing each other and the community, and healing the earth. Through this model, practitioners engage with self-empowerment, community-building and political activism, but conflicts arise over the projection of personal healing techniques onto the larger scale of earth healing. Drawing on empirical research and personal involvement, this paper explores the interconnected web of healing, magic, and activism in the Reclaiming tradition.
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Rodríguez Gervás, Manuel. "Agustín de Hipona y las celebraciones en torno a los mártires." ARYS: Antigüedad, Religiones y Sociedades, no. 13 (October 5, 2017): 171. http://dx.doi.org/10.20318/arys.2017.2750.
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Resumen: Durante siglos, los cristianos celebraron el culto a los mártires con ritos, en cierta medida semejantes a los utilizados tradicionalmente en el culto a los difuntos. En concreto, con el refrigerium, que iba acompañado de celebraciones colectivas. Sin embargo, a partir de las últimas décadas del siglo IV, fue prohibida dicha práctica en diversas sedes episcopales bajo el argumento de estar contaminada de paganismo. Pero, al mismo tiempo que se prohibía, se incitaba a donar los gastos de estas celebraciones a actividades caritativas. Dicha caridad era, en gran medida, regulada por la Iglesia a través del episcopado. Así pues, creemos que no puede entenderse la prohibición de las comidas ante las tumbas de los mártires sin asociarlo al progresivo intervencionismo de los obispos, que afectaba no solo a las costumbres de los fieles, sino que también fomentaba una mayor capacidad económica de las diócesis.Abstract: For centuries, Christians celebrated the cult of the martyrs through rituals that were to a certain extent similar to those traditionally performed for the dead. More specifically, these involved the so-called refrigerium, which was accompanied by collective celebrations. However, starting in the final decades of the 4th century, this practice was prohibited in several episcopal sees, which argued that it was contaminated by paganism. Yet interestingly enough, while the specific rituals were banned, the bishops encouraged the faithful to donate the money they would have spent on these celebrations to charitable causes which they themselves controlled and regulated to a great extent. We therefore consider that this ban on feasting next to the tombs of the martyrs cannot be understood unless it is associated with the bishops’ increasing interventionism, which not only affected the customs of the faithful, but also provided the dioceses with larger financial resources.Palabras clave: Tardía Antigüedad, cristianismo, África, Agustín de HiponaKey words: Late Antiquity, Christianity, Africa,Augustine of Hippo
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Cornejo-Valle, Monica, and Borja Martin-Andino. "Elastic Rituals: A Multi-Religious Analysis of Adaptations to the COVID-19 Crisis." Religions 14, no. 6 (June 12, 2023): 773. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rel14060773.
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The COVID-19 crisis truly challenged social interaction, the use of space and objects, as well as our sense of purpose and meaning in life. In this context, religious communities faced sudden interruption of their usual activities, lack of access to communal spaces and a global epidemic that summoned ancient “medieval plague” anxieties to work with. This article focuses on the vast repertoire of adaptations and reactions to the crisis that several religious communities developed in Spain. Our research is based on 40 conversations with members of Protestant and Evangelical denominations, Sunni Islam, Orthodox churches, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Church of Scientology, Baha’i, Seventh-day Adventist Church, Christian Science and Paganism, all of them minorities in the traditionally Catholic country. To analyze this repertoire of adaptations we focus on three aspects: the general context of changes and challenges, the ritual adaptations and the subjective experience of the adaptations. Grace Q. Zhang’s theories on linguistic elasticity will be applied to understand the elasticity of ritual adaptations in COVID times.
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Odegova, Kseniya Igorevna, and Ekaterina Vasilievna Bykova. "Syncretism of Paganism and Orthodoxy in the Mari and Udmurt Cultures: Confessional markers in the natural landscape." Человек и культура, no. 6 (June 2023): 19–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.25136/2409-8744.2023.6.69176.
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For Russia as a multinational country, with a rich history and traditions, as well as a specific way of life, the topic of double faith is still relevant to this day. The subject of the study is the confessional markers of dual faith in the Mari and Udmurt cultures in modern settlements of the southern districts of the Kirov region. The aim of the work is to analyze the representation and visualization of the syncretism of paganism and Orthodoxy in the Mari and Udmurt cultures through confessional markers in the natural landscape of the southern districts of the Kirov region. The empirical basis of the research is the materials of the 2017-2023 expeditions to the Kizmez and Malmyzhsky districts of the Kirov region, where Mari and Udmurts live, who are third and fourth most numerous population of the Kirov region. Based on the methods of analyzing the features of religious and ethno-cultural interactions of these peoples and analyzing sacred objects inscribed in the natural landscape, the authors used methods of historical and cultural comparison and analysis of textual materials. New objects of the sacred natural landscape have been identified among the Mari and Udmurts, in which there is a deification of nature. It manifests itself in such confessional markers as sacred groves and fields where pagan deities, spirits of the forest were worshipped. In addition, the sacred meaning was carried by the sanctuaries of heroes and places associated with the souls of the dead, inscribed in the natural landscape of the area. The novelty of the research consists in clarifying the specifics of some rituals, supplementing information about the beliefs of the Udmurts and Mari, introducing new objects of the sacred cultural landscape into scientific circulation, which is designated as the intangible cultural heritage of the peoples of the Vyatka Region. The authors come to the conclusion that some fragments of pagan beliefs and rituals among the Mari and Udmurts still exist and are closely connected with the natural landscape and memories of places of worship, the historical memory of the people. At the same time, Orthodoxy has taken deep roots and strong roots in the hearts of these peoples. But the historical and comparative study of religious beliefs and rituals shows that the original syncretism of Orthodoxy and paganism of the Mari and Udmurts of the southern districts of the Kirov region serve as a means of ethnic identification in the formation of the sacred cultural and natural landscape.
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Ferlat, Anne. "Rediscovering Old Gaul: Within or Beyond the Nation-State?" Religions 10, no. 5 (May 16, 2019): 331. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rel10050331.
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Paganism is an umbrella term which, along with Wicca and various eclectic Pagan paths, encompasses European native faiths or, in other words, autochthonous pre-Christian religions. Thus at the intersection of Paganism and indigenous religions the contemporary return of European native faiths arguably constitutes an example of European indigenism on the model of autochthonous peoples’ liberation movements. This paper furthers my previous analysis which addressed the theme of European native faiths and ethnopsychiatry (Ferlat 2014), where I began to explore the idea that European native faiths might offer a route for healing traumas resulting from waves of acculturation which, throughout history, have undermined specific groups in Europe nowadays labelled “ethnocultural”. Such traumas are the object of study in ethnopsychiatry and cross-cultural psychology among people who face the consequences of violent acculturation. Considering the role played by the revitalization of cultures on other continents, I continue here my reflection about the way that European indigeneity and indigenism might be incarnated by European native faiths. I focus in particular on a reconstructionist Druidic group in France, the Druidic Assembly of the Oak and the Boar (ADCS). I introduce the concept of “internal colonialism” as an analytical tool to understand the meaning of one of its rituals which relates to Old Gaul and epitomizes a decolonizing stance. I conclude that the ADCS embodies a specific native project: an internal decolonization and peaceful indigenization process at work within a nation-state. However given a context where internal colonization is not officially recognized, the potential resilience of such a process remains uncertain.
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Zhilina, Natalya. "The Pagan Program of the Early Slavic Art: Man and Animals." Stratum plus. Archaeology and Cultural Anthropology, no. 5 (October 29, 2021): 111–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.55086/sp215111127.
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On the base of stylistic and iconographic analysis of the early Slavic pagan artwork, it is possible to see that programs for their creation can be some realistic, semantic, semiotic, decorative agendas behind it. In reality, these types of programs were combined. Realistic works are unknown, but they are mentioned in written sources. Idols most fully embody the semantic program, depicting the unfolding scheme of the world, showing the role of gods and the place of people and demons in it. Cover plates and templates with images of people, animals and synthetic creatures formed both semantic and semiotic compositions with a tendency to ornamentalism, used together and separately. With symbols and signs, they reflected the connection between gods, people and animals, the possibility of their mutual transformations, reflected by rituals. Compositions of these images could be connected with pagan sanctuaries and rituals. Fibulae, items of military equipment, belt sets carry either more decorative compositions (palmate fibulae), or more semiotic ones (fibulae with a ribbon border, anthropozoomorphic fibulae, belt sets corresponding to these types of fibulae). Signs are included in the systems of symbols and meanings that exist outside of things, but they inscribe things precisely there, into the culture and picture of the world of Slavic paganism, where the gods are anthropomorphic, where man conquers animals and other enemies. The sign of anthropomorphism is placed in the center.
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Gracheva, Maria P. "Experience of studying ornaments on kiselnitsa from the collection of the Nizhny Novgorod State Reserve Museum of History and Architecture." Issues of Museology 13, no. 1 (2022): 97–109. http://dx.doi.org/10.21638/spbu27.2022.107.
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The article presents the experience of studying one of the types of peasant pottery — kiselnitsa. In the collection of Nizhny Novgorod Museum-Reserve there are kiselnitsy of the 19th — early 20th centuries with relief ornaments that were imprinted on the kissel. This ritual dish was served in the Nizhny Novgorod Region at commemorations and weddings, so the kiselnitsa’s ornament is of particular importance. Researchers from different fields study ornament as an anthropological and cultural-historical phenomenon and come to the conclusion that it can indicate both the belonging of an object to a certain ritual and demonstrate a universal sign system adopted in a particular society. This is especially true for ethnographic objects. Numer ous works on ornaments on traditional Russian embroidery and wood carving have already been written, but clay is little explored in this regard. However, kiselnitsy provide ample op portunities, since the ornaments on them are very diverse: geometric, vegetable, zoomorphic. The author examined eight objects with different ornamentation, divided the ornaments into types, and through universal signs characteristic of Slavic paganism as well as displayed in other types of Russian crafts, tried to reveal the meaning of the ornament and its belonging to a particular ritual. Only such an in-depth study of the object will allow us to better understand its cultural and historical significance and thereby expand its exposition possibilities in the museum. Communication with the object will be built in a new way: kiselnitsy can broadcast information not only about life, crafts and aesthetics of our ancestors, but about their ideas about the world and the rituals, traces of which are found in modern society.
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Stasulane, Anita. "A Reconstructed Indigenous Religious Tradition in Latvia." Religions 10, no. 3 (March 14, 2019): 195. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rel10030195.
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In the early 20th century, Dievturība, a reconstructed form of paganism, laid claim to the status of an indigenous religious tradition in Latvia. Having experienced various changes over the course of the century, Dievturība has not disappeared from the Latvian cultural space and gained new manifestations with an increase in attempts to strengthen indigenous identity as a result of the pressures of globalization. This article provides a historical analytical overview about the conditions that have determined the reconstruction of the indigenous Latvian religious tradition in the early 20th century, how its form changed in the late 20th century and the types of new features it has acquired nowadays. The beginnings of the Dievturi movement show how dynamic the relationship has been between indigeneity and nationalism: indigenous, cultural and ethnic roots were put forward as the criteria of authenticity for reconstructed paganism, and they fitted in perfectly with nativist discourse, which is based on the conviction that a nation’s ethnic composition must correspond with the state’s titular nation. With the weakening of the Soviet regime, attempts emerged amongst folklore groups to revive ancient Latvian traditions, including religious rituals as well. Distancing itself from the folk tradition preservation movement, Dievturība nowadays nonetheless strives to identify itself as a Latvian lifestyle movement and emphasizes that it represents an ethnic religion which is the people’s spiritual foundation and a part of intangible cultural heritage. In the 21st century, Dievturība is characterized by conflicting aspects: on the one hand, a desire is expressed to contrast itself and its ethnic views from globalization tendencies in its activities, but on the other hand New Age concepts and a self-reflexive character has entered its discourse.
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Mueller, Michelle. "If all acts of love and pleasure are Her rituals, what about BDSM? Feminist culture wars in contemporary Paganism." Theology & Sexuality 24, no. 1 (June 20, 2017): 39–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13558358.2017.1339930.
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Şvrea, Adrian Nicolae. "From Paganism to Christianity and the Administrative-Ecclesiastical Integration of the Parishes on the Middle Valley of Târnava Mare in the Twelfth to Fourteenth Centuries." Review of Ecumenical Studies Sibiu 13, no. 3 (December 1, 2021): 452–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/ress-2021-0043.
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Abstract This paper aims at describing the process through which religious rites and rituals have changed within settlements located along the middle valley of the Târnava Mare River, evolving from pagan manifestations to the emergence of Catholic ecclesiastic institutions, contributing thus to a new regional religious identity. The archaeological findings of the Mediaş group indicates the practice of the cremation rite in this particular area, which was a common custom up until the mid-ninth century. In the following ninth to eleventh century period, however, there is a gap in archaeological evidence relevant to the funeral rite; no burial grounds or cemeteries have been identified, and only one settlement in Albeşti (Mureş County) was found. The Târnava Mare basin was shortly encompassed within the Hungarian Kingdom. Thus, starting with the twelfth century, a series of indagines were built and defended by the Szeklers’ communities. The cemetery on the so-called Dealul Viilor in Sighişoara is attributed to the Szeklers. A new burial ritual was observed, namely an anthropomorphic practice, after German populations settled down along the Târnava Mare valley and after the arrival of Dominican monks in Sighişoara, where they erected a Dominican convent. From an institutional point of view, these settlements were placed under the jurisdiction of the Transylvanian bishopric and of the chapters/ diaconates of Mediaş, Laslea/Criş, Târnava Mare, Târnava Mica, Saschiz, Tileagd.
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Kippenberg, Hans. ""Consider that it is a Raid on the Path of God": The Spiritual Manual of the Attackers of 9/11." Numen 52, no. 1 (2005): 29–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1568527053083485.
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AbstractThe document found with three of the four cells responsible for the crimes of 9/11 is unique in providing specific information about how the Muslim suicide terrorists conceived of their action. The document shows that they found justification for violence by emulating the moment in early Islamic history when Muhammad cancelled contracts with non-Muslims and organized raids (ghazwa) against the Meccans in order to establish Islam as a political order. No statement in the Manual explicitly identifies the United States as the financial, military, and political center of today's paganism; rather, such identification is tacitly assumed, as was shown by the action itself. Instead, the Manual prescribes recitations, prayers and rituals by which each member of the four cells should prepare for the ghazwa, purify his intention and anticipate in his mind the successive stages of the struggle to come. Not the objective aim but the subjective intention is at the center of the Manual. The article places this type of justification of violence in the history of Islamic activism since the 1980s.
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Geertz, Njal J. "Religionsskiftet i sen vikingetid – Belyst ud fra Harvey Whitehouses teori om religiøse modaliteter." Kuml 60, no. 60 (October 31, 2011): 115–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.7146/kuml.v60i60.24512.
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The religious transition in the Late Viking Age examined on the basis of Harvey Whitehouse’s theory of religious modalityThe point of no return in the transition between pagan and Christian religious systems is pinpointed as the inscription on a rune stone erected between the two burial mounds at Jelling. Since the religious change did not take place exclusively in the Late Viking Age, the time frame of this article is restricted to before AD 1000. The main geographical area from which empirical data are available is loosely defined as that comprising present day Scandinavia and Northern Germany.The archaeological evidence employed by earlier scholars in examining the religious transition in this area falls mainly into three categories: burials, cult sites and the site of Jelling. The interpretation reached on the basis of these finds was that the transition from Paganism to Christianity occurred without conflict because the structure of the pagan cult was the same as that in the Christian Church. This interpretation appears somewhat unfounded in the archaeological record. By using Harvey Whitehouse’s theory of divergent modes of religiosity (DMR), the aim of this article is to gain a more detailed and consistent picture of the religious mode prior to the transition from Paganism to Christianity.In short, Harvey Whitehouse’s theory claims that all religiosity is either imagistic or doctrinal, depending on how the participants in various religions organise their rituals and how they create religious meaning.The imagistic mode is characterised by low frequency, high arousal (often violent) rituals where religious meaning is created by what Harvey Whitehouse calls spontaneous exegetical reflection. In combination, these activate the episodic memory when participating in religious activities. The participants in imagistic rituals often live in societies with a low degree of centralisation and often with weak or even no ritual leadership. This religious mode also has a small-scale and slow geographical spread because of the personal nature of the rituals.The doctrinal mode is characterised by high-frequency rituals with low arousal, where religious meaning is taught by logical, integrated narratives. In combination, these activate the semantic memory when participating in such rituals. This mode is found in societies with a high degree of centralisation and is carried by a strong religious leadership, making a large-scale and rapid spread possible.The DMR theory has 12 defining variables which have opposing qualities depending on the modality distinguishable in the archaeological record. The idea is to apply the DMR theory to selected archaeological sources consisting of the following find categories: burials, burial sites, central places and monumental burials.The first find category discussed is the burials and burial sites of the Late Viking Age. This category contains much information relevant to several variables in DMR. When specific combinations of weapons and equestrian grave goods, and special grave constructions, are considered, the evidence seems to suggest that, on a regional level, there are clear similarities between these types of burials, corresponding to the doctrinal modality. Based on an interpretation of similarities existing over a significant time period, it is assumed that a control of the narrative underlines the ritual objects employed. In contrast, the burial sites described in the case studies from the Late Viking Age seem to reflect a hierarchical organization of the burial sites and a distribution of the overall number of grave goods in the graves which shows traits resembling imagistic modality. Since the latter sites show a segmented heterogeneous distribution of grave goods, they are interpreted as an expression of a small-scale, exclusive religious burial system. This is also reflected in the gender and age distribution of the skeletal remains with a secure dating to the Late Viking Age. The material here clearly shows that a large proportion of the living population was denied access to the burial sites, and since almost all skeletal remains were found on burial sites, this is interpreted as corresponding to imagistic modality for the society as a whole.The central places are relevant because it is here we find the remains of cult buildings from the periods leading up to the Viking Age. The archaeological record reveals that there were specific buildings where different rituals were performed over a considerable period of time. The various objects found in the buildings, such as bracteates, gold foil figures and drinking vessels, are mentioned in the context of their religious interpretation. The conclusion reached is that the objects seem to undergo a degree of formalisation towards a more abstract expression, which I claim is based on a greater dependency on narratives in understanding and recognising the images depicted on the objects. This dependency on religious narratives corresponds to the doctrinal modality. On the other hand, the fact that these central places had such long periods of activity, and that they are located within the chieftains’ farmsteads, seems to indicate that the rituals performed within the buildings were not “public” in a broad sense, but were generally exclusive and thus an imagistic trait.The final archaeological source comprises the monumental long-ship burials dating from the Late Viking Age. An interpretation proposed by Tejrne Gansum, based on the evidence from the long-ship burial at Oseberg in Norway, claims that these burials were constructed as public events, where significant sacrifices of valuables, livestock and even people were performed on the ship like on the stage of a theatre. These burials are considered to be violent and to represent events which quite easily could activate episodic memory; they are therefore considered to be manifestations of imagistic modality.The two foreign written sources, the chronicle of Adam of Bremen and the travel accounts of Ibn Fadlan, were chosen because much of the information they contain can be verified by the archaeological record. Adam of Bremen’s account confirms that there were specific buildings where the cult and rituals were performed. The specific drinking and sacrificial rituals described in the text also correspond to evidence in the archaeological record. It is also noted that the frequency of these rituals was very low. In Ibn Fadlan’s travelogue, a supposed Viking ship burial is described. This source provides a large amount of information, not all of which, however, can be confirmed by the archaeological record. The verifiable information shows that the choice of sacrificial objects and the drinking rituals were consistent with Adam of Bremen’s chronicle. Apart from these observations, it is also noted that the spectators were not given specific information by the participants in the ritual, yet they still knew which actions were taking place inside the tent erected on the ship. What is described here seems to fit with imagistic modality.The conclusion reached in this article is that the structure of the pre-Christian religion was not identical to that of the Christian religion, but that there were significant similarities. These similarities are due to the fact that the nobility of the pre-Christian period made great use of religious narrative and were therefore accustomed to control and strong religious leadership indicative of doctrinal modality. The peaceful shift in religion is most likely due to the circumstance that it was the same nobility that erected cult houses in the Viking Age which were also responsible for the construction and ownership of the first wooden churches. Their willingness to change must have been based on personal sympathies towards the Christian message.Njal J. GeertzRingkøbing-Skjern Museum
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ЯГАФОВА, Е. А., and А. И. ИВАНОВА. "Похоронно-поминальные обычаи и обряды чувашей северо-востока Самарского Заволжья (верховья р. Большой Черемшан): традиции и современность." ТРАДИЦИОННАЯ КУЛЬТУРА, no. 1 (March 25, 2019): 79–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.26158/tk.2019.20.1.008.
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В статье рассмотрены похоронно-поминальные обряды чувашей, проживающих на северо-востоке Самарского Заволжья (в верховьях р. Большой Черемшан). Актуальность исследования обусловлена необходимостью изучения современных религиозных практик чувашей с учетом сохранения традиционных верований и культа и внедрения в них новаций вследствие социальных трансформаций и межкультурных взаимодействий. Выбор ареала исследования обусловлен тем, что здесь исторически соприкасались разные конфессии - язычество, православие, ислам. В статье показана динамика развития похоронно- поминальной обрядности чувашей данного ареала на протяжении полутора столетий (середина XIX - начало XXI в.). Особенности похоронно-поминальной обрядности чувашей изучаемого ареала обусловлены их конфессиональной принадлежностью и в соответствии с ней содержат ключевые характеристики языческого или православного комплекса. Традиционные элементы в обрядности некрещеных чувашей составляют ее основу, в то время как у христиан они вытеснены на периферию; базовые характеристики обрядности основаны на христианской традиции и служат фундаментом религиозной идентичности православных чувашей. Внедрение новаций указывает на изменчивость похоронно-поминальных обычаев вследствие смены религиозной идентичности, а также в результате модернизации социально-бытовых условий, трансформации традиционных социальных институтов. The article deals with funeral and commemorative customs and rituals of the Chuvash living in the Northeast of the Samara Trans-Volga Region. The study concerns modern religious practices of the Chuvash people, taking into account both the preservation of traditional beliefs and worship and innovations due to social change. The region in question is characterized by the fact that different confessions - paganism, Orthodoxy, and Islam - have historically come into contact here. The article shows the dynamics of the funeral and commemorative cus- toms and rituals of the Chuvash of this area during one and a half centuries (mid 19th - early 20th century). It demonstrates that various features of funeral and commemorative customs and rituals of the Chuvash in the area are due to their religious affiliation and contain key pagan or Orthodox characteristics. Traditional elements in the rite of passage of the unbaptized Chuvash form the basis of some rites, while Christian ones are displaced to its periphery. Key characteristics of rites based on Christian tradition serve as the foundation of the religious identity of the Orthodox Chuvash. The innovations indicate the variability of funeral and memorial customs not only due to changes of religious identity, but also as a result of the modernization of social conditions and the transformation of traditional social institutions.
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Oparin, O. A. "Medicine in the Byzantine empire: history and philosophy." Shidnoevropejskij zurnal vnutrisnoi ta simejnoi medicini 2020, no. 2b (December 2020): 70–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.15407/internalmed2020.02b.070.
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It is shown that the history of medicine in the Byzantine Empire is characterized by almost complete stagnation of development throughout the entire thousand years of the empire, for which characteristic was the domination of religious and magical practices represented as astrology, magic, occultism, neoplatonism over scientific ones, extremely low levels of education and training of doctors. The article points out that one of the leading causes of stagnation of the development of medical science in the Byzantine Empire was the formation of the civil church, which was completely controlled, both in administrative and doctrinal terms, by imperial government, which led to the secularization of the church and its transformation in a great feudal lord; to introduction of pagan beliefs and provisions to the church; to formation and prosperity of superstitions and rituals characteristic of paganism. It is shown that the state subjugating church lost its necessary spiritual foundation (without which it is impossible to build a healthy and prosperous society) resulting in the formation of extremely backward socio-economic situation of Byzantium, with long persistence of slave relations, pervasive embezzlement, huge bureaucracy, corrupt executive system, sharp stratification of society, low level of science in general and medicine in particular.
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Podchasov, Alexey Sergeevich. "The concept of glory in the Russian religious culture and secular discourse." Филология: научные исследования, no. 8 (August 2020): 36–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.7256/2454-0749.2020.8.31778.
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This article is dedicated to conceptualization of the notion of glory in the Russian religious culture and secular discourse. Texts of the Holy Scripture indicate etymological relation of glory to the Ancient Hebrew root kbd (to be heavy, important, liver), which imposes additional meanings to the concept, not recorded in the dictionaries. For example, ancient Jews interpreted glory as a true value of the objects of corporeal and incorporeal world, which could be measured, “weighed”. Usage of the word glory in folklore, particularly in Christmas carols, as an imperative incantation can testify to the belief in the magic qualities of this word, as well as to connection of paganism and a religious rituals in people’s mind. As a result of comparative and hermeneutic analysis, the author concludes that in the religious context, glory retains the idea of the interconnectivity and interconditionality of hearing and speech, typical to the Indo-European root kleu, from which is stems from. A centuries-old process of de-ontologization led the loss of the internal form and value elements of semantic structure of glory, which caused distortion of this Christian concept in consciousness of the Russian native speakers. In the secular, profane discourse, fame became the key meaning of glory. However, in consciousness of the Russian native speakers, the word glory remains a significant source of cultural-linguistic information, which cannot be understood without reference to the history, traditions and religion of the nation.
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Baulo, A. V. "Evidence Relating to the Christian Missions in the Trans-Urals and Northwestern Siberia (8th to 16th centuries)." Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia 47, no. 3 (September 21, 2019): 104–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.17746/1563-0110.2019.47.3.104-110.
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This study addresses the possible activity of early Christian missions among the Vogul (Mansi) of the Urals, Trans-Urals, and northwestern Siberia between the 8th–16th centuries. Three stages in their history are described. The fi rst (700–1000 AD) was marked by the import of southwestern Central Asian silver dishes (diskoi) reproducing biblical themes and Christian symbols. Specimens from Grigorovskoye, Anikovskoye, and from the Malaya Ob had been cast in Nestorian communities of Semirechye. The imported diskoi gave rise to the tradition of offering food to deities on metal dishes. The second stage (1200–1400 AD) began when silver plaques depicting the famous theme of icon painting (“The feat of the Martyr Demetrius of Solun defeating King Kaloyan of Bulgaria”) had been imported to the region. The third stage (15th and 16th centuries) correlates with the Russian expansion to Siberia and attempts to baptize the natives. At the ceremony, baptismal symbols such as tin plaques were given to the neophytes. Apparently, most plaques represent the biblical King David and were manufactured by Russians in the late 1400s to early 1500s. In the 16th century, plaques with the fi gure of St. George appeared in Siberia. The analysis of items showing biblical and hagiographical characters and of their distribution in northwestern Siberia suggests that Christian missions were unable to oust paganism from the region. Russian religious items were used in native rituals mostly if they represented horsemen, because these seemed to allude to the son of the Ob Ugric supreme deity Mir-Susne-Khum, also depicted as a horseman.
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Roma, Andrianna. "SACRA PRIVATA: KEY ASPECTS OF PRIVATE RELIGIOUS LIFE OF ANCIENT ROME." Sophia. Human and Religious Studies Bulletin 21, no. 1 (2023): 55–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.17721/sophia.2023.21.14.
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Ancient Rome is complicated, interesting and not fully explored phenomenon even nowadays. It had a great impact on the developments in Ancient times and on the face of modern Europe. Religion plays a special role in this regard, as it acted as a social regulator and one of the mechanisms of identification, fulfilled a number of important functions that facilitated the formation of social and cultural norms, traditions, customs, and social narratives. This article offers a general description and analysis of key aspects of the private religious life of the Romans. The relevance of the study, first of all, is that the Roman society serves as a prototype of the modern European community, which Ukraine has chosen to integrate into. Particularly now, when the European issue is becoming one of the central topics of global politics and the outcome of its resolution can fundamentally change the geopolitical and socio-cultural picture of the world, it would make great sense to study the origins of European civilization. The key to overcoming modern crises can be found in history, as far as all of the situations humanity is currently facing have ever happened.Moreover, the relevance is reinforced by the fact that in recent years there has been a popularization of pagan beliefs, rituals, and traditions among the population, as well as an increasing interest in studying the phenomenon of paganism. Facing the realities of modern times, it can have either a positive or neutral effect, as well as lead to extremely destructive results.
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Ratia, Katri. "“Connected to the past”." Ciencias Sociales y Religión/Ciências Sociais e Religião 23 (August 31, 2021): e021013. http://dx.doi.org/10.20396/csr.v23i00.14914.
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Contemporary rituals at archaeological sites display competing interpretations of the past, future, and related religious, identitary and political claims—as found in research on contemporary Paganisms. This paper examines such rituality and tradition-building among the Rainbow Family. The article compares the Rainbow case to research on Paganisms, after describing what kind of ritual expressions related to archaeological sites are found in a Rainbow Gathering and how the expressions relate to each other in the frame of the collective culture. The article provides an example of crafted rituals and folkloric narratives in an ‘event-cultural’ community that recognizes the right for subjective signification. It explains how narratives and practices, while not completely convergent, can still relate to each other in the collective frame without being a threat to social cohesion or cultural coherence. In the Rainbow case, a demand for shared beliefs is replaced with participation in the shared practices, and a broad ideological division accommodating various alternative-holistic religious traditions.
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Mihajlović, Verica. "The cult of the tree as a remainder of paganism in the folk tradition of Kosovo and Metohija: Memory of the 'holy pine' in Gornje Nerodimlje in the tradition of the convocation." Bastina, no. 55 (2021): 421–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.5937/bastina31-34516.
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Folk tradition in general is very often associated with natural entities, drawing its strength from believing in their magical properties. The cult of tree is one of the remnants of pagan elements that the Church accepted, because the people resisted all church proclamations, prohibitions and with their perseverance in respecting the cult of tree in all segments of life managed to preserve it. In that endeavor, the tree was given a new semantic meaning, which resulted in its partial imposition on the church. There are numerous examples of respect for the cult of the tree, which is noticeable within the multitude of customs and rituals that are still performed in rural areas throughout Serbia. In the Serbian folk tradition, a pine tree is often considered sacred if it is planted in a significant place or by an important person. A prominent example of such a belief can be found in the village of Gornje Nerodimlje, where the pillar of parliamentary customs was a pine tree, which, according to the beliefs of today's population, was personally planted by King Milutin and sung in the folk song "Oj, bore sabore." Given the current circumstances in which the Serb population was completely evicted from Gornje Nerodimlje, thus preventing them from accessing their long-guarded and respected sanctities, the Easter gathering, which many locals describe as the happiest holiday of their lives in Kosovo and Metohija, is destroyed along with the trees which represented a central elements of this tradition. Therefore, it is especially important to preserve this tradition from the memory of older locals. The semantic connection of the song to the pine tree certainly opens the possibility of analyzing the melodies in which the musical elements of depicting the meaning of the text can be noticed. In the minds of the displaced population of Gornji Nerodimlje, the song "Oj, bore sabore" is dedicated to King Milutin's pine tree. Although according to the dilemmas presented, we cannot claim that this tree has always been known as a handicraft of this historical figure, nor that the song was sung in the honor of that tree, we cannot deny that ancient tradition to people who lived in Gornje Nerodmlje or their descendants.
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Shizhensky, Roman V. "Pagan Manifestation of the 21st Century (2022: Results and Prospects). Article I." Vestnik slavianskikh kul’tur [Bulletin of Slavic Cultures] 70 (2023): 26–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.37816/2073-9567-2023-70-26-37.
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Modern Slavic paganism is in a stage of constant development, continuous transformation. Since the first ideologues of the movement appeared (in the last third of the 1970s) the Soviet, and subsequently the Russian new paganism has managed to build intra-communal hierarchies, organizational ties of all-republican and international scale. Most pagan communities now have their own mythology, including cosmogony, theogony and end-of-the-world concepts. The leaders of the associations formulated and tested the festive-ritual system, the author’s concepts (utopias), revealing the views of young pagans on political and socio-economic development within and outside the existing state. Special attention should be paid to the new pagan “fashion”: specially developed branded clothing, narrowly specialized “ethno-mythological” tattoo, catalogs of protective (amulet) products. Despite the presence of the listed elements, allowing to consider the modern paganism from the position of the established world-outlook system, external and internal challenges oblige carriers of pre-Abrahamic religiosity to turn to the search for solutions in terms of “non-stop” timing. This paper is based on the analysis of the answers of ideologues and leaders of a number of pagan groups, considers forecasts, prospects for the development of Slavic religious nativism in the near future by 2022
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Ratia, Katri. "“Conectados com o passado”." Ciencias Sociales y Religión/Ciências Sociais e Religião 23 (August 31, 2021): Ratia. http://dx.doi.org/10.20396/csr.v23i00.14915.
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Os rituais contemporâneos em sítios arqueológicos exibem interpretações concorrentes do passado, futuro e de reivindicações religiosas, identitárias e políticas relacionadas – como encontrado em pesquisas sobre paganismos contemporâneos. Este artigo examina essa ritualidade e construção de tradição entre os participantes da Família Arco-Íris. Após descrever as expressões rituais relacionadas a sítios arqueológicos que são encontradas em um encontro Arco-Íris e como essas expressões se relacionam entre si no quadro da cultura coletiva, o artigo compara o caso Arco-Íris a pesquisas sobre o paganismo. O artigo fornece um exemplo de rituais e narrativas folclóricas elaborados em uma comunidade ”evento-cultural” que reconhece o direito à significação subjetiva. Explica-se como, embora não completamente convergentes, narrativas e práticas ainda podem se relacionar no quadro coletivo sem ser uma ameaça à coesão social ou coerência cultural. No caso Arco-Íris, a demanda por crenças compartilhadas é substituída pela participação em práticas compartilhadas e por uma ampla divisão ideológica que acomoda várias tradições religiosas holísticas alternativas.
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Malita-Król, Joanna. "Strategies of Adapting to the COVID-19 Pandemic among Contemporary Pagan Groups in Kraków, Poland." Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions 27, no. 2 (November 1, 2023): 29–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/nr.2023.27.2.29.
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In the following article, I study strategies of adapting to the pandemic-induced restrictions among four different Pagan groups that operate in the city of Kraków––three represent the Slavic Native Faith movement and one modern Druidry. My conclusions are drawn from ongoing field research among contemporary Pagans of Kraków. The ritual modifications developed by the researched groups can be divided into three strategies: first, adjusting to the restrictions during actual rituals onsite; second, relocating rituals to the online sphere; and third, refraining from official public rituals, with secret small rituals instead. The first strategy seems to be crucial for my respondents, as they perceived only the rituals onsite to have “energy,” essential to the quality of the ceremony. The two other strategies were considered as a half measure.
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Rountree, Kathryn. "Transcending time and place in the context of Covid-19." Ciencias Sociales y Religión/Ciências Sociais e Religião 23 (August 31, 2021): e021014. http://dx.doi.org/10.20396/csr.v23i00.15030.
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During 2020, because of Covid-related restrictions, opportunities to travel to sacred heritage sites dramatically decreased and Pagans’ and shamans’ gatherings and rituals necessarily moved online. This article picks up from an earlier paper (Rountree, 2006) to reconsider relationships between time, place, imagination and ritual performance in the online context. It argues that whereas in the context of “real” heritage sites, the temporal boundary between past and present seems to blur or dissolve as a result of Pagans’ embodied, material connections with a sacred place, in the online ritual context boundaries of place blur or dissolve because of synchronous temporal connections with likeminded others in sacred space. Two case studies are explored: the responses of those who gathered online to witness English Heritage’s livestreaming of Summer Solstice 2020 at Stonehenge, and the experiences of a group of modern Western shamans, mostly living in Malta, whose regular meetings shifted from members’ homes, places in nature and sacred heritage sites to Zoom in early 2020.
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ЯКОВЛЕВА, К. М., and С. А. МИХАЙЛОВА. "Modern religious trends: features of Tengrianism in traditional beliefs among the Yakuts." Vestnik of North-Eastern Federal University. Series "Economics. Sociology. Culturology", no. 1(21) (August 9, 2021): 51–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.25587/svfu.2021.21.1.006.
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Тенгрианство сегодня активно изучается и привлекает внимание научного сообщества, являясь первой монотеистической религией ранних кочевников степи современного евразийского пространства. В научном сообществе феномен «тенгри» в традиционных религиозных верованиях якутов особенно актуален в связи с ренессансом традиционализма, начавшегося в постсоветский период, а также с появлением новых религиозных течений, трансформирующих и способствующих популяризации традиций народа в условиях глобализации. Однако в современном якутском обществе явление тенгрианства в контексте традиционных религиозных верований мало распространено и изучено. Следовательно, целью данного исследования выступает изучение роли тенгрианства и его основных черт в традиционных религиозных верованиях якутов, а также современных религиозных направлений (на примере веры в Айыы по учению Л. А. Афанасьева-Тэриса). В статье указаны черты тенгрианства, которые являются основополагающими в традиционных верованиях якутов. Стоит отметить, что в ходе работы был задействован метод интервью, позволяющий ближе познакомиться с учением Л. А. Афанасьева-Тэриса, который разработал данное учение на основе исторических фактов и свидетельств, используя архивные источники. Таким образом, в результате исследования выяснили, что основные черты тенгрианства представлены в традиционных верованиях якутов, особенно в обрядах жизненного цикла. Так, тенгрианство сохраняется в современном якутском обществе как явление неоязычества благодаря сохранению мифологии, традиций и использованию основных обрядов на праздниках. В выводе также был поднят вопрос о религиозной самоидентификации современного якутского общества, что говорит о дальнейшем изучении данного вопроса. Tengrianism is actively studied today and attracts the attention of the scientific community, being the first monotheistic religion of the early nomads of the steppe of the modern Eurasian space. In the scientific community, the phenomenon of “tengri” in the traditional religious beliefs of the Yakuts is especially relevant, in connection with the renaissance of traditionalism that began in the post-Soviet period, as well as with the emergence of new religious trends that transform and promote the popularization of the traditions of the people in the context of globalization. However, in modern Yakut society, the phenomenon of Tengrianism in the context of traditional religious beliefs is not widely spread and studied. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to study the role of Tengrianism and its main features in the traditional religious beliefs of the Yakuts, as well as modern religious trends (using the example of faith in Ayyy according to the teachings of L. A. Afanasyev-Teris). The article shows the features of Tengrianism, which are fundamental in the traditional beliefs of the Yakuts. It is worth noting that in the course of the work, the interview method was used, which allows you to get acquainted with the teachings of L. A. Afanasyev-Teris, who developed this teaching on the basis of historical facts and evidence, using archival sources. Thus, as a result of the research, it was found out that the main features of Tengrianism are represented in the traditional beliefs of the Yakuts, especially in the rituals of the life cycle. Thus, Tengrianism is preserved in modern Yakut society as a phenomenon of neo-paganism due to the preservation of mythology, traditions and the use of basic rituals on holidays. The conclusion also raised the question of the religious self-identification of the modern Yakut society, which indicates further study of this issue.
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Boissière, Nicolas, and Yael Dansac. "Creativity, Adaptation, and Innovation in Contemporary Paganism and New Age during the COVID-19 Pandemic." Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions 27, no. 2 (November 1, 2023): 5–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/nr.2023.27.2.5.
Full textAbstract:
This special issue of Nova Religio aims to document and analyze how creativity, adaptation, and innovation occurred in contemporary Paganism and New Age during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on long-term fieldworks mainly focused on ritual practices, the four articles gathered here provide original ethnographic case studies on the reception of the coronavirus crisis in five European locations: Portugal, Greece, Poland, the United Kingdom, and France. In addition to investigating ritual creativity, these articles offer innovative discussions on central concepts for the study of contemporary Paganism and New Age, as well as methodological and epistemological reflections on conducting ethnography, both offline and online, during challenging times.
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Омельянчук, С. В. "The Influence of the Christian Church on the Formation of Reproductive Behavior in the Old Russian Family." Historia provinciae - the journal of regional history, no. 1 (March 15, 2023): 72–107. http://dx.doi.org/10.23859/2587-8344-2023-7-1-2.
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В статье рассматривается роль церкви в формировании репродуктивного поведения в древнерусской семье. Историографический анализ проблемы показывает, что до настоящего времени она не получила окончательного разрешения ни в отечественной, ни в зарубежной литературе. Христианство играло значительную роль в поддержании значимости деторождения в древнерусском обществе, провозглашая появление потомства главной целью брака. Эта позиция церкви была близка мирянам, для которых рождение наследника означало возможность передать ему нажитое имущество, социальный статус, власть, обеспечить поминовение души. В средневековом обществе ответственность за отсутствие детей возлагалась на женщину. Бездетность для нее чаще всего означала пострижение в монастырь, иногда насильственное. Принятие бесплодной женой пострига было единственной возможностью для мужчины расторгнуть бездетный союз и получить надежду на отцовство в новом браке. Учитывая важность продления рода, супруги старались любыми способами получить долгожданное потомство. Для решения проблемы чадородия они обращались за помощью не только к христианской церкви, но и к языческим обрядам, вызывая недовольство церкви, выступавшей против любых проявлений язычества. С точки зрения христианства, рождение ребенка – это дар Божий, следовательно, получить его можно только с помощью веры и молитвы. Священники вели ожесточенную борьбу против любых способов недопущения беременности, ее прерывания. Строго наказывались мужья, действия которых создавали угрозу прерывания беременности у их жен. Еще более решительные действия предпринимала церковь в борьбе с убийством новорожденных. Она постоянно ужесточала ответственность матери за это преступление: от строгой епитимии до смертной казни. Автор приходит к выводу, что в древнерусском обществе церковь взяла на себя функцию формирования репродуктивного поведения. Она сводилась, с одной стороны, к поощрению многодетности, борьбе с различными действиями, направленными на предотвращение беременности или избавление от ребенка, а с другой – к противодействию любым пережиткам язычества, даже если они использовались для преодоления проблемы бесплодия. The article examines the role of the church in the formation of reproductive behavior in the Old Russian family. The historiographical analysis of the problem shows that it has not been solved in either domestic or foreign literature. Christianity played a significant role in maintaining the importance of childbearing in ancient Russian society, proclaiming the appearance of offspring as the main purpose of marriage. This position of the church was close to the laity, for whom the birth of an heir meant the opportunity to pass down the acquired property, social status and power to children, to ensure prayer for the dead. In medieval society, the responsibility for the absence of children was assigned to a woman. Her childlessness was often followed by taking the monastic veil, sometimes forcibly. Taking the veil by his wife was the only opportunity for a man to terminate a childless marriage and get a chance of hope for fatherhood in a new marriage. Given the importance of procreation, married couples tried to have the long-awaited offspring by any means. To solve the problem of childbearing, they turned for help not only to the Christian church but also to pagan rituals, thus causing discontent of the church, which opposed the manifestations of paganism in matters of conception. From the Christian point of view, the birth of a child is a gift from God, and therefore it can be obtained only with the help of faith and prayer. The priests waged a fierce struggle against any means of preventing pregnancy and its termination. The husbands whose actions threatened to terminate their wives’ pregnancies were severely punished. Even more decisive actions were taken by the church in the fight against the murder of newborns. It constantly tightened the mother’s responsibility for this crime, from strict penance to the death penalty. The author comes to the conclusion that in ancient Russian society the church assumed the function of forming reproductive behavior. It was reduced, on the one hand, to encouraging large families with many children and combating any actions aimed at preventing pregnancy or getting rid of a child and, on the other hand, to countering any vestiges of paganism, even if they were used to overcome the problem of infertility.
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Kaplūnaitė, Irma. "Deviant Burials in Medieval Vilnius: Saints or Criminals?" Ukraina Lithuanica. Studìï z ìstorìï Velikogo knâzìvstva Litovsʹkogo 2024, no. VII (July 1, 2024): 85–110. http://dx.doi.org/10.15407/ul2024.07.085.
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Christian cemeteries are distinguished by certain typical burial rites. Some of the rites are characteristic of this religion, while others are common and have been known since the Stone Age. However, in all the Christian burial sites across Europe, there are always some unusual graves, sometimes called deviant (or atypical) burials; they differ from other graves and their exceptionality can occur in various burial elements. Although the first distinctive features that come to mind when conducting archaeological investigations in Christian burials are decapitation or burial in a prone position, there are many more possible distinctive features to consider. These could be burials in unusual places (isolated areas of a cemetery), burials in unusual positions, decapitations, cut-off limbs, presence of sharp objects within the body, stones or coins inside the mouth, mass graves, stoned burials covered with stones, cremation in an inhumation site (partial cremation), crime, torture, evidence of special rituals on skeletons, and so on. The following elements are to be considered when discussing deviant burials: 1) location of a grave, 2) construction of a grave, 3) spatial orientation, and 4) body treatment. When it comes to the deviant burials in medieval or modern European cemeteries, atypical cases are usually associated with vampires and witches. In Lithuania, unusual graves are sometimes associated with Pagan relics and ethnography. Deviant burials could also be accorded to outcasts of the community: criminals, people who have committed suicide, or those who have not been baptised. In other cases, a possible deep faith of the deceased is emphasised. Recently, a new field of research - 'judicial archaeology' - has emerged, in which it is sought to explain unusual burials as a possible punishment for criminals rather than a magical act. It can be concluded that the number of deviant burials discovered in the analysed medieval cemeteries was not that high. Some cases may indicate a different perception of the assessment of a deceased person, but there are few of them (except for beheading). The other cases can often be simply explained practically. For example, the stones could be related to wooden constructions of the grave, various pathologies determined the distinctive positioning of the body, the outcasts of the community (criminals or suicides) could be buried in a more secluded place, and so on. Of course, one can identify the relics of Paganism in unusual burials, especially in cases when the deceased was interred on the side or in a prone position.
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Shizhenskiy, R. V., and P. P. Kocheganova. "Representations of the Iron Din Movement in Socio-Сommunicative and Historical-Cultural Discourses." Concept: philosophy, religion, culture 6, no. 1 (March 27, 2022): 50–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.24833/2541-8831-2022-1-21-50-61.
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In this article, we attempt to identify the topical issues of the religious movement Iron Din in socio-communicative, historical, cultural, and political discourses. The study applies on the interdisciplinary approach based on a systematic review of textual materials, scientific research devoted to Iron Din, and interviewing adherents of this movement. Iron Din has a dual nature, incorporating both the essence of the traditional Ossetian religion and the specifics inherent to new religious movements. In our opinion, this specific dualism and ambivalence are one of the key features of Iron Din. We have identified a number of prerequisites for the spread and popularization of Iron Din as one of the forms of religious self-identification in modern Ossetian culture. These are globalization, digitalization, the prevalence of visual culture over verbal culture (the so-called visual turn), and the mythologization of modern mass culture. The analysis of the data obtained from the source base enables us to identify key problem areas in the development of the Iron Din movement at the present stage. Among the most acute issues affecting the worldview basis of the movement are the following: firstly, the problem of religious self-identification (monotheism, paganism, syncretism), secondly, the problem of respondents' religious choices (family tradition, personal choice) and thirdly, the problem of inter-confessional conflicts (confrontation with Orthodoxy, mainly in digital format, i.e. on the Internet information platforms). All of them have enabled us to draw the following conclusion: at present, Iron Din is a syncretic movement including both loci of traditional Ossetian beliefs and a set of elements typical for new religious movements. Iron Din has absorbed the autochthonous customs, rituals, and norms of behavior of the Ossetian people, which acquired a new interpretation in terms of globalization. According to the respondents, the most important characteristics that an Iron Din believer should possess include courage, modesty, moderation, honesty, respect for seniors, etc. Religious illiteracy and a decline in morality appear among the shortcomings identified by the respondents. According to the survey, inter-confessional disagreements are not widespread and are accumulated exclusively within the digital discourse. The results of the interviews and the systematic review have shown that the cult of nature is not prevailing or autonomous in Iron Din: it is sacred natural loci (places of prayer) and a material expression of culture. It is better to define the Iron Din movement as a part of national identity, largely formed under the influence of religious syncretism and the fledgling movements of the new century.
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Буробина, П. А. "Конструирование образа деревни в обрядах русских неоязычников / Constructing the Image of the Village in the Rituals of Russian Neo-Pagans." Вестник антропологии (Herald of Anthropology), no. 2024 № 2 (June 2024): 102–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.33876/2311-0546/2024-2/102-117.
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В статье рассматривается обрядность русских неоязычников и способы конструирования определенного деревенского образа горожанами. Представлено описание неоязыческого обряда во внегородском пространстве и описана трансформация участников в городской и сельской среде, а также до, после и во время самого обряда. Исследование показывает, как соотносятся русские неоязычники с сельскими жителями, и есть ли пути их взаимодействия. В качестве источника представлены материалы полевого исследования русской неоязыческой общины в 2020–2021 гг. Анализ полевых материалов позволяет определить способы конструирования виртуальной сельскости, а также выделить элементы создаваемого образа деревни. В статье рассматриваются основные элементы русских неоязыческих обрядов, которые проводит изучаемая община, а также описывается внешний вид участников и способ их взаимодействия во время обряда. Подчеркиваются основные элементы обряда, которые в большей степени способствуют конструированию виртуальной сельскости. Также исследование показывает, как долго существует конструируемый образ деревни после окончания обряда, и насколько это зависит от вида обряда и окружающей среды. Автором поднимается вопрос, относительно того, так ли важна атмосфера самого обряда и создаваемой сельскости, или основная цель касается стремления сохранить культуру и стать ее частью. The article studies the ritualism of Russian neo-pagans and the ways in which townspeople construct a certain image of the village. The author describes a neo-pagan rite in an extra-urban space and the transformation of participants in urban and rural environments before, after and during the rite itself. The study shows how Russian neo-pagans relate to villagers and whether there are ways of their interaction. The paper is based on a field study of the Russian neo-pagan community in 2020–2021. The author identifies the ways of constructing the virtual ruralness and highlights the elements of the created image of the village. The article discusses the main elements of Russian neo-pagan rituals conducted by the studied community and describes the appearance of the participants and the way they interact during the ritual. This study emphasizes the main elements of the ritual that contribute to the construction of the virtual village. The study also shows how long the constructed image of the village exists after the rite is over, and how much this depends on the type of rite and the environment. The article raises a question as to whether the atmosphere of the ritual and the village that is created matters itself, or whether the participants are mainly driven by the desire to preserve the culture and become part of it.
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Jiménez Sánchez, Juan Antonio. "«Isti non christiani, sed pagani sunt»: pervivencias paganas y críticas eclesiásticas en Hispania durante la Antigüedad tardía." Hispania Sacra 73, no. 147 (June 29, 2021): 77–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.3989/hs.2021.007.
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En el presente trabajo, analizamos algunos de los principales testimonios concernientes a la idolatría en Hispania entre los siglos IV y VII para comprobar cuánto de los rituales paganizantes pertenecía a la esfera del culto y cuánto al espectro de lo meramente folclórico. Asimismo, nos interesa sobremanera captar la visión del eclesiástico, quien, independientemente de la verdadera naturaleza de estas manifestaciones, las interpretó siempre en clave politeísta. En efecto, fueran o no un fenómeno cultual, tales expresiones de la religiosidad popular resultaban del todo ajenas a la fe de Cristo, por lo que para las autoridades religiosas constituían el fruto de los engaños de Satán y de sus ángeles y, por tanto, eran siempre condenables.
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García-Manso, Angélica, and Francisco Javier Tovar-Paz. "Imaginarios teatrales en filmes de ambientación medieval: motivos paganos en El señor de la guerra (The War Lord, 1965), de Franklin J. Schaffner, y Alfredo el Grande (Alfred the Great, 1969), de Clive Donner." eari educación artística revista de investigación, no. 13 (December 30, 2022): 77. http://dx.doi.org/10.7203/eari.13.24064.
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En cierta medida, el teatro medieval se percibe como una realidad difusa tanto para la investigación académica como en el marco de su concepción didáctica y en el imaginario popular. Las manifestaciones del teatro medieval, habitualmente ajenas a una plasmación en forma de texto, se desarrollan en un contexto religioso y en festividades rituales, que se encuentra en regresión en lo que se refiere al paganismo y en ascenso en lo relativo al cristianismo –a pesar de que los espectáculos se perciben inicialmente como una celebración fundamentalmente pagana–. En pocas ocasiones el Séptimo Arte ha plasmado el imaginario de los espectáculos paganos, si bien en tales ocasiones contribuye a generar un conocimiento singular del fenómeno. Dos filmes como El señor de la guerra (The War Lord, 1965, de F. J. Schaffner) y Alfredo el Grande (Alfred de Great, 1969, de Clive Donner) muestran cada uno una secuencia en la que se intertextualizan en un espectáculo de carácter teatral las figuras mitológicas de Yggdrasil y Jormungandr procedentes de las sagas nórdicas. La propuesta que se lleva a cabo en este estudio se ofrece como ejemplo de modelo didáctico para el desarrollo de un estudio de investigación transversal (en el marco de un curso de máster universitario).
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Minniyakhmetova, Tatiana G., and Ranus R. Sadikov. "Dishes and utensils used in sacrificial rites of the Trans-Kama Udmurts (functional and symbolic meaning)." Finno-Ugric World 13, no. 4 (December 30, 2021): 394–404. http://dx.doi.org/10.15507/2076-2577.013.2021.04.394-404.
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Introduction. The article considers the variety and functions of dishes and utensils used at the sacrificial rituals of Trans-Kama “pagans” Udmurts from the Republic of Bashkortostan and Perm Krai. This is the first attempt of using extensive field and archival materials for the research purposes. Materials and Methods. The material for the study represents the published and archival sources, ethnographic information collected the authors during many years of field research. The analysis of materials was carried out using a comparative-historical method. The article takes into account the theoretical approaches of the semiotic school in ethnology. Results and Discussion. In the object world of Udmurt sacrifices, a special place is occupied by dishes and utensils. Without them the ritual process involving the preparation of food and a joint meal is impossible. Various dishes (cauldrons, troughs, buckets, bowls, spoons, ladles, etc.) are used for their utilitarian purpose (cooking, storage, transportation, eating food, etc.) but inclusion in the ritual process endows them with symbolic functions. Conclusion. Dishes and utensils used at the sacrifices of the Trans-Kama Udmurts are still endowed with a high sacred status. The number, composition and methods of using ritual utensils have remained traditional but their forms, material and manufacturing method have changed. As before, in addition to being used for utilitarian purposes they are endowed with many symbolic functions.
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Shizhensky, R. V. "Russian Neo-Paganism: Organization and Propaganda." Orthodoxia, no. 3 (September 28, 2023): 41–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.53822/2712-9276-2022-3-41-63.
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The development of modern paganism in Russia as a projection of alternative religiosity, a socio-political and ideological phenomenon has been around for several decades. Arisen at the end of the 1970s as a project of a lonely passionary A. А. Dobrovolsky, it soon acquired the status of a public institution, whose various units (communities, unions and an extra-systemic community of sympathizers that are potential neophytes) constitute a cult environment. During the development of this new religious movement, several independent directions appeared (rodnoverie, Odinism, primitive paganism, Druidism, Wicca, neoshamanism, neotengrism, etc.) with appropriate festive and ritual complexes, mythologies, source bases, ministers, and sacred languages (Newspeak). Currently, we may say that a whole neopagan diasporic community has emerged, claiming to have its own system of upbringing and education, projections of a new “correct” history, and social and structural forms that are parallel to the existing state and public institutions of the Russian Federation. The proposed paper aims to consider the most important concepts of the organization and specifi cs of propaganda that contribute to the successful functioning of Russian variations of neopaganism. The researcher concludes that modern Russian paganism is a constantly updated living worldview system with a well-developed ideology and organizational structure. Its most important element is the fi gure of a charismatic ideologue, who at will constructs both the microcosm and its position among other confessions in the domestic and international arena. It is the community leader who is responsible for the diversity of organizational forms, taking into account external factors (the needs of the fl ock) when modeling the latter. The propaganda of the neopagan diaspora includes a complex of various methods and practices, using the widest range of means, such as specialized printed materials, lecture courses, research activities, opening of educational institutions, religious mimicry, active development of the media space, and international activities.
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De la Torre, Renée, Cristina Gutiérrez Zúñiga, and Yael Dansac. "The cultural effects of neo-paganism’s ritual creativity." Ciencias Sociales y Religión/Ciências Sociais e Religião 23 (August 31, 2021): e021007. http://dx.doi.org/10.20396/csr.v23i00.15883.
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In the last fifty years, different spiritual movements—that do not correspond to the church model and that—have emerged, due to their fluid and dynamic character, have propitiated an advance of global networks and have contributed to making specialized frontiers increasingly porous and permeable fields. A range of practices and beliefs related to Neo-paganism, New Age, and neo-Indianisms/neo-ethnicities have thus emerged. These three spiritual modalities are inscribed in differentiable ideologies that intertwine the spiritual, the therapeutic, the political and the identity. They concur in a search for bodily knowledge and techniques that recover the spiritual meaning of life as a way out of the materialism of the consumer culture in force in these times. However, they also have different emphases that distinguish them, although they are constantly intertwined and often share common elements and can even be practiced in the same ceremony.