FOLKLORE AND RITUAL PRACTICES OF RECRUIT SENDOFFS IN THE OREL REGION

This article deals with modern ritual practices in the Orel Region of sending off recruits to military service. To date there are no systematic or detailed studies of ritual complexes in the region associated with the recruitment cycle. In the article the author emphasizes modern practices. Research on this topic in the Orel Region was aided by work carried out together with the State Republican Center of Russian Folklore. The idea of the project belonged to Professor A. S. Kargin. During the years of work on the project (2008–2018) the author studied archival materials, analyzed local periodicals, and conducted folklore expeditions. A review of the sources helped to identify relevant studies concerning changes in recruiting rituals and attitudes toward serving in the late 19th —  early 20th century and to correlate recruitment rituals to other rites of the life cycle. Changes in the way of life due to socio-economic factors influenced the components of recruitment ceremonies. Over the course of the 19th–20th centuries, the duration of service, recruitment procedures and the religious ideas of the participants of the ceremony also underwent change. The analysis showed that despite changes in traditional rituals, many still take place in the Orel Region today, albeit in reduced form. A characteristic feature of modern rituals remains the collective preparation of sending off recruits into the army. They still represent a transitional stage in the life of a young man. The most well preserved of these rituals are those associated with the moment of departure for the service, accompanied by blessings and protective amulets.