FUNERAL AND COMMEMORATIVE CUSTOMS AND RITUALS OF THE CHUVASHS IN SAMARA TRANS-VOLGA REGION (SOK THE RIVER’S BASIN): TRADITION AND NOWADAYS

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Альманах
Key words
the Chuvash, funeral and commemorative ritualism, ritual
Author
Ekaterina Yagafova, Anna Ivanova
About the Author
Yagafova E.: e-mail: yagafova@yandex.ru
Tel.: +7 (846) 207-44-22
59, Gor’kogo str., Samara, 443099, Russian Federation
Full Professor (History), head of the Department of Philosophy, History and Theory of World Culture,
Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education
Ivanova A.: e-mail: lulu419@yandex.ru
Tel. +7 (846) 207-44-22
59, Gor’kogo str., Samara, 443099, Russian Federation
Student, faculty of culture and arts, Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education
Body

The article describes features of contemporary funeral and commemorative rituals of the Chuvashs in Samara Trans-Volga region (Sok the river’s basin). The relevance of the research is due to the fact, that in Chuvash ethnology up to date there has been no systematic detailed study of funeral and commemorative complexes, which are of interest both from the point of view of preserving their traditional, so-called “pagan” beliefs and rituals, as well as characteristics of contemporary religious Chuvash practices. The article reveals the elements of pagan worship; it shows the influence of Orthodox traditions on forming structure and content of the ceremonies. Pagan tradition is evident at all stages of preparing the dead for the burial, in funeral rituals, in perception of the death and of the magic items used in rituals. The departure from the norms is due to either the loss of understanding of the actions performed or intentional refusal of the actions. The influence of the Orthodox norms is manifested in a priest's participation in a number of rituals with the attributes of a Christian burial, in reading the Psalter and prayers, in memorial food. Changes in the way of life of the local Chuvashs in the 20th — beginning of the 21st century caused by the technological progress and social and economic transformations in society influenced funeral and commemorative rituals, namely commemorative ritual date shift, ceremonial attributes, the depth of religious beliefs and religious experience of the ceremony participants.

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