E-mail: evatoulouze@gmail.com, Tel.: +33 (01) 81-70-10-14
65, Rue des Grands Moulins, 75013, Paris, France
PhD Hab, Finno-Ugric Studies Professor, Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO)
This article reflects on the importance of porridge as ritual food in Udmurt ceremonies. It concentrates on village animistic ceremonies in which porridge is the final synthetic product, but also examines more intimate calendar ritual ceremonies at the level of the family. The field research was mainly carried out in Bashkortostan, where Udmurt communities have been protected from Christian influence. However, it takes into account case studies from Udmurtia and Tatarstan. The article examines the ingredients of porridge — water, grain, butter, meat — and shows how central they are to the Udmurts’ life and how they have changed in recent decades. Finally, it reflects on the symbolism of porridge, from the gendered aspect of its fabrication to its suggestion of wealth and of Udmurt ethnicity.
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