Ritual and sign-oriented aspects of the commerce practices: observations upon the Odessa market

Semiotic dimensions of contemporary commerce transactions are considered on the basis of the field work. The retrospective analysis of the commerce demonstrates the importance of this activity for the historical and contemporary phenomenon of the Odessa city. Interviews, collected among the salespersons of the Market “at the 7th kilometer”, enable to describe actual ritual practices and to demonstrate constant manifestations of the traditional world-view.