Alimentaţia tradiţională în ritualurile familiale ale credincioşilor de rit vechi din Republica Moldova: tradiţii, variabilitate şi inovaţii (pe baza cercetărilor de teren)
Traditional food in the family rituals of the Old Believers of the Republic of Moldova: traditions, variability and innovations (based on field research)

Summary/Abstract: Old Believers, including those living in the Republic of Moldova, strictly ad here to their faith, carried through the centuries, and also preserve the features of traditional folkculture, including family rituals. As a result of field studies of food used in the family rituals of the Old Believers – birth and baptism, wedding, funeral and memorial rituals associated with the life cycle of a person, the degree of preservationof the elements of the said food among the Old Believers of a number of cities and villages of the Republic of Moldova was determined, local variability of dishes was revealed, and their most stable options were determined. The study allowed us to establish the characteristics of dishes prepared according to special recipes (their ingredients and specificsof preparation), as well as their symbolism and semantics within the food code. It was established that the most representative in this aspect are the funeral and memorial rituals. As interviews with informants showed, it is in these ritualst hat a greater number of dishes, the roots of which go backcenturies, are preserved. At the same time, informants noted that many things are changing these days (for example,instead of three obligatory dishes at a funeral dinner, thereis often a great abundance and variety, which they condemn and consider unjustified).

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