Gyűrűváltás a csíksomlyói Szűz Mária-kegyszobor lába előtt Egy gyimesi csángó eljegyzési rítus társadalmi karrierje és funkcióváltozásai
Ring Ceremony of the Csángós at the Statue of the Virgin Mary in Csíksomlyó (Şumuleu Ciuc, Romania)

Summary/Abstract: In the present paper I examine the organization of a special wedding ring ceremony of the Csángós, held at the statue of the Virgin Mary in Csíksomlyó. The rite has been in practice since the 1970’s, but in the mid-2000s its function has changed signifi cantly. 10-20 years ago the Csángós considered this rite as an abnormal strategy of deviant people – for instance of those living together without being married. In a sense, this ceremony was analogous to “offi cial” church weddings, that is, the young couple exchanged rings and vows, but – as it has always been a kind of “makeshift” – without the presence of any priests or witnesses. Until the middle of the ‘90s the main/most important/ basic function of the practice was to enable deviant people to emerge from their marginal position and get a new social status. Nowadays this ceremony is usually referred to as a kind of traditional betrothal; moreover the Csángós attribute important religious meanings and an improver-modernizing function to it – not to mention its economic aspects.

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