THE RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY OF CANDLEMAS IN CALENDAR-RITUAL PRACTICE OF BOIKOS: SYNCRETISM OF CHRISTIAN TRADITION AND MYTHOLOGICAL IMAGES Cover Image

СВЯТО СТРІТЕННЯ У КАЛЕНДАРНО-ОБРЯДОВІЙ ПРАКТИЦІ БОЙКІВ: СИНТЕЗ ХРИСТИЯНСЬКОЇ ТРАДИЦІЇ ТА МІФОЛОГІЧНИХ УЯВЛЕНЬ
THE RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY OF CANDLEMAS IN CALENDAR-RITUAL PRACTICE OF BOIKOS: SYNCRETISM OF CHRISTIAN TRADITION AND MYTHOLOGICAL IMAGES

Author(s): A. Kolomiychuk
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Ethnohistory
Published by: Видавництво «Одеський національний університет І. І. Мечникова»
Keywords: Candlemas; holiday; candle; «hromnytsia»; Christian; Boikos; «Boikivschyna»; rite; ritualism; magical protection; cleaning

Summary/Abstract: The article is devoted to the study of the folk customary-ritual practice of Boikos, connected with the calendar holiday of Candlemas. Special attention is paid to syncretism of Christian ecclesiastic tradition and elements of mythological and pre-Christian origin in the festive-ritual culture of this holiday. To some extent it appears in the local people’s deep faith in protective and cleaning rituals with a candle, the symbolics of that thing is interpreted mainly in a Christian spirit in our time, however actually is more many-sided from folk outlook point of view. People walked around an own house with a candle in the day of Candlemas to stop an attack the evil forces; burnt the candle «hromnytsiu» in a case of natural disaster threat: storm, hail, flood;Candlemas candle was used for treating of people and domestic cattle.Candle «hromnytsia» was also used in the death of someone from the family: put it into the hands of the dying. As a result of the conducted analysis, the protective and cleaning motives were the high-principled sense of the traditional ritualism of the Christian holiday of Candlemasin «Boikivschyna» is determined. Ritual-functional combination of two life-giving principles – water and fire creates the basic of festive calendar ceremonies

  • Issue Year: 2016
  • Issue No: 27
  • Page Range: 104-120
  • Page Count: 17
  • Language: Ukrainian
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