Taming the Unknown: Emotional Aspects of a Ritual dedicated to Some Miraculous Graves in a Catholic Cemetery in Bucharest
Taming the Unknown: Emotional Aspects of a Ritual dedicated to Some Miraculous Graves in a Catholic Cemetery in Bucharest

Summary/Abstract: In the second part of the 20th century, the “Bellu” Catholic Cemetery in Bucharest became the stage of a folk religion ritual. Several graves in there are revered as miraculous, and a whole ritual has evolved around them. Many people (mostly Orthodox Christians) perform it by the graves, leaving written wishes in order to see their wishes fulfilled. My research project consisted of participative observation, interviews (all with women) and analysis of the written wishes. I wanted to examine people’s feelings towards this ritual, which they conceive as wish fulfilling and soul liberating. I also discuss the dark side of this ritual, that is sorcery and cursing, since some of the papers left by the graves contain maledictions and curses. I also discuss the implications of the ritual from the point of view of the people’s affects, as a folk religion phenomenon functioning both as wish fulfiller and soul reliever.

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