Paper short abstract:

This paper focuses on the transformation of a homeland calendric ritual through the lens of dwelling and massive Western European labour migration. The paper shows, how has changed a traditional year-end fertility ritual in a Moldavian Csango village, Arini, Bacău County, Romania.

Paper long abstract:

The paper focuses on the transformation of a homeland calendric ritual semantically based on the folktale type ATU 401 through the lens of dwelling and massive Western European labour migration in the 21st century. The paper based on current field research data (interviews and records) collected in 2015 and 2016, as well as theoretical bases of social and cultural anthropology and folkloristics. After the collapse of Communism (and of the Soviet Union) has started a massive Western European work migration, and these processes have a strong influence on the traditional customs and rituals, and on the social structure in general as well. The paper shows through the methods of structural folkloristics and ritual analysis, how has changed a traditional year-end fertility ritual in a Moldavian Csango village, Arini, Bacău County, Romania. According to the folklore data the members of this calendric ritual were until 1989 predominantly village bachelors, but the age-group has drastically changed lately. Because of massive Western European work migration, schoolchildren have taken over their role. The majority of local manhood dwells for the whole year far away and they come home just once a year for the major holidays at the recent time.

The members of the local communities have different strategies in surviving crises effected by acculturation and structural changes of the homeland culture. A community has been defined as a group of interacting people living in a common location, but this definition raises a number of questions of homeland, dwelling, traditional roles and others.