Click the star to add/remove an item to/from your individual schedule.
You need to be logged in to avail of this functionality.
Log in
- Convenors:
-
Irina Sedakova
(Institute of Slavic Studies, Moscow)
Laurent Fournier (University Cote d'Azur)
Send message to Convenors
- Formats:
- Panel
- Stream:
- Performativity
- Sessions:
- Monday 21 June, -
Time zone: Europe/Helsinki
Short Abstract:
The panel aims to examine the array of societally accepted behaviours and rules which are broken during the performance of old and new calendric rituals, both in rural and urban arenas, in traditional as well as in modern settings. What purpose does ritual violation of the societal norms serve?
Long Abstract:
The panel aims to explore the array of socially accepted behaviours and rules which are violated during the performance of old and new calendric rituals, both in rural and urban arenas, in traditional as well as in modern settings.
Since ancient times, the calendric year has been culturally structured by rituals and by folklore genres. These structures establish societal conventions and socially acceptable behaviours and present a set of strict instructions, which must not be disregarded, otherwise, according to the old beliefs, the global and local flow of life and natural development can suffer or can even be ruined. Thus, following the specific ritual rules for better crops, health of people and cattle, wealth and good luck is a must.
However, those rituals can transgress the ordinary everyday norms of the communities (M. Bakhtin) and often involve acts of improper conduct by the participants. Midsummer rural rites include erotic songs, jokes, gestures, and obscene verbal behaviour; they can also demonstrate a lack of respect for power or can replace it by ephemeral Kings or Queens. Modern urban festivals embody pouring water on the crowd and throwing vegetables, both of which contrasts with everyday ethics and mostly have entertaining goals. Who keeps the ritual rules in and how do they pass them down to the new generations? What purpose serve the rituals, which violate societal norms serve? Do the recently established urban festivals offer new sets of rules in modern contexts and why do they include anti-social ritual acts and performances?
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Monday 21 June, 2021, -Paper short abstract:
The paper considers the array of Slavic terminology for a feast which alludes to the strict traditional rules for celebrating certain festivals and venerating the Christian saints in their folk version. Folklore evidence on the consequences of, and punishment for, ‘wrong behavior’ is analyzed.
Paper long abstract:
The Slavic traditional calendar has strict rules about how to celebrate each Christian feast, to venerate the saints on their day, and to act appropriately. The Slavic words for a feast (Russ. prazdnik, Bulg., Serbian, Slovene praznik, literally ‘an empty day’) allude to the avoidance of any type of labor in the field or at home. This corresponds to the concept of the Christian calendrical dates, which should be empty of any activity besides the religious one, e.g. they say that on the day of the Annunciation (25.03) ‘even a bird does not make a nest’.
Other words for a feast (Ukr. svito, Byel. svita, Czech svátek, Polish święto literally ‘a saint day’) reflect the idea of venerating the holiday and so parallel the prescription on how to celebrate it. In Serbia, on the day of the Ascension, people in the villages go around the fields with prayers so as to protect the crops from hail. There are accounts that in the years when this procession did not take place the crops were destroyed by the weather.
Special qualities are ascribed to many festivals and saints and these days are connected with certain types of bans, e.g. St Catherine (25.11.) is associated with children’s diseases and if a mother works on her day, her baby would get ill or die.
The paper offers a typology of ritual bans, recommendations and consistent kinds of punishment for inappropriate behavior. Field notes, archival data and published sources of Slavic calendrical festivals are quoted.
Paper short abstract:
During the 20th century, the cultural code of the Himara population underwent significant transformations caused by social and political reasons. Violation of the established order occurs on those calendar dates and for such family events that previously involved visiting an Orthodox church.
Paper long abstract:
This study analyzes the tradition of meeting fellow villagers “for coffee”, held on the main square on the occasion of important dates and holidays, as well as events in family life. During the 20th century, the cultural code of the Himara population underwent significant transformations caused by social and political reasons.
Violation of the established order occurs on those calendar dates and for such family events that previously (before the start of the atheistic struggle against religion launched by the authorities in 1967–1968) involved visiting an Orthodox church. When the institutions of the cult were closed, people began to gather in the main square, but not in the temple, but in cafés. The ban on celebrating a religious holiday led to the transformation of the holiday into a “coffee meeting”. And women can take part in this event. The “symbol” of such ceremonies was the plane tree. With the democratic reforms in Albania in the early 1990s, this tradition has not changed, but only strengthened its position. Not a single engagement or agreement on the upcoming wedding can have the force of law, if they are not announced “under the plane tree.”
A significant role in the change of ritual practices was played by: 1) the factor of the prestige of the sacred locus; 2) the mechanism of revitalization of tradition, which is activated in the event of artificial interference in the ritual sphere; 3) voluntary or involuntary desire of various communities to museify the past.
Paper short abstract:
The presentation will focus on the role of the “Mute” character from the Căluș ritual (connected to the feast of Pentecost) as it is performed in two villages in southern Romania. The "Mute" (masked character) is allowed everything, without restrictions, and brings laughter to the audience.
Paper long abstract:
The presentation will focus on the role of the “Mute” character from the Căluș ritual in Romania (carried on for Pentecost fest, now part of the UNESCO intangible heritage representative list), in two villages in Argeș county (Stonici and Bîrla). The călușari (the members of the Căluș group) perform specific dances meant to cure the ritual illness inflicted by fairies, but also are meant to provide for good luck and prosperity of the household. One of the members of the group is the “Mute”, a masked character, always staged by a man, dressed as a woman, but endowed with the fertility symbol of a phallus (made out of wood) under the skirt. When the ritual is performed, the “Mute” character is not allowed to talk (the reason for its name), but he can mock the călușari, or the people who are assisting to the ritual, breaking all behavior rules. He is playing an important part in the short episode meant to bring laughter to the audience, when usually either a member of the group feigned sickness or death, or he is impersonating a cow, each time the “Mute” healing the “sick.” The presentation will also discuss the staging of the ritual, as since the beginning of the 20th century the custom was much appreciated and, especially during communism, it was performed during local festivals, but usually without the “Mute” character.
Paper short abstract:
The presentation will examine the influence of cultural institutions and organizations on the concept of modern holidays and their traditions in Lithuania.
Paper long abstract:
The traditions of the annual holidays (and the various concepts of their traditions) are shaped by many factors. Specific social institutes play a significant role here, whose role is not equally significant and similar at different times. Religion, the dominant political ideology, the formal legitimacy of specific holidays, and the media played a major role in the formation of modern traditions of Lithuanian annual celebrations. Equally important was the role of various cultural institutions and organizations in popularizing one or another annual holiday or its specific traditions.
The presentation, based on a new empirical study, will discuss both the overall role of cultural organizations in the development of the most popular traditions of present annual holidays in Lithuania and the specificities of this impact at different periods of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Paper short abstract:
The Teachers’ Day is celebrated globally on various days of the year starting from 1950-60ies or earlier. We see many rapid role changes, changes in norms, parody and ridicule, black humour along with the implementation of various scripts during the celebration.
Paper long abstract:
Teachers’ Day is celebrated globally on various days of the year. The official celebration began either in 1950-60 or earlier. UNESCO established the World Teacher’s Day in 1994 to focus on work and achievements of teachers.
Teachers’ Day has been celebrated at schools in Estonia since the 1960s, but the date was free. At that time, the best students became teachers, lessons were given primarily to younger classes and at basic school.
The newer rules in the 1990s became much more exciting, according to which teachers really changed roles with students (embodied as students), disguised themselves, chose a certain style. Behavioural patterns and norms also become free: teachers live out by teasing: scattering paper planes, disturbing lessons, talking and being naughty, do not bother to answer. But students may also be shown what their teachers are like outside school: talented musicians, performers, experimenters, and so on.
At the end of the day, they can return to the original rules: a coffee table made by students and flowers for teachers, a visit from the rural municipality, city government or education department, and congratulations. In addition, and above all, this is a day where teachers are excited because they are just great.
We see many rapid role changes, violations and changes in norms, parody and ridicule, black humour along with the implementation of various scripts.