Paper short abstract:

The paper will present the conclusion of the field research on the Polish native faith (Rodzimowierstwo), which, in its beliefs and rituals, tries to restore religious meanings and functions to the characters and activities present in folk culture and in contemporary secularized social practices.

Paper long abstract:

Rodzimowierstwo (native faith) is one of the trends of contemporary paganism, which refers to the pre-Christian religion of the Slavs. Due to the limited number of historical sources concerning the Slavic culture from the pagan period, in the (re) construction of their beliefs and rituals, representatives of the Rodzimowierstwo often refer to ethnographic materials from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and include many folk customs in their religious practices, treating them as the Christianized (and then partly secularized) remains of the religion of the ancient Slavs.

In my paper I will analyze the status of such activities and how useful the concept of "re-enchantment" is in explaining them, as well as whether and how this concept can be used to describe the processes of Christianization, secularization and the re-paganization of folk customs.

The basis for my considerations will be field research that I have been conducting among the followers of the Rodzimowierstwo since 2018. A case that will be analyzed in detail is the Marzanna drowning rite, which is particularly interesting and representative. Marzanna, worshiped by the believers of Rodzimowierstwo as the goddess of winter, became an element of educational and entertaining activities organized in many schools and kindergartens on the occasion of the first day of spring. This situation brings about discussions and controversy among the followers of Rodzimowierstwo in relation to such issues as respect for ancient deities, cases of their desecration, and the possibilities and ways of restoring them to the status of holiness.