« 2019. № 6 (150)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2019, № 6 (150), 1557—1562

UDK392.51:78.03(477.82)

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/nz2019.06.1557

SACRED AND PROFANE IN THE TRADITIONAL WEDDING RITUAL OF WESTERN VOLYN: FORMS AND FUNCTIONS

SHVORAK Inna

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3803-1289

Applicant of the National Academy

of Senior Specialists of Culture and Arts

str. Lavra, 9, Kyiv, 02000

Contacts: e-mail: Inna.folk@gmail.com

Abstract. Introduction: The mythology of the folk-ritual culture of Ukrainians is a multilevel deep structure that contains various forms of representation and interaction with the world: from beliefs in supernatural forces to tales and legends; from life on the natural-seasonal calendar — to the creation of strict rules of social and public order; from the sacralization of one’s life to its profanation. Despite the constant change of life landmarks in the modern world, the last pair of relationships (sacred — profane) has proved to be the most stable in time and continues to exist in similar forms: sacred and worldly, holy and not holy, festive and everyday. These oppositional structures cannot be synonymous with one another, although certain aspects of them are often interspersed. The article deals with the functioning of the opposition sacral-profane structure in the wedding ceremony of one of the West Volyn subregions — Poturia. Problem Statement: The forms of sacral and profane in the traditional culture of Ukrainians have strong roots and most often form a complex opposition structure that is part of mythological consciousness. The purpose of the article is to study a sacred-profane sphere in Poturia wedding ceremony — one of a historical and ethnographic subareals of Western Volyn. Methods: The research methodology is based on the system-structured and integrative approaches. Conclusions: The sacred dimension of space and time in the wedding ritual leaves a little room for the manifestation of the secular world. However, the profane sometimes becomes a part of the wedding act and is generally associated with moments of denial / interruption of sacred reality, and mainly with festive and entertaining moments in the form of carnivalization of reality. The profane sphere in the wedding ceremony does not have clearly expressed forms, but its individual elements can temporarily «destroy» the sacredness.

Keywords: opposition «sacred-profane», wedding ceremony, Poturia, sacred space, sacred time, sacralization, profanation.

Received 5.11.2019

REFERENCES

Afonina, O.S. (2018). Сultural code and «dual coding». (Doctoral dissertation). The National Academy of Senior Specialists of Culture and Arts [in Ukrainian].
Borshch, O. (2012). Opposition «sacred‑profane» as a factor in the dynamics of cultural space. Gerald of the National Academy of Senior Specialists of Culture and Arts, 4, 59—63 [in Ukraine].
Voievodina, L. (2016). Sacred and profane in traditional culture. Vestnyk MNUKI. Fylosofyia kultury, 6 (74), 39—44 [in Russian].
Havryliuk, T.V. (2003). Sacred Space and Time as Mediator of the Natural and Supernatural World. Mythological Space and Time in Modern Culture (Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference). Kyiv [in Ukrainian].
Herchanivska, P. (2017). Culture in the paradigms of the XX—XXI centuries. Kyiv [in Ukrainian].
Diurkhaim, E. (2002) Initial forms of religious life: the totemic system in Australia. Kyiv: Yunivers [in Ukrainian].
Eliade, M. (1994). Sacred and worldly. Moscow: Izdatelstvo MHU [in Russian].
Kaiua, R (2003). Man and sacred. Kyiv: Vakler [in Ukrainian].
Kurakyn, D. (2011) Elusive sacred: the problem of the ambivalence of the sacred and its significance for the «strong program» of cultural sociology. Sotsyolohycheskoe obozrenye, 3, 41—70 [in Russian].
Leshchenko, A. (2016). The sacred space of the Christian mystery. Hileia: Naukovyi visnyk (Issue 106, pp. 261—264) [in Ukrainian].
Mykhailo, Iu (2015). Sacred as a phenomenon of culture. Relihiia ta sotsium, 3 (19), 149—156 [in Ukrainian].
Nesen, I. (2005). Wedding ritual of the Central Polissia: traditional structure and relict forms (middle of XIX—XX centuries). Kyiv [in Ukrainian].
Otto, R. (2008). Sacred: about the irrational in the idea of the divine and its relationship with the rational. Sankt-Peterburh: Izdatelstvo SPbHU [in Russian].
Pavlova, O. (2010). Cultural studies of reconstruction Genesis: the first syncretism of mif is holy. Kultura i suchasnist, 2, 5—9 [in Ukrainian].
Sumchenko, I. (2010). Features of perception of space and time in traditional culture. Doksa: zbirnyk naukovykh prats z filosofii ta filolohii. Universalni vymiry kultury (Issue 15, pp. 303—312) [in Ukrainian].
Fedorovskykh, A. (2000). The transformation of the sacred and the profane in society: myth — religion — ideology. The thesis for the academic degree of Candidate of Philosophy. Uralskiy gosudarstvennyiy universitet im. A.M. Gorkogo. Ekaterynburh [in Russian].
Chekan, O. (1999). Artistic space of musical work: genesis and functioning. (Candidate dissertation). Nizhynskyi derzhavnyi pedahohichnyi universytet im. M. Hoholia [in Ukrainian].
Sheliuto, V. (2010). The problem of the sacral as a worldview problem. Nauka. Relihiia. Suspilstvo, 4, 94—101 [in Ukrainian].
Leeuw, G. (1933). Phenomenologie der religion. Tьbingen: Paul Siebeck [in German].

Read»

Our authors
Traditional folk clothes of velikobychkovsky hutsuly of XIX — the first half of XX century
In the study based upon numerous field materials, literature sources as well as ethnographic, historio-cultural and regional museum collections has been performed complex analysis in traditional folk clothes by Hutzul population of Velyky Bychkiv village in Transcarpathian region. Detailed descriptions of femi­nine and masculine clothing complexes of the mentioned area have been presented. In characterizing of those main attention has been paid to the detail of cut in separate components of dress; cut of feminine shirt has been added as an illustration.
Read »

Daily bread baking of ukrainians in the south-western ethnographical region at the late XIX to early XXI cc.
The paper has dealt with analytic study in prescriptions, signs, customs, methods, ways of selection, procurement and some peculiarities in usage of subsidiary means — water, firewood and leaves in bread baking. The final aim of the mentioned actions had been (and still is) selection of the means and ingredients fit, by their characteristics, for the backing of bread. The paper has demonstrated dependence of bread backing subsi­diary means criteria from the folk nutritional standards and world outlook stereotypes as well as from regional social and economic, natural and geographical factors and peculiarities of material culture.
Read »

On field exploration of russian and belarusian ethnologists and etnolinguists in Ukrainian Polisia 1945—1980s
In the study based on a wide range of literary materials have been comprehensively characterised field research in Polisia of Ukraine, performed by Russian and Belarusian ethnologists during 1945—1980s as well as Moscow ethnolinguists and other researchers from ethnologic centres of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus in the course of realization of Ethnolinguistic Atlas of Polisia program. Particular attention has been paid to geography, methods, themes and research results of scientific projects.
Read »

Maternity ritualism by volhynians in publications of the second half XIX to the early XXI cc.
In the article have been considered some basic landmarks for fixing and publication of ethnographic materials on the maternity rites of Volhynia with analytical study in ritual elements, their kinds and territories of origin. The article has also raised a problem of gaps in studies of maternity rites of Ukrainian historio-ethnographic Volhynia.
Read »