« 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

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