Commemorative Rituals of the Ludian Karelians: The Areal Characteristic among the Common and Local Traditions of the Neighbouring Peoples

Abstract

The article presents the pioneering reconstruction and areal analysis of commemorative rituals among the Ludian Karelians whose traditional culture has never been previously studied separately from that of the South Karelians. The research shows that commemorative rituals of this subethnic group do not exhibit strict coherence. We distinguish three areal types of the 40th Day commemorative ritual observed among the Ludians, which correspond to the three dialects of the group: (I) Mikhaylovsky, (II) Middle, and (III) Northern. The Type I bears resemblance to the Vepsian type of rituals in the timing of carrying out commemorative ceremonies. The Type II is characterized by archaic elements of ceremonialism based on the cult of ancestors; the prevalence of the Karelian component in this type is apparent. What is distinctive for the Type III are the truncated forms of ceremonial actions and the absence of archaic elements, which has to do with the early influence of modernization on the life of the Northern Ludians.