Home    Number 2, 2021

Animal Sacrifices in Honor of Orthodox Saints аmong the Komi-Permyaks

[Zhertvoprinosheniia zhivotnykh v chest’ pravoslavnykh sviatykh u komi-permiakov]

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31857/S086954150014812-3

Type of publication: Research Article

Submitted: 15.04.20

Accepted: 14.12.20

About author(s)

Tatiana Goleva | https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4462-0474 | golevat@yandex.ru | Perm Federal Research Center of the Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences (13a Lenin str., Perm, 614990, Russia)

Keywords

Komi-Permyaks, livestock breeding, sacrifice, bull sticking, deer legend, chicken holiday, Day of Elijah, Florus and Laurus, Maria Golindukha

Abstract

Sacrificial customs of the Komi-Permyak had been studied and described in literature of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, yet they remain a topic that has not received due attention to date. The article attempts to address this issue in order to bring disparate available data into focus, considering the current rise of interest towards re-examining folk traditions. I discuss Komi-Permyak’s rites of sacrificing livestock and poultry to gods and saints, and explore their variability and origins. I argue that Komi-Permyak’s customs generally stemmed from their beliefs in patron saints of household animals, who could be appeased by sacrifices. The similarity of these rites to customs of other peoples of Orthodox faith points to the fact that, in later historical periods, they might have been influenced by the church and neighboring cultural traditions. I further touch upon the issue of transformation and restoration of folk customs in the twenty first century.

Funding Information

This research was supported by the following institutions and grants:
Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation [АААА-А19-119032590066-2]

Citation

Goleva, T.G. 2021. Animal Sacrifices in Honor of Orthodox Saints аmong the Komi-Permyaks [Zhertvoprinosheniia zhivotnykh v chest’ pravoslavnykh sviatykh u komi-permiakov]. Etnograficheskoe obozrenie 2: 144–160. https://doi.org/10.31857/S086954150014812-3

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