Church Feast in the Olonets Region in the Early Modern Period: An Experience in Reconstruction Based on Archival Sources

Abstract

The article attempts an inquiry into what exactly was the Church feast in the Olonets region of Russia during the period from the late 1640s through the early 1680s. Drawing on the comparative analysis of materials from the archival collection “Olonets Military Commander’s Office” and 17th/18th-century census books, I examine the variety of celebrations, their participants, regional differences and interconnections, as well as the elements and constituents of festive culture and the functions of the Church feast. There is evidence pointing to the participation of peasants in Church feasts and to the fact that their family celebrations and other events of household importance were often timed to the latter. In the region where so called chernososhnoe peasantry (peasants working on state lands) prevailed and traditions of communal self-government were strong, parishes functioned both as religious and as land associations. Consequently, Church feasts meant simultaneously the time for holding celebrations, conducting important economic transactions, and administering communal matters. In ethnographic literature, there has been a rather common opinion that, among the Karelians and Veps of older times, Church feasts were special events for kin relatives only; however, I argue that it should be reassessed, since the new data attest to the presence of participants from different patronymic groups and land communities in these celebrations. In fact, Church feasts were instrumental in strengthening the positions of ethnic groups living in the region, intensifying interaction among them, and shaping local cultural traits.