Ust-Tsilma Hill: From a Rite to a Republican Holiday

Abstract

The “gorka” ring dance merrymaking, which used to be widespread in Central Russia in the past, has presently survived among the old-believers of the Ust-Tsilma region in the Republic of Komi. The ring dance rite consists of seven obligatory fi gures, and there is a “gorka” song corresponding to each of them. These fi gures refl ect the notions of the Ust-Tsilma people about the world, and their arrangement on the ground is connected to the idea of eternal motion and rejuvenation of life. It was during such merrymaking that acquaintances between young men and women occurred and love (and marriage) relationships were initiated. The ring dance rites also ensured successful harvests. The article analyzes the ways in which the merrymaking developed during the 20th-21st centuries and the signifi cance of the celebration in Ust-Tsilma’s old-believers today.