St. Elias Day in the Voldino Village: Traditions in the Flow of Time

Abstract

The article discusses the local traditional celebration of St. Elias Day among the Komi-Zyrian of the Voldino village in the Upper Vychegda area. The authors goal is to trace – through a single village case study – the ritual and celebratory traditions, their transformations and development trends that might be considered typical for patronal feasts among the Komi in the last century (sacred and secular components of the celebration, folklore, St. Elias prohibitions, feasts, youth entertainment, etc.). Special attention is paid to the figure of the village patron, namely the image of St. Elias in the folk perception, including the gender aspect, that is the male and female behavior lines as prescribed by the stern disposition of St. Elias. The article draws on fieldwork materials collected in 1980-2010.