THE RITUAL HOLIDAY “UASTYRDZHIY K’UYRI” IN OSSETIAN TRADITIONAL CULTURE: AN EXPLORATION OF THE EVOLUTION OF UASTYRDZHI’S IMAGE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32653/CH211172-183Keywords:
Ossetian language, ethnolinguistic approach, Uastyrdzhi deity, Saint George, rituals of the fall, astral cultAbstract
The article focuses on the ritual complex associated with the calendar festival known as Uastyrdzhiyy k’uyri, or “Uastyrdzhi week,” which encompasses activities related to the successful completion of agricultural work and the evaluation of the year’s labor. The objective of this study is to employ comparative-contrastive and descriptive methodologies to delineate the ritual complex of the festival and to elucidate the character in whose honor the Ossetian ritual holiday, Uastyrdzhiy bontæ “Uastyrdzhi days”), extends over a week. The significance of this research stems from the necessity to discern the observed amalgamation of religious elements. The ethnographic and folklore context of the ritual complex is investigated through an ethnolinguistic approach, which facilitates the integration of linguistic, ethnographic, and folklore data. The approach adopted in the study of traditional culture enables the methodological and substantive reconstruction of the cultural meanings and semantic models inherent in the holiday’s ritual complex, premised on the interplay between language and culture. Emphasis is placed on the linkage between language and magical practices — a unique characteristic of the language found in historical, ethnographic, and folklore sources that span different temporal and generic aspects, which include information on calendrical rituals. Collectively, these rituals form a complex that serves the unified function of influencing natural and supernatural forces to achieve desired outcomes. In the present context, these magical practices are employed to imbue the earth with the fertility of all living beings, with the aim of ensuring a bountiful harvest for the people; this rationale supports the consideration of the ancient Ossetian solar deity Uastyrdzhi as the patron of the fertility cult. The highlanders rigorously observed the timing and execution of the ritual complex, which remained unchangeable and sacred to the individual, the family, and the entire community. The indissoluble bond between word and action, along with their functional orientation, not only shaped the content of the verbal texts associated with specific ritual actions but also influenced their structure and linguistic features.
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