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Apotropaems of individual protection during berry picking in Ukrainian the Right-bank Polissia

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The authors of the publication:
Dmytrenko Alla
p.:
54-72
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398.32-055.2(477.41/.42)
Bibliographic description:
Dmytrenko, А. (2018) Apotropaems of individual protection during berry picking in Ukrainian the Right-bank Polissia. Materials to Ukrainian Ethnology, 17 (20), 54–72.

Author

Dmytrenko Alla

candidate of historical sciences, associate professor of the Department of document studies and museum affairs of Lesya Ukrainka East European National University.

 

Apotropaems of individual protection during berry picking in Ukrainian the Right-bank Polissia

 

Abstract

The apotropies of individual protection of berry women in the Ukrainian Right-bank Polissia are analyzed after the field ethnographic materials collected during the historical and eth- nographic expeditions of the State Scientific Center for the Cultural Heritage Protection from Technological Disasters (2005–2013) and the Department of Documentation and Museum Af- fairs of Lesya Ukrainka East-European National University (2008–2014). It is noted that forest reptiles, adders and vipers are the main source of potential danger during the berries harvesting. The concepts of bad, unclean, not well are used to denote the non-identified beings. Information about them is lost in the historical sources.

Several groups of individual apotropies used to protect against harmful forces  during  the berries harvesting are determined. Subjects apotropies: Easter bread (consecrated or not); Host consecrated on Trinity or other feasts; khomyna paska (artos); specially baked flat dry short- cakes; ordinary daily bread; shells of consecrated eggs; consecrated salt; the horseradish root, consecrated on Easter; consecrated willow; sweet flag from Green week, oak leaves, wormwood. Consecrated objects are distinguished among subject apotropies especially as one of the ways of the space sacralization to prevent the evil carriers. Apotropical actions: washing with sacred water; hands washing in the ditch; horseradish consumption; turning over of the clothes elements (shawl, apron); touching to or showing of a naked body; rustling on the bushes with a stick; making a cross with sticks, etc. Apotropical prohibitions: one can not spin, warp, reel and do any work with threads on feasts. One should bear out of the house and hide skewers, balls and strings, so that they can’t be seen at all during the Christmas and New Year period. Sacred time as an apotropy: the feasts of Easter, Annunciation, Trinity, Christmas and New Year period and others. Quantitative (three, nine times) and qualitative (unpleasant sharp smell of horseradish, wormwood, naked body) characteristics as apotropies. Verbal apotropies have been accompanied with subject apotropies and apotropic actions. They also have been used independently. There are prayers addressed to the God, the Mother of God and the Saints, grass snakes and others.

 

Keywords

Ukrainian the Right-bank Polissia, harvesting, berries, berry women, apotropies, traditional world outlook.

 

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