Preview

Bulletin of the State University of Education. Series: History and Political Sciences

Advanced search

Popular worship of St. George and traditions of double belief in Russia of 19th century

https://doi.org/10.18384/2310-676X-2023-2-44-55

Abstract

Аim. To investigate the tradition of folk (peasant) worship of St. George in Russia in the 19th century and the manifestation of the specific feature of folk life and mindset known as “double belief” (“dvoeverie”) – the presence of elements of another belief in religion.
Methodology. This paper analyzes the materials of ethnographic magazines of the 19th century, works of ethnographers and other academic works on the worship of the St. George and “double belief” traditions in Russia. The critical analysis of sources and comparative analysis of research literature have been used.
Results. The analysis and systematization of sources and scientific literature on the traditions of the worship of St. George in Russia in the 19th century have been carried out. Based on a large amount of actual materials, including little-studied ethnographic materials of the 19th century and also comparative analysis of researches on the Saint George’s worship, the traditions of his worship in the mentioned period and existence of the “double belief” traditions have been shown. The article also touches upon the topic of unjustified criticism оf the term “double belief” in some academic works, reveals correspondence of use of this term to the phenomenon under consideration and facts of religious life.
Research implications. The research allows to systematize extensive factual material containing information about specific features of the worship of St. George in Russia in the 19th century. Besides this the research confirms the applicability of the term “double belief” for the description of specific features of common folk religious mindset.

About the Author

D. A. Zavadskiy

Russian Federation


References

1. Afanasiev A. N. Poeticheskiye vozzreniya slavyan na prirodu. T. 1 [Poetic views of the Slavs on nature. Vol. 1]. Moscow, Izdaniye Soldatenkova Publ., 1865. 803 p.

2. Vilinbakhov G. V., Vilinbakhova T. B. Svyatoy Georgiy Pobedonosets (Obraz svyatogo Georgiya Pobedonostsa v Rossii) [St. George the Victorious (Image of St. George the Victorious in Russia)]. St. Petersburg: Art-SPB Publ., 1995. 158 p.

3. Vorokhobov A. V., Myakinin A. E., Gorbatovsky N. E. [The problem of double faith in Russia in Russian historiography: analysis of basic concepts]. In: Niva Gospodnya. Vestnik Penzenskoy Dukhovnoy Seminarii [The Lord’s Field. Bulletin of Penza Theological Seminary], 2019, iss. 3, pp. 20–28.

4. Galinskaya I. L. [The image of George the Victorious in the culture of Russia]. In: Vestnik kulturologii [Bulletin of Culturology], 2010, no. 3, pp. 87–90.

5. Gerasimov M. K. [About some customs and beliefs of the peasants of the Cherepovsky district of the Novgorod province]. In: Etnograficheskoye obozreniye [Ethnographic review], 1895. No. 4, pp. 122–126.

6. Derunov S. Ya. [Essays on Poshekhonya. 4. Rituals of everyday life]. In: Etnograficheskoye obozreniye [Ethnographic review], 1898, no. 4, pp. 81–84.

7. Dmitriev D. V. Kult Bogomateri v sovremennoy Rossii: avtoref. dis. … kand. filosof. nauk [The cult of the Mother of God in modern Russia: abstract of Cand. Sci. thesis in Philosophy sciences]. St. Petersburg, 2017. 34 p.

8. Ivanitsky N. A. [Materials on the ethnography of the Vologda province]. In: Kharuzin N., ed. Sbornik svedeniy dlya izucheniya byta krestyanskogo naseleniya Rossii. Vip. 2 [Collection of information for studying the life of the peasant population of Russia. Iss. 2]. Moscow, tip. A. Levenson i K°, 1890. 234 p.

9. Kirpichnikov A. I. Sv. Georgiy i Yegoriy Khrabryy: Issledovaniye literaturnoy istorii khristianskoy legendy [St. George and Yegoriy the Brave: A study of the literary history of the Christian legend]. St. Petersburg, Tipografiya V. S. Balasheva Publ., 1879. 193 p.

10. Corinfsky A. A. Narodnaya Rus. Krasnyy god skazaniy, poveriy, obychayev i poslovits russkogo naroda [People’s Rus’. The red year of legends, beliefs, customs and proverbs of the Russian people]. Moscow, Izdaniye knigoprodavtsa M. V. Klyukina Publ., 1901. 723 p.

11. Maykov L. N. Velikorusskiye zaklinaniya [Great Russian spells]. St. Petersburg, Tipografiya Maykova Publ., 1869. 164 p.

12. Nekrasova M. A. [The image of the rider of the warrior St. George the snake fighter. Its sacred meaning in the art of the Slavic peoples as a source of vital principles]. In: Trudy Sankt-Peterburgskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta kultury i iskusstv [Proceedings of the St. Petersburg State University of Culture and Arts], 2009, vol. 185, pp. 15–27.

13. Petrushevich A. S. Obshcherusskiy dnevnik tserkovnykh, narodnykh i semeynykh prazdnikov i khozyaystvennykh primet i gadaniy [All-Russian diary of church, folk and family holidays and household signs and fortune-telling]. Lvov, Institut Stavropigiyskogo Publ., 1866. 104 p.

14. Rozina O. V. [Dual faith: the biblical image of the prophet Elijah in the minds of the Russian people]. In: Khodyrev A. M., ed. Voprosy otechestvennoy i zarubezhnoy istorii, politologii, sotsiologii, teologii, obrazovaniya: materialy nauchno-prakticheskoy konferentsii [Issues of domestic and foreign history, political science, sociology, theology, education: materials of the scientific-practical conference]. Yaroslavl, RIO YAGPU Publ., 2019, pp. 49–54.

15. Rybakov B. A. Yazychestvo drevney Rusi [The paganism of ancient Rus]. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1987. 783 p.

16. Senderovich S. Ya. Georgiy Pobedonosets v russkoy kulture. Stranitsy istorii [George the Victorious in Russian culture. History pages]. Moscow, Agraf Publ., 2002. 366 p.

17. Sakharov I. Skazaniya russkogo naroda. T. 2 Kniga 7 [Legends of the Russian people. Vol. 2. Book 7]. St. Petersburg, Tip. Sakharova Publ., 1849. 676 p.

18. Snegirev I. M. Russkiye prostonarodnyye prazdniki i suyevernyye obryady [Russian folk holidays and superstitious rites]. Moscow, Univ. tip. Publ., 1838. Iss. 3, 216 p.

19. Snigireva S. D. Staroobryadchestvo i sektantstvo v tvorchestve F. M. Dostoyevskogo: avtoref. dis. ... kand. filolog. nauk [Old Believers and sectarianism in the works of F. M. Dostoevsky: abstract of Cand. Sci. thesis in Philology sciences]. Moscow, 2020. 26 p.

20. Tereshchenko A. N. Byt russkogo naroda [Life of the Russian people. T. VI]. St. Petersburg, 1848. 225 p.

21. Ushakov D. A. [Materials on the folk beliefs of the Great Russians]. In: Etnograficheskoye obozreniye: periodicheskoye izdaniye Etnograficheskogo otdela Imperatorskogo obshchestva lyubiteley yestestvoznaniya, antropologii i etnografii, sostoyashchego pri Moskovskom universitete [Ethnographic Review: periodical of the Ethnographic Department of the Imperial Society of Natural Science, Anthropology and Ethnography Lovers, affiliated to Moscow University], 1896, no. 2-3, pp. 146–205.

22. Famintsin A. S. Bozhestva drevnikh slavyan [Deities of the ancient Slavs]. St. Petersburg, Tipografiya Arntgolda Publ., 1884. 331 p.


Review

Views: 122


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.


ISSN 2949-5156 (Print)
ISSN 2949-5164 (Online)