THE MOTIVE OF WITCH IDENTIFICATION IN THE CONTEXT OF THE CALENDAR RITUALS TRADITION OF TRANSCARPATHIAN DOLINIANS

Abstract

Among the various characters of folk demonology, the witch (boszorkány) is one of those popular mythological images. Beliefs and discoveries about her remain rather widespread among Ukrainians these days. Many such beliefs have been preserved in the areas where the ethnographic group of Transcarpathia Dolinians lived. This problem is little studied and requires further research.This thesis is justified by the fact that the outlined problem is usually a constituent part of broader topics - folk demonology and calendar rituals, that is, our question is usually investigated in these contexts in a fragmentary manner. The article, based on the published sources and materials of field works, dwells upon the mythological and ritual expression of the demonological motive of witch (boszorkány) identification in the calendar tradition of the Transcarpathian Dolinians. It shows distribution, preservation, ethnic and local features of folk beliefs and magic practices related to the traditional ideas about the methods of exposure and neutralization of witchcraft bearers and their acts of enchantment. It views the main functions of this character of the folk demonimicon of the ethnographic group of Transcarpathian Dolinians within the structure of the greatest Christian holidays on the folk calendar: Christmas Eve (Christmas Day), Easter, Annunciation, Saint George’s Day, Trinity (Green week), Kupala’s Night, etc. It traces the activation periods of a witch’s behavior according to the time of the day, and moon’s phases on the available information based. Based on field research author discovers a complex of different ways to see the witch in the church, they are indicated by original local features. The practical value of the obtained results consists in the fact that the factual information can be used for the preparation of summarizing papers on folk demonology, worldview beliefs, calendar ritualism of the Transcarpathian Dolinians and Ukrainians as a whole. Also, this topic can be incorporated into the development of separate aspects and problems of ethnologic science.