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- Convenor:
-
Irina Stahl
(Institute of Sociology, Romanian Academy)
- Discussant:
-
István Povedák
(Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design)
- Stream:
- Religion
- Location:
- A227
Short Abstract:
The panel explores transformations in secular and religious rituals for reasons, such as: restrictions imposed by totalitarian regimes; changes in religious doctrines; economic recession; migration; and modernization; in addition to the natural evolutionary process inherent in human communities.
Long Abstract:
Although rituals are commonly associated with unchangeable human behaviour - a ritual is "a formal ceremony or series of acts that is always performed in the same way" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) -, numerous examples within the past century prove the contrary. Rituals change in response to particular circumstances such as restrictive political regimes or as a direct consequence of social change.
The panel combines papers dealing with transformations of secular and religious rituals resulting from constraints imposed by authorities (political and religious), or from a natural evolutionary process. It investigates reasons for these transformations, the nature of the changes and their impact on individuals and communities.
The panel addresses participants studying the following or related themes:
- transformation of traditional rituals imposed by totalitarian regimes (e.g. restrictions on the ritual year and religious ceremonies, such as marriage and baptism, during communism), and the re-use of traditional rituals for political propaganda;
- transformation of traditional rituals imposed by changes in religious doctrine (e.g. transformations in the Catholic Church after native languages replaced Latin liturgical services);
- revival and transformation of traditional rituals in times of crisis (e.g. economic recession, natural disasters);
- transformation of traditional rituals in the context of increased human mobility and migration (e.g. "exported" rituals adapted to suit circumstances of new communities); and,
- transformation of traditional rituals due to modernization, technology (e.g. integration of high-tech in rituals, as in broadcasting rituals), and the emergence of a digital culture.
Accepted papers:
Session 1Tiziana Soverino ( Dublin City University)
Paper short abstract:
Saint John's Feast is a festival still vibrantly observed in parts of the West of Ireland. However, new trends have emerged in the celebrations in the last few decades. The paper will explore possible reasons and dynamics at the heart of these changes.
Paper long abstract:
Oíche Fhéile Eóin, or 'Bonfire Night', has been observed and celebrated in parts of Ireland for many centuries. This calendrical occasion, which was or is observed in many other parts of Europe and further afield, pushes boundaries and definitions. Even more surprisingly, it challenges the equation between Irish and Celtic, since it is not associated with a pagan Celtic festival, unlike the better-known 'Quarter Days' of Irish tradition.
The earliest documentary evidence of what appears to be the principal custom associated with the Feast of Saint John in an Irish context—the lighting of bonfires on the eve of the feast, 23rd June—dates back to the 17th century. In the West of the country, celebrations seem particularly strong, even in the 21st century. However, as is often the case with folklore in general, and with calendar custom in particular, they had to kaleidoscopically adapt to ever-changing circumstances in order to thrive and survive.
Drawing on a range of different sources—from the unpublished replies to two questionnaires from the National Folklore Collection, to early-twentieth centuries local newspapers, and to the fieldwork carried out in 2008 in parts of Cos. Mayo and Roscommon—I have identified two major changes: the withdrawal of a certain part of the population from the festivities, and the commercialization of bonfires.
The talk will discuss and explore alternative and complementary reasons behind these new trends, and possible ramifications of them.
Ursa Sivic (Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts)
Paper short abstract:
The framework for the present research is the structural and functional analysis of the music used in carol customs in Slovenia. The research led to the conclusion that the image of music in carol customs reflects the general transformations in (traditional) music.
Paper long abstract:
The framework for the present research is the structural and functional analysis of the music as an integral part of carol customs in Slovenia. But it must be taken into consideration that after the Second World War (and especially after 1950) carol singing events were politically restricted and consequently became very rare and were more or less carried out in secret. People started to abandon the custom when the regime's negative attitude towards religion and activities related to religion intensified. The Slovenian Institute of Ethnomusicology recorded carol songs and tunes equally as the other traditional musical repertoire. It was only after 2001 that the focus of ethnomusicologists turned towards recording and observing music as part of the wider social and cultural events of carol singing, which started to re-emerge in reconstructions from the late 1980s onwards, as a result of the changing socio-political climate and the regime's fading authority. The presented research is based on the material recorded between 2001 and 2014, and on the methodological level it is treated within the classification of musical practices based on performers and genre. In a wider framework, the research addresses the issue of the place and the role music has in carol customs and compares specific aspects to modern musical forms. This led to the conclusion that the image of music and its transformation forms in carol customs reflect general transformations in (traditional) music.
Kinga Povedák (Hungarian Research Network (HUN-REN))
Paper short abstract:
The aim of this presentation is to give an overview of how cultural transformations in the past half century have made an impact on religious music and how the transformation of religious music generates new forms of religious rituals.
Paper long abstract:
Religions change with time and modernity. As the religious landscape transforms (secularization, resurgence of spirituality, decline in traditional religiosity and the upsurge of fundamentalism), religious rituals change too. At the same time, social and political transformations might also generate reaction on the institutional level and create emerging demands in vernacular religiosity. These action-reaction processes are always interconnected with the search for new, more ideal religious forms by some and the protection or preservation of tradition among the new circumstances by others. The essence of the transformation can best be analysed and introduced through the analysis of religious arts, especially religious music which has always been an inseparable element of rituals.
This presentation aims to introduce how church music of the Catholic Church has changed with modernization, how the transformation of music connects to different forms of rituals, how the digital revolution influences religious music and how this changing music often translates to transitions in individual and official religious practices/rituals. I look at the role of music in the ritual process and try to understand whether ritual/liturgical music is a mechanism of continuity, a way of countering change and restoring musical heritage, or rather affording change via adaptation or ritual acculturation?
Dániel Bárth (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest)
Paper short abstract:
This paper examines the influence process of the idea of church enlightenment ("kirchliche Aufklärung") on Hungarian Roman Catholic church leadership, its lower clergy, and finally the faithful religious mentality and practice in the second half of the 18th century.
Paper long abstract:
This paper examines the influence process of the idea of church enlightenment ("kirchliche Aufklärung") on Hungarian Roman Catholic church leadership, its lower clergy, and finally the faithful religious mentality and practice in the second half of the 18th century.
Through the authors analysis - based upon archival sources - one can detect efforts aimed at the transformation of certain elements of sacraments and sacramentals. Beside rites of passage, special attention is given to the various ritual forms of pilgrimage and processions in the ritual year. This change in attitudes also exterminated the medieval and early modern variability of lesser rituals of everyday life (for example: benedictions) and the historical progress confined in the religious practice of exorcism as a common medical practice. Behind the process and the conflicts are different levels of remarkable changes in the mentality of the religious layers.
Dr. Komáromi Tünde (Károli Gáspár University, Budapest)
Paper short abstract:
There are few noticeable changes in rituals of the Russian Orthodox Church, but participation in those rituals changed after perestroika. This paper focuses on several important changes that have occurred in the rituals and in the act of faith, as well as on the social meaning behind these changes.
Paper long abstract:
After the decline of the Soviet Union, the Russian Orthodox Church regained the support of the state and its previous social status. A considerable number of churches and monasteries were renovated with the support of believers. Religious life underwent a renaissance which resulted in a larger number of people attending church rituals and converting to Orthodoxy. Most of the newly converted had to learn about rituals and their meaning.
The Orthodox Churches have, for the most part, maintained their rituals, but exceptional circumstances have resulted in changes. Since the beginning of the 1990's, a continuous flow of people, from all over Russia, has come to one of the elders of Lavra, where exorcisms are performed. Not all of these people are considered possessed nor do all seek exorcism, but all agree on the benefits of exorcism. Some have discovered they are possessed during the actual ritual.
Today, most of the children are baptised and many couples decide to have a religious marriage ceremony, in a church. Not all of these people regard church rules seriously, but most of them try to fast, confess periodically, and go to pilgrimages, etc. The Great Blessing of Waters is perhaps the ritual attended by the largest number of believers. Vast amounts of water are collected for the whole year, to defend family members from all evil.
The great popularity of the blessed waters and the large crowds attending the exorcisms have a common social background.
Alexandru Rusu (Babes-Bolyai University)
Paper short abstract:
The aim of this study is to highlight the aspects that can demonstrate, through comparison, the transformations and the differences between the two religious doctrines, as well as the impact on the community and individual.
Paper long abstract:
This study analyses the transformations that occurred in the exorcism ritual of the Roman-Catholic and Orthodox churches throughout the ages and until the present day. Beyond the approaches of the media, the interest for the exorcism ritual exerts a major impact on society. Additionally as a result of "special" cases, the ritual has driven changes in religious doctrine which in turn influenced the ritual and its perception in society. An historical, religious and sociologic interpretation might increase the understanding of the reasons which generated these transformations.
The aim of this study is to highlight the aspects that can demonstrate, through comparison, the transformations and the differences between the two religious doctrines, as well as the impact on the community and individual.
Agnes Hesz (University of Pécs)
Paper short abstract:
In my paper I focus on the effects the modernization of funeral rituals have on the ways locals manage their social relations in a Hungarian village in Romania. I will dwell on how locals adapt to and feel about these changes: how they negotiate them, and what values govern their diverging reactions.
Paper long abstract:
In my paper I focus on the effects the modernization of funeral rituals have on the ways locals manage their social relations in a Hungarian village in Romania. Since the time of my long term fieldwork in 2003, there have been considerable changes in the course of funeral rituals: whereas in 2003 most people were buried from their home, and death rituals were performed with considerable help from kin, neighbours, and friends, the last couple of years have seen the construction of a local mortuary and the emergence of local companies offering full service for funeral reception. Funeral rites have thus been moved from the private to the public sphere, and tasks traditionally fulfilled by people nurturing social ties to the family of the deceased were taken over by the service sector. These changes are of course more than technical: since help offered during death rituals were integral part of the local system of exchanges and served as means for managing social relations, the effects of these modifications are far reaching. In the paper I would like to dwell on how locals adapt to and feel about these changes: how they negotiate them, and do they find - or look for - ritual substitutes for services formerly offered to the family of the dead. Since reactions are not univocal in the community, I will also try to show the different values governing divergent opinions.
Aigars Lielbārdis (Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art, University of Latvia)
Paper short abstract:
The month of May is the time when prayers and songs are devoted to the Virgin Mary in Latvian Catholic societies, especially in Latgale. In this paper I will provide an analysis of the tradition of May open air religious services carried out in the Eastern part of Latvia.
Paper long abstract:
In this paper I will provide an analysis of the tradition of May open air religious services carried out in the Eastern part of Latvia.
Since the very beginnings of Christianity, an important role was given to the Virgin Mary. According to the Roman Catholic Church calendar, May is dedicated to the veneration of the Virgin Mary. Due to her origins as a human, she is an intermediary between people and God, and she is able to influence her son Jesus Christ's decisions.
Since the 19th century the tradition of May open air religious services has been widespread in Catholic societies, mainly in Latgale, in the Eastern part of Latvia. Usually these services are performed in rural environment by womenfolk. Every evening or in the weekends in May, women gather in churches, crossroads, cemeteries or in the centre of village where crucifixes are located. Through songs and prayers devoted to Virgin Mary they also pray for fulfilment of private wishes.
Anders Gustavsson (University of Oslo)
Paper short abstract:
This is a study on transformation of traditional rituals within a new religious movement from Sweden called Oas, with an ecumenical orientation and affinity to older movements. Reasons for current transformations, changes in religious doctrines, modernization and digital culture are discussed.
Paper long abstract:
This is a study of the transformation of traditional rituals, since 1989, within a new charismatic movement from Sweden called Oas. The movement has spread to other Nordic countries as well. The Swedish name Oas refers to the biblical oases in the desert. The movement has a distinct ecumenical direction and affinity to older religious movements. People of different age groups are involved and there are special sections for children and youth. The movement activities are economically funded by donations. Voluntary contributions dominate. The movement does not own any meeting places. Its conferences and camps are constantly on the move around Sweden, and consist mainly in large-scale gatherings held during summer and winter holidays .
During fieldwork I questioned members about their feelings, experiences and their practice of rituals. New and reintroduced rituals include: spiritual dances, the waving of flags and banners, intercessions for persons requesting prayers, praying for healing through the laying on of hands, anointing with oil, raising hands at praise-to-God songs, personal testimonies of spiritual experience and perception, and loud music performed with modern musical instruments. These rituals are accompanied by the use of digital media.
I analyse reasons behind these transformations and examine the religious doctrines manifest in sermons, publications, and papers sent to the members. Societal and social changes caused by modernization and news technology are taken into account. The topical research question: How did this ecumenical orientation orientation evolve and what impact has it had on the ritual practice? is finally examined.