THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN TRADITIONAL CALENDAR FESTIVALS AND RITUALS OF THE CHUVASH

The relevance of the research is determined by the importance of studying the gender aspect in the traditional culture in a modern society experiencing global and modernization processes. The article analyzes the holidays and rituals of the calendar cycle in which women participated. The purpose of the study is to trace the role of women in calendar festive occasions in the process of historical and cultural changes in the Chuvash community of the late XIX – early XX centuries. Materials and methods. The study was conducted using the general scientific method of systematization (analysis) and the basic principle of historical research (concreteness), which made it possible to analyze historical and ethnological studies on ethnography, calendar ritualism of the Chuvash. The work was carried out mainly on the materials of archival documents of the Scientific Archive of the Chuvash State Institute of Humanities. Research results. Based on the studied sources, it is possible to recreate a generalized picture of the life of a Chuvash woman. First of all, the woman – the wife of the head of the family – had a high status. She was in charge of all household chores among the younger women of the family. The importance of a Chuvash woman in preserving and transmitting cultural and ethnic traditions was great. The analysis of a wide range of festive occasions and rituals enables to note that the Chuvash did not have explicit women’s festivals and rituals, or there were very few of them, but women were present in each of them. A woman’s reputation was also determined by her special role in the ceremonial life of the family and community. The life, health and well-being of family members and the entire household depended on her knowledge and skills. Conclusions. The participation of women and their primacy in calendar festivals and rituals, as well as in sacrifices to individual deities and spirits, is not denied. A Chuvash woman was a part of ritual practices that had a magical purpose to stimulate the productive forces of nature, and the guardian not only of the hearth, but the national values of her people as well.