OLD BELIEVERS OF THE VILLAGE OF GURIEV KAZACHOK IN THE KHARKIV REGION:THE LIFE AND DEATH OF A TRADITION

Key words: Ukraine, Kharkiv region, religion, Old Believers, life, folklore, history The article analyzes the history of the Old Believer tradition in the village of Guriev Kazachok, Zolochiv district, Kharkiv region. The characteristics of isolation and conflict with the dominant Orthodox Church are described, along with the anti-religious policies of the local community authorities throughout the Soviet era, based on the author’s edited local history of V.P. Gurev and his own field notes. Attention is paid to the features of the celebration of Christmas and New Year by the Old Believers, their perception of such innovations as a bicycle, tractor, electricity, radio, television. The study examines the Old Believer community’s mentoring tradition and the factors that led to its demise. The texts of songs popular among the Old Believers (“The Young Hermit”, “The Mother Begged”, “About Laziness”, “Yesterday I Sat with My Friend”) are cited, which clearly reflected the worldview of the representatives of this religious subculture.