WOMEN'S RITUAL PRACTICES IN THE CULTURE OF BELARUSIANS

This article aims to highlight the dominant position of women within the symbolic space of Belarusian rural culture from the 19th to the early 21st century, and show the specific features of women’s ritual practices known among Belarusians as abrok (a votive offering) and abydzennik (ritual fabric woven in one day). The cultural anthropological analysis of these practices is based on the author’s long-term field research and ethnographic literature. The study takes an ethno-sociological approach, and draws on concepts from gift and ritual theory, as well as gender studies. The first part of the article examines the status of women in rural society and their social responsibility within the symbolic field of relations among humans, ancestors, and the sacred, as well as the connection between women’s rituals and traditional activities, such as spinning and weaving. The second part describes and interprets the votive ritual of offering textile gifts (abroki) at roadside crosses, other sacred sites and in churches, a practice which is still carried out today. The following section analyses the practice of making abydzennik and its associated rituals. The article emphasises that this ritual was revitalised in Belarusian villages during the Second World War and in Minsk in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. A conclusion is drawn about the significance of traditional women’s socio-cultural experience and the need to consider its existence in culture and collective memory when assessing the social potential of modern Belarusian society