Mass urban festivals in Ukraine (1950s to 1980s). Rituals, loci and actors

Abstract

If the subject of Soviet urban ritualistic as the central part of the ideological project in historiography is represented by many scientific works, then the ritual culture of the inhabitants of Ukrainian cities of the Soviet period of the 1950–1980s is still insufficiently studied. This article, based on the analysis of research literature, the introduction into scientific circulation and interpretation of archival sources, as well as press materials and testimonies of respondents, examines the efforts of the authorities aimed at creating a festive atmosphere on the streets of the Ukrainian city. The author proposes to look at the civil holidays through the prism of the anthropological approach, highlighting the main rituals, loci, and characters. To achieve the objectives of the research, scientific methods of analytical interpretation of sources, comparative historical analysis, historical reconstruction and case studies were used. The conclusions emphasize the existence in the specified period of a contradictory attitude towards citizens’ participation in Soviet rituals, since they simultaneously understood the coercive nature of the celebrations, but also received some opportunities for recreation in the conditions of routine everyday life of the Soviet era.