Names of Yuletide Mummers in the Russian Subdialects of Perm Krai

Abstract

This article deals with the main groups of nominations denoting mummers (Rus. ряженые) in the Russian colloquialisms of Perm Region. The aim of the study is to describe the semantic groups of such terms associated with various ideas of dressing up: ritual dressing up, attributes and methods of dressing up, mythological ideas, and calendar time; to demonstrate the geographical distribution of units of these groups in the region. The study refers to field materials collected under the direction of A. V. Chernykh in various districts of Perm Region, data from Perm dialect dictionaries, collections and monographs, and data from the card index of the Dictionary of Russian Colloquialisms of the North of Perm Region (ed. by I. I. Rusinov) of Perm State National Research University. The various nominations of mummers reflect the complexity and polyfunctionality of the phenomenon of mummers; together they represent a certain set of attributes perceived as essential. The names of these attributes serve as motivators of the denominations of mummers. Several most frequent groups of units motivationally connected with the names of ritual transformation can be distinguished among the regional nominations of disguised persons (наряжунчики, посряжунчики, ряженки, ряженчики, ряжунчики, снаряжёнцы, снаряженщики, срядчики, сряженцы, сряжунчики, сряжушки), features of their appearances (замаскированные, маскарованные, маскированные, машкарованные, машкированные, мышкарики), means and ways of dressing up (горбуницы, горбунки, горбунцы, горбунчики, горбушки; старушки), lower demonology characters (ошуликаны, силикуны, сюликуны, чиликуны, шеликуны, шиликуны, шулеконы, шулиганы, шуликаны, шуликины, шуликуны, шулихуны, шульганы, шульканы, шулюкины; шиши, шишочки; полуденки, полудники, полудницы; мухтари, мухтарики, мухтары), calendar times (святки, святошни, святошники, святошные), which, at the same time, form areas on the territory of Perm Krai and are conditioned by the peculiarities of settlement. One can talk about a significant variability of the terminology of mummers in Perm Krai. Some nominations are often recorded in the region, others are less frequent and are characteristic only of specific areas and local traditions. Perm data demonstrate the use of terms both widely spread in Russian traditions in general and several names characteristic only of the region.