Socjologiczne spojrzenie na nabożeństwa majowe przy przydrożnych kapliczkach

Abstract

The article has a theoretical-descriptive-research character and is based on an analysis of the literature in the field of religiosity as well as social research methodology. The issue of analyzing the sociological contexts of Marian prayer services during the month of May is not often addressed in social science research due to its interdisciplinary nature as well as the lack of interest in cultural capital in the area of religiosity. May folk prayer services at shrines or statues, understood as a spontaneous gathering of the faithful to sing Marian hymns and litanies, reveal intervening phenomena that include the formation of social ties, the construction of identity based on preferred values and social norms, which even today, in an era of a globalized world, shed valuable light on the shape of social relations and the importance of culture in the consciousness of Poles. The presented research material was collected during an open, participatory and uncontrolled observation, when in May 2022 I observed prayer gatherings at a roadside chapel, while in 2023 I observed people praying inside a former church building, a wooden stationary chapel belonging to the same parish.