The first year of a child's life in an armenian family (in Samara)

Abstract

The theme of childhood is one of the most important and interesting in the Russian and foreign ethnography, because for a long time researchers have not given attention to this problem. In the middle of the XX century scientists emphasize the description of children's cycle ceremonies, public education. Today questions of birth and care of a child, his education in ethno-cultural and another cultural environment are in the forefront of the study of the peoples. Our investigation focuses on the first year of life of the children of Armenian ethnos living in the city of Samara. In this paper two sub-ethnic groups (Armenians from the Republic of Armenia, Baku Armenians) of the Armenian community, that take different approaches to bringing up children are considered. This paper presents a consolidated material on the education, traditions and customs of the first year of life of the Armenian children. The article highlights the current issues of ethnography: pregnancy, childbirth and naming the baby, the postnatal period in the life of the child and the woman, nutrition, clothes, amulets, etc. Thus, the study of this issue has shown that there are certain differences in some aspects of childhood culture between the two Armenian groups in Samara, albeit minor. Baku Armenians are more liable to other cultures and other ethnic influence, which manifests itself in the rites of baptism, fairy tales, cola-cabling, and you select a name for the baby.