THE IMAGE OF OLD BELIEVERS IN THE FOLKLORE TRADITION OF THE BELARUSIANS IN THE DVINA REGION (ACCORDING TO THE MATERIALS OF THE XIX – THE BEGINNING OF THE XXI CENTURY)

Abstract

One of the most important places of compact settlement of Russian Old Believers in the Belarusian lands is located in the northern part of the country (in the Belarusian Dvina region). The process of Old Believers’ resettlement to this region began in the middle of the XVII century. In the article, on the basis of folklore and ethnographic sources, the image of Old Believers in the popular culture of the Belarusians of Padzvinnie in the XIX – early XXI centuries is considered. The significant part of the materials consisted of the author’s own writings, compiled during 2005–2021. One can conclude that confessional factor played an essential role in shaping the image of Old Believers. Religion played an exceptional role in the identity of Old Believers. Also, the isolated and closed lifestyle of Old Believers significantly influenced the number and character of contacts with the local Belarusian population. For the Belarusians in this region, their economic activities, language, way of life and rituals were also important in characterizing the “outsiders”. In the eyes of the Belarusan population, Old Believers were good farmers, artisans and merchants. The prohibition of smoking tobacco, alcoholism, strict observance of the given word and fasting are positive features of their household culture. But at the same time, some categories of the Old Believers’ population were ascribed magical powers, criticized simplified marriages and ignored the property rights of the indigenous population. At the same time, it should be noted that many perceptions in relation to the Old Believers as well as to the local Belarusian population, were ascribed to the representatives of other “alien” (ethnic, confessional, professional) communities and in many respects were caused by the features of perception in the conditions of the traditional society. The analysis of the materials of the modern field folklore ethnographical researches in the region testifies to the fact that starting from the middle of the XX century the distance in the interaction between the Belarusians and Russian Old Believers has significantly decreased, and the mutual relations are characterized by good-neighbourliness.