Christian Holidays Research Articles

«Умелое слово» священника А. В. Анисимова: из истории русской духовной миссии в Иерусалиме во 2-й пол. 1880-х гг.

The article characterises the educational activities of the visiting employee of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem, priest Alexander Vasilyevich Anisimov in 1887–1889. It describes the main facts of his biography and shows that prior to his appointment to Jerusalem he had had close contacts with the Holy Land as a pilgrim and spiritual writer. The position of a visiting employee established on the initiative and with financial support of the Orthodox Palestine Society, was associated with the need to accompany Russian pilgrims during their trips to Holy Places, to hold cultural and educational lectures (Palestinian readings) in Russian houses in evening time. A. V. Anisimov, who worked under the direct supervision and in collaboration with the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin), successfully coped with his responsibilities and gained love and respect of pilgrims. The readings were devoted to regular Christian holidays, the Sacred history of the Old and New Testaments, the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, various spiritual and moral issues, and were accompanied by a demonstration of pictures and choral singing. The obstacles to the continuation of A. V. Anisimov’s work included health problems, his desire to go beyond the boundaries of his duties, confl icts with the Greek clergy of Jerusalem Patriarchate. It is concluded that A. V. Anisimov’s activities laid the foundation for the Palestine Readings, which at that time were a new form of work and by the mid-20th century gradually transformed into a mass phenomenon, involving millions of Orthodox people throughout Russia.

Несколько замечаний к запискам Афанасия Никитина «Хожение за три моря» (XV в.)

The paper is devoted to several nonobvious places in the Afanasy Nikitin’s travel notes “Journey Beyond Three Seas” and proposes to revisit their discussion. The first part of the paper deals with toponyms. Thus, it is explained why Afanasy prefers the Arabic toponym Misyur to Egypt. In the next section attempts are made to interpret the doubtful toponym Myar/Myara, which is usually identified with Baku without sufficient justification, although among other toponyms it would be more appropriate to see in this name a distorted Myakka – Mecca. Then a new localization of the country of Shabat and the Shabait shelter of the Indian Sea on the map of the Indian peninsula is proposed, which connects geographical realities with the ethno-political context of the Bengal Sultanate. Further in the article, based on an analysis of the text, an assumption is made about which books might have been lost by Afanasy, on what the traveler’s lamentations about their absence are based, and why they could not have helped Afanasy to celebrate Christian holidays on time. It is proved that Afanasy can be considered as an “unbalanced bilingual,” since the text of the notes reflects the process of his loss of a sense of language. It is justified that the preserved version of the notes was created later, almost at the end of the journey.

Folk names of the Christian holiday of the Nativity of the Pre-Holy Virgin in Russian and Polish (linguistic and cultural aspect)

Folk names of the Christian holiday of the Nativity of the Pre-Holy Virgin in Russian and Polish (linguistic and cultural aspect)

The Cultural, Sexist Sanitization of Santa Claus

A cross-cultural historical examination of Santa Claus reflects that women have contributed substantially to the legend of Santa Claus, but their contributions are downplayed, demeaned, or reframed to fit a sexist view of women’s roles. Santa Claus type figures have emerged around the world as part of celebrations of the winter solstice, but strategically removed from their original cultural context to be portrayed to be part of a Christian holiday, when in fact they are not. In most reviews of the winter holidays around the world, there is almost no mention of the vital role that women play in their creation and sustainability. In a diversified world, it is time to change the narrative of this altruistic figure so that he can become more inclusive for all.

Православное воспитание в детских организациях эмиграции «первой волны» 1920 – 1930-е гг.

In Europe, in the second half of the XIX century, the first children's and youth movements were created. Their goal was the physical and moral development of young people. Moral values were instilled through Christian education. The Russian Empire was no exception, and since 1909, the scout and "potesnnie" movements began their activities in it, paying much attention to the Orthodox upbringing of their wards. In emigration, religious education became even more important. In the conditions of a foreign environment, the threat of assimilation and acculturation of Russian children increased. It was planned to resist this with a great emphasis on the study of national culture, including its religious component. Since it was not possible to cover all children in Russian schools in the scattering, more flexible children's and youth organizations became more important. In those colonies where churches existed, they participated in divine services, helped in holding Christian holidays, invited priests to classes and camps. In the richest and most numerous diasporas, such as the Parisian one, field churches in summer camps have become popular. In addition, classes on the Law of God were held in children's associations and exams were passed on knowledge of the basics of Orthodox culture, which made it possible to reach children living in remote regions. There were several main organizations that worked with children: scouts (NORS, ORYUR, NORR, ORPR), the gymnastics movement "Sokol", the national organization "Vityazi" under the Russian Student Christian Movement. All of them paid a lot of attention to religious education, although the "vityazi" were the most active in this regard. A certain indicator of the success of such work can be the fact that many children who passed through such associations later became priests and bishops.

Ossetian Folk Holiday Ichina

The article studies one of the most significant Ossetian folk festivals called Ichina (Ich’yna / Ik’ina). This research contributes to a more comprehensive reconstruction of traditional religious and mythological representations of the Ossetians, which determines the relevance of the research topic. The scientific novelty of research lies in the formulation of the problem: Ichina is still one of the least studied traditional holidays of Ossetians, so the question of the ratio of exogenous and endogenous elements in it is being raised for the first time. Also, for the first time, an attempt is being made to identify the archaic mythological basis of traditional ideas associated with this holiday. It is known that the name Ichina is derived from the Greek word Enkenia, which denotes the Christian holiday of the Renewal of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem. The aim of the study is to try to identify elements of exogenous religious ideas in the Ossetian holiday of Ichin, as well as the underlying traditional Ossetian beliefs. Analysis of various sources shows that the Ichin holiday, while generally corresponding to the Christian Enkenia, also contains elements that relate it to the Jewish holiday of Renewal. In particular, Ichina discovers a specific connection with the fire-light symbolism, which, however, does not necessarily indicate a direct familiarity with Jewish rites and could be perceived within the Christian tradition. Ethnographic materials refer the time of the holiday to the autumn period of the cattle breeding cycle. At the same time, in folklore texts about this holiday there is an implicit indication of the correlation between the transition to the wintering of livestock and the transition to the wintering of snakes. The use of comparative mythological material makes it possible to clarify this unusual connection. Since the functions of the guardian of livestock in mythology often belong to a serpentine deity, it is concluded that the holiday basically dates back to the ancient pastoral cult of a deity endowed with serpentine features.

Formation Practices for the Russian People’s Ethno-Cultural Identity: from the Emergence of the Russian Tradition and Statehood to Modern Falsifications

The historical approach to the formation of the origin concept for the Old Russian state and the ethno-cultural history of the Russian people allows for fervent discussions. They can be resolved by a culturological approach and the understanding of the cultureforming role of Orthodoxy as a key factor in the formation, preservation and transmission of the folk tradition through many centuries. Since the very emergence of the Russian land, the Orthodox tradition has been preserving the continuous transmission of values, worldview, and attitudes to many phenomena of the cultural life of the Russian population. However, after Peter the Great, and even more after the Soviet period marked by controlled destruction and substitution of the tradition, one can talk about the crisis of the Russian identity and the search for the living tradition and its place in contemporary life. In modern Russia, three approaches to the replication of the folk tradition can be observed. The fi rst one is conditioned by the activity of cultural institutions and dates back to the Soviet period of the Russian tradition destruction and the formation of the new Soviet people’s identity. The second one is implemented through the activity of the youth folklore movement of “practicing folklorists” who are guided by the materials of folklorist and ethnographic research and fi eld data. The third one is represented by an alternative identity formed through the practices of neo-pagan associations and the activity of organizers of holidays, festivities, and seminars who share this worldview. The latter approach is characterized by the rejection of the Christian bases and content of folk festivals that have survived till present in the research data. Maslenitsa and Kupala have always been Christian holidays and have been perceived as such among those with a Christian worldview. However, representatives of the third approach deny this, going to obvious falsifi cations and forgeries. Their worldview leads not only to the distortion of the value bases of Russian ethno-cultural tradition, but also to an anti-state ideology.

Peculiarities of the transformation of children’s Christmas holidays into New Year Tree holiday on the pages of the pioneer periodical press in the fi rst third of the twentieth century

The article presents an analysis of articles of the newspaper «Pionerskaya Pravda» and the magazine «Pioneer» of the second half of the 1920s – 1930s, which reflected the state of the problem of the anti-religious campaign influence on the conduct of Christian holidays, in particular, Christmas celebrations. It is established that in the early years of Soviet power, the attitude towards Christmas holidays and their attributes was quite neutral, however, by the end of the 1920s it had changed to extremely negative. Against the background of the nationwide struggle against religion, active propaganda was carried out to eradicate Christmas holidays and ban their celebration. At the same time, the Soviet pioneers were actively involved in the destruction of churches, in conducting explanatory work among the population, including their relatives and friends, about the harm and anti-scientific nature of religion. However, by the mid-1930s, the USSR returned to celebrating children’s winter holidays, in which Christmas was transformed into New Year Tree holiday. The pedagogical basis of it was the reliance on the development of the creative abilities of the child, which allows us to consider the holiday of the New Year tree as one of the important legacies of the Soviet school for the modern school.

MATTHEW ARNOLD’S ‘THE FORSAKEN MERMAN’ AND ‘THE NECKAN’AS REFLECTIONS OF VICTORIAN FEARS

Based on folk tales of Northern European nations, Arnold’s poems ‘The Forsaken Merman’ (1849) and ‘The Neckan’ (1853), both tell a story of human women who marry sea creatures, mermen, and replace their home on the land with the mermen’s underwater world. By crossing the boundaries between their worlds, they cause numerous problems, most significantly the tension resulting from their different religious beliefs. In ‘The Forsaken Merman’, Margaret, the merman’s wife, fearing that her soul will be damned because of her marriage to a pagan, decides to rejoin the human world on the most important Christian holiday, Easter. In ‘The Neckan’, in order to comfort his wife, the Neckan goes to the human world to find a priest who would be willing to baptise him, but he is rejected because he is a ‘monster’ who cannot be saved.
 The paper will examine the way in which Arnold’s poems reflect the fears of the Victorian era as well as his own anxieties. This will be accomplished by comparing the two opposite worlds of the poems – the human world of everyday activities, rules, laws, and expectations; and the mermen’s home, the mysterious, colourful, and peaceful world of sea-beasts. In addition, the paper will analyse the reversal of traditional gender roles and re-examine literary, cultural, and social stereotypes. The paper will also attempt to find a connection between the main topics of these poems and Arnold’s life and career of a poet and literary critic.

Toleransi Antar Umat Beragama; Studi Kasus Network Gusdurian Pamekasan Madura

The Gusdurian Pamekasan Community is a collection of individual admirers of Gus Dur's thoughts, struggles and to carry on Gus Dur's 9 main values. Members who are members of the Gusdurian Pamekasan Community consist of various groups, students, religious leaders, and interfaith, not only Muslims, there are also non-Muslims, they tolerate each other even though they have different beliefs. Therefore, this study aims to find out the forms of inter-religious tolerance in the Gusdurian Pamekasan community by using a qualitative descriptive analysis method in the form of field research with a phenomenological approach consisting of two data sources, primary and secondary. Primary data obtained from structured interviews, participant observation and documentation. Meanwhile, secondary data consists of books and scientific articles that are relevant to the research focus. How to analyze the data there are several stages. First, Data Reduction. Second, Data View. Third, Conclusion Drawing/verification . The results of the study show that the form of tolerance in the Gusdurian community is in the form of interfaith joint prayers, thinking about Islamic or Christian holidays and carrying out Islamic philanthropic activities.

THE STRUGGLE OF THE TOTALITARIAN REGIME AGAINST THE ETHNIC IDENTITY OF UKRAINIANS BY MEANS OF ATHEISM IN THE EDUCATIONAL SPACE IN THE 20S AND 30S OF THE 20TH CENTURY

The Muscovite Empire has been waging a war with Ukrainian identity for centuries, which prompts our people to fierce resistance. The Soviet authorities tried to impose a new type of identity on us, to educate the youth in respect for everything Russian and disdain for everything native. The policy of unification and Soviet identity was actively pursued. Today, the educational space of Ukraine is freed from the Moscow yoke and at the same time tries to weaken the influence of globalization processes. Ethnic identity is a component of national identity. Ethnic identity is the sphere of the sacred, which is manifested in the concepts of family, family, lineage, native house, native land, song, word, dialect, community, tradition, rite, ritual. Atheistic upbringing in education destroyed the sphere of the sacred, destroyed the cultural, and especially folklore memory of the people. All educational disciplines were filled with anti-religious content. The nationally conscious intelligentsia resisted militant atheism in the field of education. The main blow of the anti-religious work was directed against the Ukrainian family, against family holidays. Teachers intensified their atheistic work during major holidays: so-called “Saturdays” were necessarily organized on major Christian holidays. Today, society has entered into a duel for independence. And in this struggle, a prominent place belongs to educators. The experience of the past should serve us in the present.
 Keywords: atheism; identity; ethnic identity; Ukrainization; atheist upbringing; communist education; pedagogical intelligentsia; family values; Cordocentrism; Sophianism; atheism.

Analisis Keabsahan Muslim Mengucapkan Selamat Hari Raya Natal Berdasarkan Kaidah Niat

The fiqh rule regarding intention is the basic rule that is agreed upon as the first order. The formula is al-umūr bi maqāsidihā (the law of each case depends on its purpose/purpose/intention). The contents explain the purpose or intention as the basis for the assessment. This well-established rule has sufficient strength to become an argument for a fatwa for the permissibility of Muslims wishing Christians a Merry Christmas. This qualitative research takes data from literatures. The first step in content analysis in this research is mapping the arguments including fiqh principles what are involved in reasoning the fatwas about saying 'Merry Christmas' as a Christian holiday. Furthermore, the research will analize the results of the mapping based on the intention rule.

Dating of Afanasy Nikitin’s Journey Beyond the Three Seas: A Fresh Approach

The article proposes a new dating of Afanasy Nikitin’s journey. An analysis of the information from A Jorney Beyond the Three Seas showed that Afanasy Nikitin distinguished between the holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha and correlated them with various Christian holidays—Easter and St. Peter’s Day respectively. Before his fourth Easter, Afanasy Nikitin was no more able to correlate Christian and Muslim holidays. Afanasy’s suggested that Eid al-Fitr was celebrated 9–10 days from Easter, but in 1469, Easter fell on April 2, and Eid al-Fitr on April 14. In 1468, Easter fell on April 17, Eid al-Adha on April 24. In 1468, Eid al-Adha fell on June 21, and in 1469, on July 1. Afanasy also suggests that Eid al-Adha was celebrated on the same day as St. Peter’s day, June 29. This information allows putting forward the hypothesis that the traveler tried to determine the day of Easter in 1470, remembering the past two years of his journey, when he could still correlate Christian and Muslim holidays. In conclusion, Afanasy Nikitin’s journey began in 1467, and he returned from the trip and died near Smolensk in winter of 1472/73.

Proslava dana Svetoga Save u srpskim školama u Skopskom sandžaku krajem XIX i početkom XX veka

At the end of the XIX and beginning of XX century The Saint Sava's cult was developed not just in Serbia and Montenegro but also in other Serbian areas which were under Turkish Empire and Austro - Hungarian Monarchy. In Old Serbia and Macedonia where Serbian people lived, before Serbian - Turkish war from 1876 - 78., The Day of Saint Sava was celebrated in cities like:Tetovo, Prizren, Priština, Vučitrn, Mitrovica, Gnjilane, Vranje, Niš, Skoplje, Kratovo, Kočan. However, as Serbian - Turkish war was proclaimed 1876 - 1878. All Serbian schools in Turkey had to stop working. After the war, most Serbian schools in Old Serbia, especially in Macedonia, remained closed. The work of Serbian schools was forbidden and Serbian name must not be spoken out loud. After passing the law of public schooling in Turkey (1891) Porta allowed opening of private schools, primarily in Skoplje, and then in Thessaloniki (December 1892), and since May 1893 in the whole Macedonian part of Kosovo vilayet. For Bitola and Thessaloniki's vilayet permission was obtained in April 1897. Serbian schools in Skoplje took part in all bigger events, holy days and celebrations in city itself as well as in entourage, and in some cases outwards. The Serbs celebrated all Christian holidays and in this way they raised Serbian national spirit. However, the greatest holy days are kept on the Day of the First Serbian Archbishop, educator and teacher, Saint Sava. In the year 1893. began the celebration of the Day of Saint Sava in Serbian schools in several places of Sandzak of Skoplje (Kratovo, Kočan, Berovo, Tetovo), and in the year of 1895. In Skoplje, when work of primary schools was renewed and Gymnasium was established, as well as in Kumanovo, in villages of Kriva Palanka - Rankovac i Stanco, villages of Kočan - Beli and Nivičani, and in Maleška area in villages like Ratevo and Berovo. The Day of Saint Sava was celebrated for the first time in the year of 1896. in Serbian schools in Kriva Palanka, Gostivar and in village of Pobužje (Montenegro of Skoplje), and in year of 1897. In Serbian schools in Kućevište (Montenegro of Skoplje), Leunovo (Mavrovo), as well as in villages of Skoplje area in villages (Kruševica, Tabanovci, Cetirći, Nikuljan, Algunja, Dragomanac, Klecovac, Jačica i Kusan), and in several villages around Tetovo (Brezno, Odra, Belovište, Vratnince, Rogočevo, Sirinić, Tudenc, Galat, Mavrovo, Dufa, Jarekitim and Tajmiste). Since the year of 1899. The Day of Saint Sava was celebrated in the village of Pantalej in Kočan, as well as the village of Smojmirov (Maleška area), and in newly opened schools in Rogačevo and Trudenc in Tetovo. The celebration of the Day of Saint Sava in Serbian schools in Sandžak of Skoplje was a special event. Administration of school chose the board more than a month before the celebration which had to prepare and more solemnly organize Saint Sava's celebration. Shortly before the Day of Saint Sava, according to the old custom, slav stake and Slavonic wheat were prepared, the hall is properly decorated, and general rehearsal of the program was held. Celebration started the night before the holiday by the evening liturgy in the church and there were also students and teachers. On the Day of Saint Sava, morning liturgy was held in honour of the Saint. After the morning liturgy priests, people and students went for litia from the churchyard towards school with the humming of church bells and the song "Uskliknimo s ljubavlju". In school, water consecration and cutting the bread are done, and then the host for the next celebration is chosen. After that, the administrator or some of the teachers adress to gathered people with convenient speech in which they describe the life of Saint Sava briefly and his merits for Serbian people. At the end of the speech one would ask gathered for donations in order to help poor students and people would do so. After the speech solemn program was held which included recitation and Serbian songs. In the afternoonin the school yard, folk festival, dance was held and it lasted until dark. In the evening there was a dinner party which was used to collect donations for poor students.

Ուխտագնացություն դեպի առաջին քրիստոնյա երկիր՝ Հայաստան. կրոնական զբոսաշրջության զարգացման ներուժը ՀՀ-ում / Pilgrimage to the First Christian Country – Armenia։ Religious Tourism Development Potential in Armenia

Religious or pilgrimage tourism is one of the main types of tourism in Armenia. Armenia is considered to be the first country to adopt Christianity as a state religion. Today there are 1475 churches and 610 chapels in Armenia. The total number of religious objects is 2444. There are essential preconditions for the development of religious tourism in Armenia. The article introduces some pilgrimage tourism routes, as well as suggestions for expanding the routes, improving marketing activities, celebrating Christian holidays attracting tourists, as well as giving certificate of "Pilgrimage to the first Christian country - Armenia" to tourists, which is used in Christian pilgrimage centers - in Jerusalem, Vatican, and Santiago de Compostela.

In the Forefront and on the Margins: Jews, Secularism and Women's Liberation in Ontario and British Columbia, 1960s–1980s

AbstractThis article examines Jewish feminists in the British Columbia and Ontario women's movements, particularly among radical and socialist feminists. Feminists within these movements saw organised religion as patriarchal, hostile to the interests of women and thus to be rejected. Using archival and oral history sources, we argue that looking more closely at Jewish feminists within second‐wave feminism can help us to more clearly understand the nature of secularism in the women's movement, its implicit contradictions and unspoken Christian bias. Jewish feminists noted, for example, that Christian holidays such as Christmas or Easter could be seen as secular celebrations, while any celebration of Jewish heritage, even if it emerged from a very secular Jewish socialist culture, was suspect within secular feminist circles, and indeed could be denounced as an acceptance of patriarchy. We analyse the distinctive experiences of Jewish feminists as a minority community within an ostensibly secular women's movement. We argue that Jewish activist women, because of their liminal position within the movement, as both secular feminists and ethnic/religious other, could challenge and reveal the Christian roots of feminist secularism.

Religious Diversity for Young Readers: A Bibliography of Multi-Faith Informational Picturebooks

Picturebooks about religion encourage children to be introspective about their own faith and spirituality, and facilitate conversations between children and adults. Reading picturebooks about faiths and beliefs different than their own, especially those which do not promote negative stereotypes, can also help young readers relate to others. However, books about faiths other than Christianity are underrepresented in libraries, as the majority of religious picturebooks published in the United States focus on Christian holidays and themes. This article presents a bibliography of informational picturebooks which pair words and images to explain religious and spiritual concepts. The books featured are intended for a wide audience and includes multi-faith stories, as well as stories about Judaism, Islam, and atheism/agnosticism.

Christmas at the Arcade: Public Spectacle, Consumer Capitalism, and the American Childhood

Christmas at the ArcadePublic Spectacle, Consumer Capitalism, and the American Childhood Ryan H. Reed (bio) The Dayton Arcade, like the rest of downtown Dayton, transformed into a dreamworld during Christmastime. Fantastic characters from tales of old marched down West Third Street, while the soft glow of lights, bright decorations, and the excitement of a reindeer pen at the courthouse led hundreds of Daytonians through a wonderland of Christmas cheer, and perhaps more importantly, Christmas presents. The Dayton Arcade remade itself during the holiday season, investing in print advertisements, decor, and ritual. Through this process, Arcade retailers created a hotbed for a new holiday commercial exchange that hinged on the parent-child gift-giving relationship. For many Daytonians, the parent-child relationship, reflected in the spatial and commercial holiday transformation of the Arcade, had already become an important element of childhood in America. The commercialization of Christmas stretches back to the nineteenth century. At that time, the rise of American middle-class culture fundamentally reshaped the holiday. Historian Stephen Nissenbaum argued in his history of Christmas, "Christmas itself had played a role in bringing about both the consumer revolution and the 'domestic revolution' that created the modern family."1 After the 1850s, Christmas celebration was radically transformed by middle-class values. A key component involved the commercialization of the holiday. In affixing the gift-giving relationship to the parent and child, new Christmas traditions, rooted in fantasy and wonder, [End Page 129] shaped the memory and identity of American children and adults. As many who personally experienced the Dayton Arcade at Christmas attest, this transformation generated powerful attachments to the space of the Arcade as a source of wonderment and joy. The evolution of the Christmas holiday is manifested in the Arcade's history. The Arcade opened in 1904 at a time when there was a marked increase in the commercialization of the Christmas holiday. Prior to the mid-nineteenth century, Christmas celebrations differed greatly from what people recognize today. The Christmas holiday had its origins in medieval end-of-the-year celebrations. One such was Saturnalia, the Roman end-of-year festival. Other such celebrations included the visitation of Odin, the Festival of Lights, and the winter solstice. In medieval communities, end-of-the-year celebrations were characterized by "excess, carnality, and … 'social inversion.'"2 These types of practices were common throughout the world in agricultural societies. As Christian culture began to extend its sway over Northern Europe in the later Middle Ages and early modern era, the Christian holiday of the birth of Christ was grafted onto these local traditions. Visitors to the Arcade at the time of the first celebrations of Christmas would have experienced the frivolity of local European end-of-the-year celebrations akin to an "unrestrained carnival" or a "December Mardi Gras."3 At the end of the harvest, agricultural communities came together to commemorate a long year of work and shared in a common spirit of merriment and goodwill toward their fellow person. Peasants sought to suspend the course of everyday life through comedic representations of their rulers, sometimes grotesque or chaotic costuming, and extraordinary gaiety. Most especially, they targeted commonly understood hierarchies; they pretended (if only for a night) to become the local baron, and in turn, the baron became a peasant. The tradition of wassailing, typical among the lower classes of Europe from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century, was characterized by poor revelers demanding gifts from more prosperous villagers and nobles upon threat of violence. When coupled with heavy consumption of alcohol, wassailing may have created a great deal of discomfort for the wealthier members of these agricultural societies. However, participation was largely voluntary. After all, the inversion of social roles meant that aristocrats were also exempt from their duties. The tradition served [End Page 130] as a peaceful way to address simmering frustrations revolving around inequality in societies that nonetheless possessed strong notions of mutual obligation. In treating the revelers, the prosperous and noble-born in the community acknowledged their dependence upon others in the community and their commitment to the collective whole. The pagan roots of Christmas were well known to the Puritans of New England. For...

Muslimer och postmuslimer i Svenska kyrkan

The demographical changes during the last decades have created a sit­uation where Sweden has become one of the most secular and one of the most multireligious countries at the same time. This situation stands in stark contrast to the country's modern history in which its population have been largely homogeneous, and its religious landscape almost completely dominated by state-church Lutheranism. The growth of Sweden's Muslim population is what has caused most debate. According to calculations made by the Pew Research Center, one fifth of the country's total population is likely to be Muslim by 2050. This change also has consequences for the former state church, which now finds that also Muslims take part in its activities. In this article we present and analyze a novel survey-investigation on Muslims who self-identify as members of the Church of Sweden. In our analysis we differentiate between Muslims and what we call post-Muslims. While the former of these categories refers to those who self-identify as Muslims, the latter refers to people who do not refer to themselves as Muslims but who come from a Muslim family. These categories are mirrored by the Christians and post-Christians, who are selected by equivalent criteria. We conclude that most Muslims and post-Muslims have no affiliation to organized religious communities in Sweden and that among those who do, Christian churches are as important as the Muslim congregations. Among the churches, the Church of Sweden is the one in which most Muslims and post-Muslims are members. The Muslim and post-Muslim members of this church, we find, differ from each other. The Muslims are mostly Swedish-born 50–65-year-old women. They do not take part in any religious activities, and they celebrate Christian, but not Muslim, holidays. In terms of beliefs, they believe in a life after death, but mostly not in God or hell. The post-Muslims are mostly 30–49-year-old men who have come relatively recently to Sweden from the Middle East. They take part in congregational activities and celebrate both Muslim and Christian holidays. They also largely believe in God, a life after death, and hell. In terms of representation, they feel represented, primarily, by Muslim communities.

Кузнец и красавица в повести Н. Гоголя и романе В. Скотта

The article deals with the first identified cross talks of N. V. Gogol’s The Night Before Christmas (1832) with W. Scott’s historical novel The Beauty of Perth, or St. Valentine’s Day (1828, Rus. trans. 1829). These obvious parallels for educated contemporaries, as it were, “highlighted” the plot of Gogol’s story, the images of its heroes. And then Dikanka appeared as the center of Little Russia, like the county of Perth in Scotland, the young blacksmith and the beauty also became the main characters, and the Christian holiday was the time of their unity. At the same time, the image of single-­parent families (half-orphanhood) of these heroes was actually repeated. Against such a background, their family union simply had to become full-fledged, and therefore, in the finale of both the novel and the story, it is shown that after the wedding of the heroes, the birth of their child follows in due time as a religious and natural approval of this union.