Festive Practices Research Articles

Black Festive Practices in the Early Modern Iberian World: Sources and Challenges

In the early-modern Iberian world, people of African descent engaged in festive practices both in isolation and as part of wider religious and civic communities. Based on contemporary chronicles, festival accounts and visual sources, our knowledge of these practices remains partial, both because contemporary writers and artists were largely non-Black and because these authors and artists inscribed these traditions within the Eurocentric exotic genre. In this article, I turn to festival accounts, government reports and visual sources, discuss the challenges and opportunities they present and develop diasporic, transgeographic and transtemporal methodologies allowing us to identify continuities across the Afro-Iberian diaspora.

Bradford’s Morton: The Lord of Misrule in Early New England

Thomas Morton, controversial figure in early New England, attempted to establish a colony in what is today Quincy, Massachusetts. Dubbed the “Lord of Misrule” by William Bradford, Morton was accused of enticing indentured servants to escape their bondage, and staging festivities to a mixed gathering of English and Algonquian-speaking peoples, amongst other crimes. This article will examine two texts: those excerpts of William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation that mention Morton, and Thomas Morton’s New English Canaan. These divergent accounts may be read as a restaging of some predominant preoccupations of early modern England, namely the hostile reception of popular festive practices and the theater, inextricably linked to the articulation of social class, and the fear of “masterless men.” I argue that reading the conflicting accounts of Bradford and Morton offer a key to interpreting the practices of colonization at the hands of Puritans and Pilgrims in early New England.

Eliminating Stereotypes: Villages as Desirable Spaces for Partying among Spanish Youth☆

AbstractMost of the research on rural youth has focused on the material conditions that cause their migration to cities, but it has not tended to address sociocultural dimensions, such as those concerning leisure and what might condition the processes of migration among young people. The aim of this study is to contrast the discourse and representations that young people have regarding leisure with the festive practices that they carry out in Spanish villages. The fieldwork consisted of 13 discussion groups and 38 in‐depth interviews (N = 118), with participants aged between 15 and 24 years. The results show that: (1) young people construct their idea of partying through dominant, dichotomous and unequal rural–urban representations, demonstrating the presence of traditional stereotypes around rurality; (2) the village becomes desirable as a place for partying at specific times of the year, such as local festivals; (3) the practices of rural youth call into question this normative imaginary, as is also shown by their adaptation, belonging and agency in the construction and management of leisure. Getting rid of stereotypes about rurality and creating positive thinking about the leisure possibilities in villages can lead young people to see it as a space for opportunities and personal development.

Popular Religion or Lived Religion? Exploring Indigenous Religious Festival Practice in Mexico

This article investigates the practice of lived religion in two contemporary indigenous communities in Mexico (San Juan Mixtepec, Oaxaca and El Espíritu, Hidalgo) by examining some of their unique religious festive traditions to analyze the ways in which human and non-human social actors interact with one another to create networks of symbolic meaning and senses of belonging. Specific examples of embodied practices and materiality in the festive cycle of each community are analyzed as the basis for their religious identities which also, the author suggests, create dynamic senses of community and self through the mutual sharing of symbolically significant cultural discourses. By analyzing different elements of traditional religious festivals in these two communities from the perspective of actor-network theory, the article reveals how the concept of “lived religion” can be used to express the realities of indigenous religious life in Mexico and as an alternative to “popular religion,” which typically resonates more frequently throughout the literature.

САКРАЛЬНА ФУНКЦІЯ СВЯТКОВОГО ПИРОГА В ДАВНІХ РИМЛЯН: ОНОМАСІОЛОГІЧНИЙ І КУЛЬТУРОЛОГІЧНИЙ АСПЕКТИ

The article represents evolutional changes in modern culture of celebration, the traits of desacralization of traditional festive practices in comparison with the old ceremonial rites of "serving the deity" appropriate, in particular, to Greeks and Romans. In conformity with V. Turner’s universal theory of rite its multilevel structure was determined (symbolic, valuable, teleological and role-playing) as well as important sacred function that insures the integrity of all components. The rite of sacrifice was described as the most important festive ritual aimed at the creation of the channel of communication between the heavenly and the earthly, between gods and people. The assignment of different species of animals and plants’ sacrifice was determined the existence of link between the type of ophir and the deity’s cult was proved, between its zoomorphic and phytomorphic attributes, which had to guarantee the choice of the victim at the deity’s preference. Ancient Greeks and Romans traditionally sacrificed the bulls to Zeus / Jupiter, the cows to Hera / Juno, the horses to Poseidon / Neptune, the ear of cereals to Demeter / Ceres etc., and those who lacked the money to buy animals, had to choose animal and vegetable substitutes to bloody sacrifice – pies in the form of animalistic figures. The sacred assignment of festive banquet after the sacrifice ritual was grounded, when joint consumption of food symbolized an accord between gods and people and was aimed at winning support of the celestials and to ensure receiving divine favour. Names of bakery product were analyzed, in particular, pies, that ancient Romans used as bloodless sacrifice during both public sacrifice ceremony and festive rituals in the family circle. Conclusion was made that metaphthonyтy is major means of nomination, language formulas of dedication and examples of the use of pies’ names in the works of such famous Roman authors as Cato, Ovid, Horace, Martial and others were illustrated. Derivative mutuality of the names of festive pies and the libation as various types of the ophir deriving from the Latin verb "libare" – to sacrifice – was determined.

ПУБЛИКА И ЗРИТЕЛИ СОВЕТСКИХ ПРАЗДНИКОВ 1920-1930-Х ГГ.

This article attempts to consider the audience as a specific community of spectators, listeners, and visitors of various performances at the stage of its formation in the early Soviet period. Numerous means were used to form the ability to perceive and understand the language of arts, aesthetic ideas and social attitudes; among which public holidays were the most effective. The festive culture of the first decades of Soviet government was focused on the active citizens’ mass participation in the events. The public was not supposed to remain indifferent to the holidays held by the state, primarily revolutionary ones. The roles of the spectator and the actor/participant of theatrical festive performances united in the space of festive culture. The task of Soviet citizens’ ideological upbringing meant their involvement in mass action. Active participation was supposed to foster a sense of collectivism, to form social identity and spiritual values. The state and public organizations’ study of the festive audience composition and spectator interest contributed to the development of methodological recommendations for holding festive events. The article discusses the techniques and methods of studying the audience in the festive practice of social construction of a “new” person in the 1920s–1930s.

Afro-Catholic Festivals in the Americas: Performance, Representation, and the Making of Black Atlantic Tradition

Afro-Catholic Festivals in the Americas: Performance, Representation, and the Making of Black Atlantic Tradition

Public Holiday as a Formation Factor of State Cultural Policy

The purpose of the article is to analyse the public holiday as a formation factor of the state cultural policy, as well as to conceptually comprehend the transformation of a modern public holiday calendar and its valuable ideological potential under the current conditions of Russian military aggression. Research methodology is based on the use of both general and special scientific methods of cognition, including methods of generalisation, synthesis and analysis, the toolkit of which is optimised for the study of public holiday phenomena as an important factor of the state cultural policy. Scientific novelty. There is a scientific gap regarding the key role of festive practices in the general scheme of building independent Ukraine. The scientific novelty of this paper lies in the theoretical generalisation of the problem and defining categorical statements related to the research topic. Conclusions. The conducted research enabled proving the need for the formation of a new state cultural policy, in the strategy of which the modern Ukrainian holidays should play an important role. Furthermore, such holidays should be significantly different comparing with the festive practices of the aggressor country and its regressive narratives. Currently, specialists in the field of culture are facing the challenges of bold experiments and the search of new forms, which should bring European value orientations and, at the same time, preserve traditional, national features. The modern public holidays should represent a more complex, highly organised level of synthesised propaganda of Ukrainian values by means of modern and conventional art. The organisation of public holidays should be undertaken by artistic intellectuals who strive to find new forms and genres of art, as well as determine the ways of the most emotional and effective forms of building state cultural policy. Significant changes can be taken under the condition of effective interaction between authorised state bodies that contribute to both cultural and artistic processes and creative energy of conscious Ukrainians. The Ukrainian society is in urgent need of high-quality cultural promotion which can be implemented by introducing new public holiday practices.
 Key words: holiday, cultural expansion, public holiday, festive practices.

URBAN CELEBRATION IN A BRAZILIAN FAVELA: From an Art Festival to a Youth Movement

AbstractThe fate of the Jardim Colombo favela in São Paulo changed with the birth of a youth‐led urban movement during the first art festival held in 2018. Planned and delivered in one month, the festival gathered dozens of volunteers and hundreds of residents to dream together about transforming a dumping site into a park for the community. The excitement of this initial action soon materialized into a self‐aware social infrastructure ready to face future and unexpected challenges—including a pandemic, to which the young leaders in Jardim Colombo would respond with creativity, preventing devastating health outcomes. Drawing on three months of fieldwork and an ongoing relationship with the community leaders, I explore how this one‐off celebration turned into an urban movement that is pursuing increasingly ambitious social and material goals. Sustained by four pillars—youth, women, creativity and planning—I present this story as a deployment of celebratory insurgency strategically engaging in festive practices to subtly push its counter‐hegemonic political agenda in relation to cultural and identity matters. I argue that framing this creative approach as a planned urban celebration may inspire other planning initiatives seeking social justice in the peripheries of cities across the global South.

Gothic leiþu, “strong drink; fruit wine?” and its Cognates in the Germanic Languages

Gothic <i>leiþu</i>, “strong drink; fruit wine?” and its Cognates in the Germanic Languages

"¡A ver la comeria nueva / que la negla representa!": Villancicos de negros en la Bogotá virreinal

Abstract: Sung inside and beyond the confines of cathedrals during the principal religious celebrations, the musical-poetic genre of the villancico took on a special vibrancy in the viceregal city of Santafé (today, Bogotá, Colombia) from the later sixteenth century onward. The singers themselves not only played (sung) the roles of angels and shepherds, but also of others, often adapted from stock comic characters, such as the "Negro" or "Negra" (Black man or woman), found in the widely popular short comic dramas of the Spanish-speaking world. This article studies the manuscript evidence of how the villancicos composed, sung, and performed in the Bogotá Cathedral attest to the contribution of the "black voices" that were heard in this viceregal metropolis, to be embodied in these pieces. I provide transcriptions and analysis of the poems, and even theatrical scripts, found in the musical scores of a corpus of "villancicos de nacimiento" preserved in the Archive of Bogotá's Cathedral. In turn, these musical-poetic works open a window through which to better understand devotional and festive practices in a stratified colonial society and, in so doing, can give us also a picture of performance practices developed by largely unheralded and mostly anonymous Black performers of the territory of New Granada (which coincides with present-day Panamá, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador), which was administered through the Viceroyalty of Peru until 1717.

Фестиваль як святкова культурна практика

The scientific research reveals the characteristics of the festival as a cultural form, defines its structure, functions and social purpose. General and special features of the festival as a festive practice are described (its purpose, ontological foundations, cultural potential). The research methodology focused on the systematic approach allowed to apply the comparative, historical and cultural, typological and analytical methods. The ability of the festival to improve social relations, smooth over difficulties and misunderstandings caused by intercultural diversity, create a single cultural space indicates that in the modern world the leading function of the festival is integration and differentiation. The study justifies that in order to initiate systematic festival practices in territorial communities one should take into consideration the following factors: the significance of the cultural potential of the festival; the ability of cultural practices to influence the economic situation of the settlement; the impossibility to realize the festival potential without the support of the government and understanding the importance of culture as social capital by its representatives; the co-ordination of common interests between the cultural and artistic environment and the local community; having a common understanding of social and cultural problems and ways to solve them. The author proves that the festival, forming an open symbolic and cultural space for dialogue, acts as a «cultural mediator» between different social groups of society. The implementation of communicative, educational, entertainment functions and the function of a direct participation contributes to achieving the goal. In modern society, the festival is not only a powerful factor in strengthening social capital as such, which stimulates the economic, cultural, and educational development of the local community; the festival represents and, at the same time, produces patterns of cultural development for the near future. It creates its own cultural product, actualizing modern culture, as it combines different cultural practices in a single project.

Інверсія «небесного» і «земного» у святкових практиках європейського середньовіччя

The article attempts to reveal the peculiarities of the formation and functioning of cultural practices of the Middle Ages in the dichotomous system of «heavenly» and «earthly»; to substantiate the prerequisites for the emergence of new forms of festive culture (religious and secular); their functional and content load. The basis of the scientific research methodology was the historical and cultural approach, which allowed, on the one hand, to take into account the specifics of this historical stage of human development, and, on the other hand, to trace the interdependence of social, political and ideological conditions with the festive culture. As a result, the author proves that medieval holidays depended on the natural and church calendars, which controlled and adjusted the cultural activities of society. In order to strengthen its ideological influence on public opinion, the church resorted to the direct prohibition of certain holidays; synthesis of Pre-Christian beliefs and theological dogmas; introduction of a new system of holidays. During the Middle Ages, a knightly culture was formed, saturated with multifaceted festive practices and a culture of entertainers; urban holidays were born and developed, the main consumer of which was the burgher with the corresponding lifestyle and system of behavior; the carnival and folk square holiday practices that combined the binary oppositions of medieval consciousness arose. Festive culture became a factor capable of synthesizing the medieval society into a single integrity. It solved a number of social tasks, among which the prioritized were the functions of competitiveness, entertainment, social solidarity and formation of public opinion. Religion, permeating all spheres of medieval society, was profaned in the need to express the Absolute and the Divine. Therefore, even church events (temple days, mysteries, sotie), gradually enriched with entertainment elements, were perceived as festive leisure. In the festive culture, full of emotional pleasure, positive energy and complimentary communication, a sense of one's own meaning and creative freedom, independent of conventional categories, was born.

The Survivor's Suite: The Life of the International Festival of Ethnological Film in Belgrade through Interesting Times

This paper is an attempt, based on many years of following the International Festival of Ethnological Film, organized by the Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade, to provide insight into the way in which it has so far fulfilled its purpose, while at the same time experiencing tumultuous, occasionally even tragic events and processes. The main question concerns the way in which “interesting times” have left their mark on and shaped the world of human experience of people who have lived through them, thus also film production and festival practice. The phrase “interesting times” is used in the sense in which it was used by the historian Eric Hobsbawm, who used it as a label for “the most extraordinary and terrible century in human history”.&#x0D; Two elements are of prime importance in the paper – the assumption that “interesting times” can exist simultaneously with, and can cause or heighten emotional and creative tension, and also the fact that the limited possibilities that the resulting states of mind and initiatives can be fulfilled through the usual channels, such as political ones, can lead to attempts to satisfy them through art or cultural forms. Film production and festival activities can, under certain circumstances, offer alternative channels for expressing moods and content that arise or are enhanced during “interesting times”.&#x0D; On the one hand, the framework for analysis will provide reflections on the nature and the possible social roles of film festivals, including festivals of documentary and ethnographic films. Essentially, it will be necessary to consider the questions of the types of experiences provided by the Festival to its participants and attendees, the cinematic experiences it offers, and the specific aims and ideologies advocated as part of it. On the other hand, relying on valuable testimony in the form of the Festival Catalogue, words and images which testify to the achievements of the Festival will be identified.&#x0D; At the very beginning, in the turbulent times when political orders were overthrown, along with legal and ethical frameworks, it seemed that the Festival had managed to be conceptually ahead of its time. It was a dream come true and a model for many, a place where “miracles” happened. After a number of years, its long history temporarily weakened the Festival's creative potential. The times became somewhat less interesting, slightly dull even, and the Festival followed suit. And yet through all the changes, the Festival has not ceased to be a place where people meet and learn; a place where images inspire thoughts, and thoughts seek visual means of expression; a place where, by meeting Others, we learn something about ourselves as well, but also a place where by seeking to find a way to represent ourselves, we enrich Others.

Inequalities and Resistances in The Organization of Marginalized Festive Practices

Abstract This article is based on the understanding of festivals as organizations and events that are multiform and establish mediations with society (Amaral, 1998a; Davel, 2016). Based on a multi-political perspective, our objective was to reflect on the social production of inequalities and forms of resistance in the organization of the congo capixaba festival, in the state of Espírito Santo. Our theoretical reflections were grounded in Certeau’s (Certeau, 1985, 2008, 2012; Certeau, Giard, &amp; Mayol, 2003), Hall’s (2003, 2011) and Sansone’s (2004) discussions and reflections regarding contemporary black culture. Our empirical field of investigation was the Carnaval de Congo de Máscaras [Congo Masquerade Carnival], in Roda D’água, where we employed the ethnographic method as a data production and interpretation strategy. Our findings indicate the existence of “non-places” as products of historically produced conditions of social marginality, as well as an ethnic-racial invisibility reinforced in the festival’s organizational context. These non-places operate in the religious, touristic, and cultural macropolitical fields. On the other hand, we highlight how the subjects of such conditions deal with them by employing certain micropolitical tactics, which figure prominently in their everyday lives, and articulate themselves around a sense of tradition and belonging.

Inequalities and Resistances in The Organization of Marginalized Festive Practices

Abstract This article is based on the understanding of festivals as organizations and events that are multiform and establish mediations with society (Amaral, 1998a; Davel, 2016). Based on a multi-political perspective, our objective was to reflect on the social production of inequalities and forms of resistance in the organization of the congo capixaba festival, in the state of Espírito Santo. Our theoretical reflections were grounded in Certeau’s (Certeau, 1985, 2008, 2012; Certeau, Giard, &amp; Mayol, 2003), Hall’s (2003, 2011) and Sansone’s (2004) discussions and reflections regarding contemporary black culture. Our empirical field of investigation was the Carnaval de Congo de Máscaras [Congo Masquerade Carnival], in Roda D’água, where we employed the ethnographic method as a data production and interpretation strategy. Our findings indicate the existence of “non-places” as products of historically produced conditions of social marginality, as well as an ethnic-racial invisibility reinforced in the festival’s organizational context. These non-places operate in the religious, touristic, and cultural macropolitical fields. On the other hand, we highlight how the subjects of such conditions deal with them by employing certain micropolitical tactics, which figure prominently in their everyday lives, and articulate themselves around a sense of tradition and belonging.

Festival Practices in a Virtual Environment. Benefits, Problems, Sustainability

This paper examines the newly emerged practices in organizing festival events with folklore in a virtual environment. Is it possible to introduce information technologies in organizational techniques when conducting them both in a virtual environment and in a hybrid format. Technological solutions for digital fingerprint accumulation. Significance of e-festivals with folklore orientation for communities in safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage. Keywords: e-Festivals, Intangible Cultural Heritage

Images of the past in the festivals of cultural-historical reconstruction

The object of this research is images of the past, actualized in the festival practices of cultural-historical reconstruction. The subject of this research is the mechanisms of formation and strategies of representation of images of the past in the festivals of cultural-historical reconstruction. It is noted that the author views festival as the representative of the more general phenomenon &amp;ndash; &amp;nbsp;cultural-historical reconstruction, an integral interpretation of which allows embracing the variety of nonacademic practices aimed at studying and most accurate reconstruction of the material and spiritual culture of the past, preservation, actualization, representation and conveyance of cultural-historical values. In the context of commemorative practices of reconstruction, arrangement and representation of images of the past is conducted &amp;ldquo;intentionally, collectively and adapted for stage&amp;rdquo;. Relevance of the selected topic is defined by the fact that the reenactment movement becomes an increasingly meaningful actor in commemorative space of modern Russia, which significantly affects the formation of consensual images of the past. From theoretical and methodological perspective, the conducted analysis is based on the conceptual approaches presented in the Russian historical-culturological research on imagery. Internet resources, such as websites and forums of reenactors, social networks, and online media, served as the empirical foundation for this research. In the course of preparation and execution of cultural-historical reconstructions, the author employed quantitative and qualitative methods, including of thorough overt observation. As a result of the conducted analysis, the author determines specificity of the mechanisms for creating authentic images of the past and strategies for revealing collective representations on the past in the festivals of cultural-historical reconstruction, which have a positive impact upon ordinary consciousness.

Исследование практики социокультурного брендирования территории на основе фестивального движения

The purpose of the study is to substantiate the potential of the festival movement in the process of sociocultural branding of the territory. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that: a comprehensive study of the problem of socio-cultural branding of territories by means of the festival movement has been carried out in the historical, theoretical, organizational aspects; the specific characteristics of the regional festival movement are highlighted, its role in the process of socio-cultural branding of the territory is substantiated; the problem of theoretical analysis of the potential of the festival movement as a factor of socio-cultural branding of the territory at the regional level is posed, the conditions for the development of the festival movement on the territory of a particular territory are substantiated. As a result, it was concluded that it is necessary to intensify the festival practice at the regional level as an effective technology of territorial positioning.

The inversion of temporality in the commemoration of cultural and historical reconstruction

In the presented article, the object of research is the commemorative practices of cultural and historical reconstruction. The subject of the study is the inversion of temporality in the festival practices of cultural and historical reconstruction. The purpose of the article is to reveal the specifics of temporal representations of historical reenactors through the prism of the concept of inversion of social time. To achieve it, a secondary analysis of the interview data of the organizers and participants of the festival of historical reconstruction "Times and Epochs" was carried out. The empirical base of the study was made up of materials from Russian media. The most informative was the content of the portal "The City", which posted interviews with participants of the historical reconstruction movement representing various Russian cities, socio-demographic and professional groups of the population. The novelty of the research is the introduction of new theoretical and empirical material into scientific circulation. For the first time in the context of the temporal approach, memorial culture and cultural and historical reconstruction are considered as significant and effective factors of the collective format commemoration. The analysis allowed the authors of the article to determine the multivariability of motivations and intentions that form the basis of commemorative practices of cultural and historical reconstruction. The festival "Times and Epochs" is considered by the authors of the article as an example of non-traditional commemorative practices, where the subject of commemorative activity is the collective past, actualized in the socio-cultural space of the metropolis within the framework of the project-network approach. The problems of the development of the festival as a memorial project, the prospects of its integration into the urban environment are revealed.