Ritual Places Research Articles

From Spatial Domination to Virtual Space Solidarity Tactics: Perjuangan Bersama Untuk Mengatasi Ketidakadilan Terhadap Penghayat Agama Lokal Minahasa

Many studies have explored indigenous religious believers struggle against world religions domination. However, studies on the employment of virtual space to heighten indigenous believers' tactical solidarity from the Global South remain understudy. This paper explores indigenous religious followers' struggles through access to virtual space as a tactic of everyday solidarity against world religions spatial domination and the state politics of religion in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. It focuses on the efforts of Minahasa indigenous religious believers to advocate for their existence through virtual media collectively. Indigenous religious believers have experienced various forms of spatial domination, such as destroying ancestral sites and ritual places that they consider sacred to realize their beliefs. The single truth perspective has produced the domination of the world religions monotheistic paradigm and the state politics of religion. The single truth has resulted in hate speech, stigmatization, and physical destruction of indigenous religious sacred sites. Through click activism, indigenous religious believers employ virtual media to advocate Minahasa indigenous religions/beliefs. The concept of tactical media is used in this study to analyze how the tactics of indigenous religious believers collectively produce a discourse of resistance critique and discourse on the importance of their places of belief to the public. This study uses qualitative research: observation, in-depth interviews, and literature review to argue that indigenous religious believers have tactically used virtual media as a critical discourse of resistance to the spatial domination constructed by world religious relations and state religious policies.

Scythian Dagger from Pilyugino village (South Urals) with Zoomorphic and Ornamental Hilt Decorations

The article publishes information about a series of daggers of the Scythian period from the Urals with zoomorphically decorated and patterned grips. They fit into a series of iron blades with similar decorations. This series has eastern origins, but is closely connected with the Southern Urals. Twelve daggers discovered in different years in the Southern Urals are distinguished by both a unified artistic program for the decoration of iron daggers and swords, and labour-intensive manufacturing. The hilts of the daggers bear heraldic schemes combining predators, traditional Scythian mythology and a unified visual tradition. This series of weapons belongs to the Filippovka cultural horizon of the 5th–4th centuries BC. The author considers this series of blades to be inherent in the Scythian culture and in no way connected with the culture of the historical Sarmatians. This culture formed in the Urals of the 6th–4th centuries BC. It is interpreted as a Scythian phenomenon that existed in the region until the late 4th century BC. In the historical context it can be identified with the culture of the so-called “deposited Scythians” of Herodotus. Chance finds of daggers may mark trade routes along the edge of the steppe zone along which caravan roads passed. These routes were controlled by the Scythian nomads. They used swords and daggers for ritual ceremonies (prayers to the god of war, or commemoration of fallen heroes, etc.). In such ritual places along trade routes, daggers were left behind, which explains why “accidental” finds of Scythian swords and daggers are so frequent in present days.

L'Atelier créa: a therapeutic mediation group for neonatal parents

The parents of a baby hospitalized in a neonatal unit are confronted with the trauma of premature birth. L'Atelier créa, acreatively-mediated peer group, was designed to give them a space in which to meet and share their experiences. It's a time for talking, imagining and dreaming about the baby. This group is also a form of passage, taking the place of ritual, allowing access to the parent-baby triad, in this sometimes so inhospitable universe.

傳記的 관점에서의 지석묘 상석

Dolmen capstones in the Bronze Age remained on the ground even in later times and existed in people's consciousness, forming their own biography as part of the landscape. During the Bronze Age, the so-called Altar dolmens were a symbolic megalith as a place of ritual. Even in ancient times, megaliths such as dolmen capstones were used as objects of faith. In the case of the Goryeo Dynasty, it can be seen from the literature records that dolmens were considered sacred objects. On the other hand, in the case of the Joseon Dynasty, cases used for folk beliefs in various ruins have been confirmed, and it is still used as a place of faith in various parts of the country and is designated as a monument by local governments. Therefore, dolmen capstones are archaeological materials with ritual continuity from prehistoric times to modern society. And many stories have been told in dolmen capstones since ancient times. Among them, ‘Mago Grandmother’ often appears as the main character of the story of giants related to shrines, fortresses, and rocks as well as dolmens. Mago, who appears in ancient literature, was a young fairy admired by the intellectuals, and since the late Joseon Dynasty, she has changed her appearance to a female giant who is friendly to the common people. The appearance of a female god deeply penetrating the folk beliefs of the common people has continued from the late Joseon Dynasty to the present through dolmen capstones. In addition, dolmen capstones next to the ancestors' tombs were not just rocks, but were considered a sacred symbol protecting the family, so they should not be damaged or moved recklessly. As such, megaliths installed in the prehistoric times had a very deep relationship with the lives of later people. Dolmen capstones, the object and place of rituals, have continued to serve as social and personal medium of memory throughout various periods to the present. While rituals for megalithic monuments in the Bronze Age were collective events led by the ruling class, since the Middle Ages, they have often been held at the level of personal wishes along with village rituals. The tendency of weakening collectivity and strengthening individuality in the megalithic faith will continue beyond modern society to future society.

Tradisi Jeguran Pada Peringatan Malam Satu Syuro Di Desa Kajen Kab. Pati

This paper was compiled and created to study and analyze the implementation process and religious values ​​contained in the jeguran tradition at the first syuro night commemoration in Kajen village, Kab. Pati. The method used in this study is descriptive qualitative with an ethnographic approach. Data collection techniques in this study through observation and interviews. The research subject is the jeguran tradition at the first syuro night commemoration in Kajen village, District Pati. The object of research is the people in the village of Kajen, District Pati. The results in this study found that this tradition had prior preparation in its implementation. Preparation begins with a committee meeting, reading prayers, and draining the pond which is used as a ritual place to be filled with clean water. Then the implementation is carried out after isya or around 19.00 WIB until midnight alternating between children and adults. There are religious values ​​contained in this tradition, including monotheistic values, worship values, integrity values, struggle values, trust values, brotherhood values, and Islamic boarding school values ​​(simplicity, humbleness, and patience).

Spiritualism Seeks Sword for Self Defense Konark, World Heritage Site: Hieroglyphics – Katha

Hindu adhyatmais ‘consciousness about the soul, its perimeter (time & space), purpose, practices & prognosis’. It is not an ism (dogma). It is a way of life. The Hindu scholar is termed a ‘Brahmana’. Pan globally and historically, scholars are known as incapable of physical combat & self-defense; require extra mural physical protection. Post the fall of Constantinople (c. 1453 A.D.) to the Jihadists, Islam (peaceful) went murderously viral (The Thesis), and became Muslim (sequestering).The Hindus (riparian beings) in sub-continent India were slaughtered; homesteads, women & livelihoods were taken away; worship & ritual places were done to dust or converted. Faced with barbarians, an existential crisis had arisen out of such historical processes. The docile\timid (kafir) spiritual Brahmans (scholar) had then opted for the mace, muscle, sword, and shield (Anti-Thesis). The ecclesiastical system was maintained side-by-side (Synthesis). The UNESCO world heritage site of Konarak (c.13th A.D., Odisa, India,) has artifacts informing the beholder via hieroglyphics that the then state had played such role quite tellingly, took pride in the might of arms, pomp, in proclaiming defense at of the invader; protection of the erudite; and the gamp seeker. Sanatan survived. Data & discussions about any such military counter have remained due. First time. Nascent attempt. Theoretical history about such complex process paths. Non-revisionist.

PRINCE SAMUDRA'S TOMB AS A GROWTH GENERATOR FOR GUNUNG KEMUKUS SETTLEMENT IN SRAGEN REGENCY

The Javanese have many traditions, which illustrate that the Javanese or Javanese people in achieving their expectations are not enough just to work and pray, but there are other ways such as ritual efforts that are carried out based on their belief in various myths and the history of places considered sacredness that develops in society. One of the ritual places and has a strong mythical belief is the tomb of Prince Samudra on Gunung Kemukus, Pendem Village, Sumberlawang District, Sragen Regency, Central Java. This hill (mountain of cubes), there is the tomb of Prince Samudra, Nyai Ontrowulan and his servants. The Javanese people, especially the people around them, have a belief that the tombs are considered sacred. Then the community began to build houses and live around the tomb. The habit of people seeking blessings through the tradition of ngalap blessing, which is an activity to seek goodness from an essence, object or something that is considered by humans to have benefits and goodness, or seeking barakah (ngalap blessing) or other words "tabarruk". This tomb is also a destination for the ngalap blessing ritual by the surrounding community and from the people on the island of Java. More and more community visits have led to the growth of settlements around the tomb, where previously there were no settlements, only hills. Based on the results of research, the existence of Prince Samudra's tomb is a generator for the emergence of settlements.

Research on the Cultural Program <i>Dancing Millennium </i>from Ritual View of Communication

By taking “Plot + Dance” as the form, and “Chinese dance, Chinese story” as the core, the Dancing Millennium carries the depth of traditional culture and dance art in the contemporary cultural context under the view of diverse and integrated national culture, provides a sacred ritual place for Chinese people of different nationalities but with common beliefs, and jointly constructs the collective memory and cultural identity of the Chinese nation. Based on the ritual view of communication, this paper discusses how Dancing Millennium can create the emotional interaction between the audience and the content of the program on the basis of the innovation of highly cohesive cultural content and entertainment in the immersive field.

A question of rite—pearl millet consumption at Nok culture sites, Nigeria (second/first millennium BC)

The Nok culture in central Nigeria, dated 1500–1 cal bc, is known for its famous terracotta sculptures. We here present a study on > 11,000 botanical macro-remains from 50 sites, including 343 samples from Nok contexts and 22 samples dating between cal ad 100 and 400, after the end of the Nok culture. With 9,220 remains, pearl millet (Cenchrus americanus (L.) Morrone, syn. Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.) is dominant in the Nok samples, followed by cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.), Canarium schweinfurthii Engl., Nauclea latifolia Sm. (syn. Sarcocephalus latifolius (Sm.) E.A.Bruce), wild fruit trees and wild Poaceae. The pearl millet remains consist exclusively of charred caryopses; chaff remains are completely absent. Because we studied all size fractions, including the small 0.5 mm fractions usually containing the involucres, bristles and husks, the absence of pearl millet chaff is real, excluding a methodological explanation, and distinguishes Nok from contemporary other West African sites. We propose that most excavated Nok sites were consumer sites where clean grain was brought in from outside and consumed in a ritual context connected with feasting. This is in line with the archaeological evidence from the larger excavated sites with stone-pot arrangements that are interpreted as ritual places related to mortuary practices. In addition to the known southward branches of pearl millet diffusion from the Sahara we propose a new, hitherto unknown branch directly from the central Sahara to the central Nigerian savannas.

ALEVISM AND CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF NEWS ITEMS IN TUNCELİ EMEK NEWSPAPER

This study aims to analyse the articles and news on Alevism in Tunceli Emek Newspaper. In the study, news and articles about Alevism published in Tunceli Emek Newspaper between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2020 were classified. The news items were analysed in terms of the subject and distribution of the news, the type of expression, the language of individuals and institutions, Alevi hearths (ocak), the discourses of the mothers and grandfathers (murshid, pīr and guide) who are the representatives of the hearths, and the representation of beliefs in the local press and the importance of these representations in terms of keeping cultural memory alive. It was analysed whether these news items reflect Alevism's cultural heritage and tradition. The extent to which these news items contribute to democracy and social development was also analysed. As a result of the study, the survival of Alevism in Tunceli, its transmission to new generations, the place of rituals and its importance in social communication and the transformations it has undergone today were emphasised. The articles about Alevism and news about Alevis in Tunceli Emek Newspaper, as well as the extent to which Alevi values are represented, were evaluated adopting Teun A. Van Dijk's critical discourse analysis method. Keywords: Alevism, Tunceli, Alevi Belief, Tunceli Emek Newspaper, Hearths.

Discussing the Negative Impacts of Virtual Pilgrimage on Socio-Cultural & Religious Activities of Selected Asian Destinations during the Covid-19 Crisis, and the Need for Physical Presence

Pilgrimage tourism involves the physical traveling of pilgrims to a specific place of rituals. Pilgrimage as a distant journey has immense contributions to the sustainable development of tourism destinations until recently. The emergence of the Covid-19 crisis introduced some socio-cultural and religious changes through virtual pilgrimage (VP). VP is a type of pilgrimage that limits the physical presence of pilgrims to the place of rituals. Although VP reduces the spread of Covid-19 infections, it limits the sustainable development of socio-cultural benefits of biodiversity. For example, it reduces the aesthetic values of natural ecosystems and aboriginal relationships with the pilgrims. Previous studies on pilgrimage tourism have neglected the socio-cultural impacts of VP on tourism destinations during the Covid-19 crisis, preferring to focus instead on tourism development and types of pilgrimage. This emphasis could be critical if not well addressed. This study explored the negative impacts of VP on the socio-cultural dimensions of biodiversity and religious activities of selected pilgrimage destinations during the Covid-19 crisis using primary and secondary data. Findings from stage one suggested that VP introduces socio-cultural and economic changes such as a decrease in arrivals, pilgrim’s well-being, and job opportunities. Stage two analysis confirmed the findings. The study also discussed the limitations and future studies.

Beyond Technology: Pottery Reveals Translocal Social Relations at a Bell Beaker Monumental Site in Central Europe

The Bell Beaker site near Brodek u Prostějova (Czechia) has yielded remains of a large timber construction accompanied by four symmetrical ritual deposits with numerous artefacts, including more than fifty ceramic vessels. Their decoration consists of incised patterns, in nineteen cases with preserved white inlaid incrustations. To investigate the social relations at this extraordinary site, a multi-analytical and micro-destructive approach was employed to determine the provenance and technology of the pottery and the composition of the white incrustations. The results indicate various origins for the pottery within the region and the presence of extra-regional fabrics and graphitic temper. The main raw materials for the white inlays were calcium carbonate (calcite), hydroxyapatite (bone), and bright clay. The mixing of decorative motifs and the variation in the shape and size of the beakers suggest unique manufacturing processes. These results lend support to the monumental site of Brodek serving as a ritual place for several communities from both local and wider areas.

Den mystiske og anvendelige skålgropa – skålgroper i Rogaland knyttet til ferdsel, knutepunkter og kultsteder i landskapet 

Approximately 110 rock art sites and more than 100 decorated slabs/stones are known from Rogaland County, southwestern Norway. This article looks at cupmarks and their relationship to travelling routes and nodal points along the coast, waterways, and inland pathways, with a focus on dating, context and placement within the wider landscape. The primary group is located in the maritime zone and along fjord systems. These sites are related to known Bronze Age and Iron Age sailing routes, probably related to interregional exchange networks. The second group, along inland pathways, dates to the Iron Age and comprises two distributions. The northernmost group is related to summer farms and constitutes the southern fringe of a larger body of cupmark sites related to sub-alpine regions in Sogn and Hardanger. The southernmost group is found within the Dalane anorthosite and heathland and is associated with nodal points and along pathways leading to ritual places of worship.

Plant Conservation vs. Folk Traditions: The Case of Ophrys scolopax Cav. (Orchidaceae) in Central Western Spain.

In central western Spain, the bee orchid Ophrys scolopax Cav. is limited to a few localities of the Arribes del Duero Natural Park, reaching the municipality of Villarino de los Aires (Salamanca) to the north. Due to its restricted distribution, this plant is hardly known in this territory, with the exception of this village, where it is very popular. Although most of its inhabitants are unaware of various aspects of the biology of this orchid, for example its pollination strategy, the place where the only local population grows is well-known: the Teso de San Cristóbal ("St. Christopher's Hill"), a place of ancient pagan rituals Christianised through the construction of a hermitage. The villagers also know that its flowering period coincides with the Easter celebration, and they have traditionally looked for and collected it there during Easter Monday. This ritual has evolved over time based on the needs and interests of the community. From a religious celebration aimed at blessing the fields, it became a game among young men to obtain prestige within the community, and from the end of the 20th century to the present, it has become a festival to revitalise cultural identity. In this article, we analyse how the aforementioned traditional practices affected this orchid species in the recent past, and we describe the educational actions (conferences, workshops, courses, etc.) carried out during the last ten years so that, while maintaining the cultural practices of the village, its population should be respected and conserved at the same time.

Intergenerational Learning Processes of Traditional Medicinal Knowledge and Socio-Spatial Transformation Dynamics.

The transfer of traditional knowledge to new generations of traditional medicinal practitioners takes place through place-based intergenerational learning processes, which are increasingly challenged by intensified rural–urban migrations and accelerating biodiversity loss. Research on traditional medicinal knowledge (TMK) has mainly focused on the medicinal properties of different plant species while social, economic, and locational aspects of TMK learning processes have received less attention. The purpose of this article is to contribute to the research field by examining how the learning processes of TMK are affected by on-going socio-spatial transformations in rural and urban parts of the Eastern Lake Victoria region. Urbanization and migration are transforming the learning processes of TMK and affect the ways traditional practitioners are able to transfer TMK to a new generation of practitioners. Based on in-depth interviews, participant observations and focus group discussions with male and female traditional practitioners aged between 30 and 95 from rural and urban settings in Mwanza (Tanzania) and Nyanza (Kenya) in the Eastern Lake Victoria Region. The study analyzes the role of socio-spatial and migration dynamics on major intergenerational forms of learning of TMK (learning in place; being sent; ritual places); health knowledge diffusion and interactions between TMK and formal health systems. Despite some major challenges to the continuity of TMK learning due to increased migration identified by the traditional practitioners, many also saw emerging roles for TMK in primary health care for sustainable livelihoods for the younger generations of men and women in this region.

A certain idea of ‘Le Sport français’: the monument Frantz Reichel and the contest for the soul of French sport

Abstract The French sportsman Frantz Reichel (1871–1932) was the leading sporting intellectual in France in the early twentieth century. His thought had a lasting effect on public policy beyond his sudden death in 1932. An Olympic athlete, he was the strongest advocate of the ideology of amateurism between the wars. Using his position as sports editor of Le Figaro and as the head of the Comité Olympique Français, he defended his ideology against attacks from socialist critics as well as those on the extreme right who advocated professionalism in team sports. The monument erected to him in the west of Paris acted as a symbolic place of ritual for those who supported the ideology of amateurism and a return to what they considered to be the traditional values of France. Despite the monument’s partial destruction in 1941, Reichel’s ideas had a direct influence on the Vichy regime’s sporting révolution nationale.

New Data on the Storage Pits of the Baraba Culture of the Early Neolithic Era (Ob-Irtysh Forest-Steppe)

Purpose. The Tartas-1 complex of burials, ritual places and settlement takes a special place. Due to the excavation method of full opening of the site area, today the followings are explored and fully studied: an area of more than 36,000 m2 , 802 burials and related structures in the form of ditches, 1745 pits of various orientations, ritual complexes of various eras and cultures, including an early Neolithic settlement. The settlement is represented by two household structures (dwellings) and a complex of storage pits for fish, dated to the 7th millennium BC and attributed to the Baraba culture of the early Neolithic. The purpose of this article is to present the characteristics and dating of the new fish pit studied in the 2021 field season in the context of the known data. Results. The fish pits excavation method, mainly based on the enclosing soil-fill study, is proposed. The stratigraphy characteristic and the parameters of the pit are presented. A feature of the absence of any animal skeleton (dog, hare, fox, wolverine, etc.) placed in the pit as a sacrificial offering is noted. The date of (MAMS 53633) BP 7714 ± 29 Cal BCE 1 σ (Intcal 20) 6588–6502 2σ (Intcal 20) 6636–6469, obtained from an animal horn tool (tur?) found in the pit at the depth of 2.36 m below bedrock, is presented. The analysis was carried out at the Curt-Engelhom-Centre for Archaeometry (Germany). Calibration of the date by 1σ and 2σ demonstrates a complete correlation with the already available dates from the pit samples. The period of the Baraba culture's existence – the 7th millennium BC – is confirmed. Conclusion. The manifestation of economic practice among the bearers of the early Neolithic Baraba culture is a demonstration of innovation. It consists of the improvements on the appropriating economy with the increasing role of water resources, and the transition to a less mobile way of life, found among the ancient Siberian population at the end of the 8th – 6 th millennium BC. Pit no. 1741 also existed in this time period.

安城 盤諸里聚落의 變遷相

The Banje-ri remain in Anseong is a highland settlement characterized by its circular ditches around the mountain top in which it is located. Constructed around the early Iron Age, there were a relatively large number of residential areas, with a total of 72. According to carbon 14 dating, the time it was constructed is estimated to be from BC the 8 to 5th century and this range also overlaps with the late Bronze Age, the time the Songguk-ri Culture was constructed. Furthermore, Anseong is in the outermost region of the Songguk-ri culture. This paper aims to examine the societal change of Banje-ri settlement during the early Iron Age in its relation to the contemporary Sogguk-ri society under the assumption that it could reveal certain aspects of the Sogguk-ri Culture. According to the complementary serration method applied to all the excavated artifacts, five developmental stages of the settlement were distinguished. This chronology was then verified through the examinations of the artifacts’ stratigraphical relations. Stage I-a is characterized by seven houses from which the artifacts produced in the middle Bronze Age were excavated. These houses had long rectangular shapes for large families and were dispersed across the large area. Stage I-b is characterized by a small number of long rectangular houses and more middle/small-sized houses for nuclear families. The early Iron Age culture was prevalent in this stage but the artifacts from the middle Bronze Age and Songguk-ri Culture were also found. The ratio of middle and small-sized houses in Stage II is 1:1. It was also when the household communities, consisting of one middle-sized house and one or two small-sized house(s) for each, were appearing. From then onwards, the early Iron Age culture prevailed while middle-sized houses gradually disappeared. Stage III was when the circular ditches were built. A large-sized house for ritual was located on the inside rim of the ditches surrounding the mountain top with a huge rock. One large-sized house, two middle-sized houses, and a few small-sized houses were located outside of the ditches. The large-sized house inside of the ditches was functioning a major role in the ritual and is assumed to be resided by the elite of the settlement. The ditches disappeared in Stage IV and two middle-sized houses and four small-sized houses existed then. Three tombs were constructed in the two graveyards formed in the lower slope. From the fact that the circular ditches were to demarcate the ritual place for the worship of the heavenly god, it is inferred that there was a natural disaster threatening people’s lives in Stage III. This event is also assumed to be related to the climate deterioration the Songguk-ri settlement underwent and the flood that swept the Jijwa-ri settlement

A FADING TRADITION: ON ONE GROUP OF EARLY SCYTHIAN POLE-TOPS

Since the beginning of the 20th century, researchers have paid attention to a series of the Scythian pole-tops with flat images of birds. These findings are one of the indicators of the assemblages of the second—third quarter of the 6th century BC.
 At the moment, there are 4 sites in Central and Eastern Europe with finds of pole-tops from this series. These are Ulskii, barrow 2 (1909) and barrow 10 (1982) in the Kuban region, Răscăieţii Noi, barrow 1 in the Lower Dniester region and Zashchita, barrow 1 in the Dnieper Forest-Steppe.
 Pole-tops with a flat reduced image of bird heads are found in the Kuban sites, which can be considered as ritual places or shrines. Zashchita, barrow 1 can probably also be considered as a ritual place. There were no burial pits in such mounds. Under the burial mounds there were wooden structures with tent-shaped roofs or wooden canopy, but there were no human burials. Excavations of recent decades have revealed that a pair of pole-tops were part of a wooden altar and were located at the entrance to the ritual place.
 Probably, such pole-tops, like other sacred objects and details of the horse bridle, were ordered in one of the workshops in the Transcaucasus, where the art was formed under the influence of Lydian tradition of jewelry and toreutics. This can explain the fact that the finds differ from the early group of the pole-tops with rattles and three-dimensional figures of animals. The finds from Ulskii, barrow 2 (1909) and barrow 10 (1982) dated based on a horse bridle to the middle of the 6th century BC. The artifacts from Zashchita, barrow 1 and Răscăieţii Noi barrow appear to be replicas. They can be dated to the second half of the 6th century BC.
 Thus, the series of tops with flat reduced images of birds of prey was formed in the Kuban region and, apparently, as a result of the contacts of local elites with the Transcaucasus and the influence of Lydian jewelry art and toreutics. The archaeological context of the finds proves their use outside the funeral rite but at the same time expresses a connection with the idea of sacrifice and sacralization of space. These objects mark the final stage of their use in the ritual of the Early Scythian Age. From the last quarter of the 6th century BC pole-tops as a cultural phenomenon also disappeared in the 5th century BC. Future research will have to show why the tradition of using these ritual attributes faded out and was “reinstated’ in the 4th century BC. In conclusion, it should be noted that the results allow us to make changes in the classification of the pole-tops.

Miejsca rytuałów współczesnych pogan w Krakowie

The Ritual Places of Contemporary Pagans in Kraków In the following article I describe ritual places used by four Kraków Neopagan groups (Native Polish Church, Group Mir, Free Rodnovers of Kraków, and Reformed Druids of Gaia Poland). The most important locations include the surroundings of Krakus Mound (along with the Liban quarry below and the ‘sacred circle’ on the opposite site of the quarry) and Grove by the Wilga river. The used sites and their context are analysed, as well as the reasons why a particular place was chosen. I focus on the perspective of my interviewees, using Kim Knott’s spatial analysis and the combination of the three approaches by Belden C. Lane. Based on participant observation and semi-structured interviews with members of the studied groups, I distinguish three categories of reasons (physical; connected to culture and tradition; metaphysical), which show the multidimensional character of the decisions made and many perspectives in which ritual places are perceived.