A costume in the funeral rituals of the Mari people

Abstract

Introduction. Burial rites, which are a traditional object of research in archeology and ethnography, are one of most stable elements of ethnic culture. The costume and its individual elements took an important place in the funeral and memorial rites. The study of these rituals can reveal new aspects of the spiritual culture of the Mari people. Materials and Methods. The work is based on the comparison of archaeological and ethnographic materials, culturogical approach, methods of semantic, cultural and anthropological research. Results and Discussion. The reference of funeral and memorial rites to the passage rites determined the use of the elements of a wedding dress, including fur clothes and jewelry. The belt that served as a storage was an important part of the burial costume, as well as the sacrificial and ritual complexes of the ancient Mari tribes. Conclusion. Application of a culturological approach to the research of the funeral rituals of the Mari people allowed to conclude that the costume substituted the deceased, served as the embodiment of a generic body that went back to the totem. The funeral costume, like the wedding one, assumed the use of ancient symbolic codes. The belt that completed the symbolic human body was an important burial costume. The belt served as a defense in the ancient Mari sacrificial ritual complexes, enhancing their association with the world tree.