Universals and Particulars of Ceremonial Culture: Natural and Human Congruity of the Traditional

Abstract

Introduction. The article discusses the state of preservation of universal and unique components in the structure of the traditional ceremonial culture of the Yakuts (who call themselves the Sakha), which is relevant in the modern society operating in the context of progressing processes of urbanization and globalization. The purpose of the research is to study the ceremonial traditions of the Sakha from the point of view of the principle of human congruity of culture and to structure this stratum of ethnic culture in accordance with the three substances of the spirit, soul and somatics of man. Materials and Methods. The work was carried out on the basis of cultural methodology using the methods of included observation, comparative analysis and generalization of the results of applied research and the author’s field materials. Results. The author has established and structured the elements of an integral novenary system of universals of the ceremonial culture of the Yakuts (Sakha). It has been revealed that these elements of traditional culture are generally preserved and function in a modern ethno-society to different extents of activity. It has been corroborated that, depending on the internal and external factors of cultural genesis, these components can be activated or pushed into the shadows, alienated from the people at different historical times; but something once created in a culture never disappears but remains in the cultural memory of the people. It has been proved that the latter happened to the ceremonial traditions of the Sakha, when in the post-Soviet time it became possible to openly perform both festive and daily rites and naturally follow the traditions of the ancestors when a person feels the need to do so. Discussion and Conclusion. Rites are historically shaped by ethnic communities for the purpose of naturally congruent existence and prosperous life in a given cultural landscape, as well as necessary components of the inner culture of the individual. The work is of practical significance for the structural and functional analysis as well as diachronic-synchronous study of the modern existence of the ceremonial culture of any ethnic group.