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2008 Estnin Literr Museum, Estnin Ntinl Museum, Universit f TrtuISSN 1736-6518

Vl. 1(2): 101124

101

VoTIaN VILLagE FEaSTS IN T hE CoNTExT oFRUSSIaN oRThodoxy

ERgo-haRT VSTRIkPd, he f Estnin Fllre arcives

Estnin Literr MuseumVnemuise 42, 51003 Trtu, Estni

e-mil: [email protected]

abSTRaCTTis rticle* cnsiers Vtin ville fests tt evientl eln t te speref Cristin fl reliin. Ville fests re nlse s epressins f cllectivectivit in pre-inustril rurl sciet tt enclse certin reliius, scil necnmic functins. Tis penmenn f celertin cllectivel certin s f

curc clenr, wic inclue ritul ctivities in ville cpels r ter lclsncturies, cmmn mels n ev rinin s well sinin n ncin inte curse f 34 s, ws prt f cmmn Russin ort tritin sre

severl etnic rups truut Nrt-West Russi in te secn lf f te19t centur n te einnin f te 20t centur. despite te fct tt tis pe-nmenn ws fmilir t te wier cmmunit f Russin ort elievers,tere were viusl certin lcl crcteristics n vritin tpicl t Vtintritin. hwever, Vtin ville fests re stuie in te rticle in te cntetf Russin ort, witut fvurin ssume pre-Cristin elements f teFinn-Uric reliins.

kEyWoRdS : Votians Christian folk religion folk calendar village feasts Russin ort

INTRodUCTIoN

Te surve n ville fests mn Vtins1 is se lrel n te mterils frmte mnuscript cllectin Vtin etnl (Vadja etnoloogiad) cmpile in 19321980

te recnise Estnin linuist n fllrist Pul ariste (19051990).2 Vlulecomparative material from the rst half of the 20th century was found from the folk -lre rcives f te Finnis Literture Sciet (SkS kRa, cllectins f V. alv, E.Enjrvi-hvi, M. hvi, a. n L. Li, J. Lurinen, S. Pulrju, M. Vir-linen) n pulictins f te linuists (J. Lensu, J. Miste) prviin smple tets nVtic lnue. In rer t utline nmics in te frmtin f ville fest tritin,escriptins f ort fests frm te 18t centur, ville in te prtcls f hlSn in St. Petersur n wrs erl sclrs f Vtin culture (Fr. L. Trefurt, F.Tumnsi), will e cmpre wit fllre ccunts.

As a result of Soviet anti-religious policies, village feasts began to loose signicancein te en f te 1930s n terefre Vtin infrmnts f te pst-wr peri reclltese festivities s ne-time penmen f te pst. Te Secn Wrl Wr rut

* Reserc fr tis rticle ws supprte te Estnin Science Funtin, grnt n. 5964.


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JoU RNa L oF EThNoL ogy aNd Fo LkLoR ISTIC S 1( 2)102

ln rutl cnes in te life f te ntive initnts f te rein tt cuse tecllpse f mn institutins f tritinl culture, incluin ville fests. yet, in smeplces, fr emple, in Luuts (Luzhitsy/)3 tt mintine its inienus pp-ulation aer the war, village feasts were celebrated up to the end of the 1960s. Develop-ments in pst-scilist Russi in te 1990s le t te re-estlisin f te institutin f

lcl ville festin in smewt seculrise frm in tis prticulr ville since 2000.Tis tritin s een revive n te inititive f te lcl museum s well s vill-ers temselves, wic cn e rere s te mnifesttin f risin etnic cnscius-ness4. For this reason the nal part of the article concentrates on the comparison of thefunctins n structure f te ville fests in te pre-inustril peri n tt f terevive ville fests in Luuts.

Figure 1. Map of Votian (and Izhorian) villages mentioned in the article.


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Vstrik: Votian Village Feasts in the Context of Russian Orthodoxy 103

RUSSIaN oRThodoxy aNd ThE S TUdy oF VoTIaN FoLk RELIgIoN

Etnic istr f Vtins s een escrie mstl s te str f ssimiltin nvnisin. Tis s een te e-mtif in mn surves n reserc ppers iscussinte fte f tis smll bltic-Finnic etnic rup resiin in te present- Leninr

istrict, Nrt-West Russi5. detile emrpic surve, te erper Peter vnkppen (17931864) in te mile f te 19t centur, cumente te numer f V-tians to exceed 5,000 and according to later scholarly estimations this gure had gradu-ll lessene6. accrin t te Russin census f te er 2002, te numer f peplewho identied themselves as Votians was 73. Today the Votic language can be heard infew villes n te cst f te Lu b (Luga Bay/ ) tt re ennere

te cntinuus enlrement f te Ust-Lu Prt.amn mn resns tt ve furtere te prcess f etnic ssimiltin te im-

pct f te Russin ort Curc s een frequentl unerline7. accrin tistricl surces n rcelicl t Vtins reltinsips wit Nvr Stte

was intensied in the second half of the 13th century, which in all probability broughtln te wier cceptnce f Estern ort vrius lers f te Vtin cm-munity (see Nazarova 2001: 187188; Ryabinin 2001: 137139). As wrien sources aboutte prcess f Cristinistin re missin, we nt nw t wt etent Vtins c-cepted the new faith at that time. Obviously, at rst the church institutions determinedfrml invlvement int te cnretins n cceptnce f certin Cristin nrms.Missinr ctivities were evientl strentene in te einnin f te 16t centurwen te Vtin territr fllen uner te rule f gret duc f Mscw. at tttime Vtins prtl ten ver te nmenclture f Estern ort n te fre-quently cited pastoral leers of Novgorodian archbishops demonstrate the mixturef Cristin n nn-Cristin elements in te ritul prctices sre te peplesf te rein8. It is vius tt t lest in te mile f te 17t centur wen Vtinswere under Swedish crown control they identied themselves already as true RussianOrthodox believers and opposed endeavours of Swedish ocials to change their faith(cf. Vnnen 1991: 8687; Vstri 2007: 7493).

Te Russin ort Curc s een escrie t e te institutin tt m-enised cultural as well as linguistic dierences in its sphere of inuence. Furthermore, its een stte tt jint curc services in te ol-Slvnic lnue, le Russin-spein priests, supprte te emerence f cmmn ort ientit n s-owed the genuine ethnic self-identication (Ernits 1996: 195; Heinsoo 1996: 339). That isthe reason why Votians identied themselves easily with Izhorians and Russians whosre te sme fit. Mrries witin te cnretin, i.e. etween Vtins, Iz-rins n Russins, were fvure, ecluin t te sme time clser reltinsips witFinns n Estnins f Lutern enmintin (cf. Tsvetv 1925: 4142). In enerl,Russin ort frme n imprtnt spect f te Vtin ientit t te einninf te 20t centur min tem reticent twrs te inititives f te sclrs wwere encure recent iscveries f te Finn-Uric stuies.

These ideas were vividly reected in the 1920s by Dmitri Tsvetkov (18901930), thescltecer f Vtin riin stuin t te Universit f Trtu, w ws eepl pes-simistic cncernin te future f te Vtic lnue n enurnce f etnic cnscius-ness, fllwin tus te elrte iscurse n vnisin. accrin t Tsvetv,


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Russin ort etermines te entire eistence f Vtins: teir mrl qulit nworld view, spiritual araction, necessity to belong to the family of Finno-Ugric peo-ples, teir smpties n ntipties. /---/ gree Ctlic9 cree s viusl rwnunder its inuence the whole Votian people with its boastful form of customs; /---/ Theymere cnclusivel wit gree Ctlic cree. all ter ws n frms f reliin

re nt ccepte (1925: 41). In tis mnner Tsvetv t empsise Russin ort- s n imprtnt spect tt s spe te mentlit f Vtins, ut n te tern, mirculusl te sme feture s interfere teir riinl essence n wrlview (ii.: 42). Tus, Tsvetv pints ut te mivlent crcter f Estern Cris-tianity in the formation of Votian identity, however, without aributing to it a negativemenin.

Te verwelmin presence f Russin ort in Vtin fl reliin, n flculture in enerl, s nt een full ten int cnsiertin te interntinl cm-munit f resercers, w ve cncentrte mre n ilitin pre-Cristin ele-ments in te Vtin reliin. Finnis n Estnin sclrs, tin te mst ctive rle

in te stu f Vtin culture, ve vlue n serce fr mre rcic tritins fthe distant past, thus trying to pick up scaered remnants and to reconstruct one-time religious phenomena free from late Christian inuences.

Aforementioned Votian scholar Dmitri Tsvetkov, the single gure among local in-tellectuals in the eld of humanities, represented quite an opposite perspective in hisstu n Vtin custms relte t irt, weins n funerls. he stresse te fcttt te wrl view f Vtins ws se n ort Cristinit n terefre tisws te mst suitle pint f eprture fr te stu f Vtin fl culture (Tsvetv19311932: 53). I nd Tsvetkovs approach, described above, aractive for my own re-serc prject n Vtin fl reliin were m im is t stu te reliin f Vtins s

it ws (n is) live rinr l peple. Tis frm f reliin s een crcter-ise s fl, ppulr r ville Cristinit, te lst term evientl referrin t te rurlenvirnment f Vtins pre-inustril sciet. Vtin reliin cn e cnsiere s type of religious syncretism that unites elements of dierent origin, thus containing evi-entl vriet f nn- r pre-Cristin elements tt ve een inerentl cminewit Cristin ntins. In itin, tis penmenn emrces ppulr interprettinsf Cristinit, certin rituls n prctices tt cn e seen s pttins f Cristinlitur int pesnt envirnment. It is nt pssile neiter t rw strict rerline e-tween vrius einnins nr t crete ierrcies f imprtnce r istinuis clerlsucceein stes f evelpment. Tese penmen were evientl frme in te

sner n sul e nlse s interte entities.

VILLagE FEaSTS IN RUSSIa N oRThodoxy

Fruitful crun infrmtin fr te stu f Vtin ville fests in te secn lff te 19t centur n te einnin f te 20t centur ws prvie te stuf americn curc istrin Ver Sevzv Russin ort n te Eve f Revlu-tin (2004). her reserc tt cncentrte mstl n te reliisit f ort litin te peri fllwin te emnciptin f Russis serfs in 1861 swe cnvincinlw te numer f ville fests increse cnsierl s result f tese imprtnt


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refrms in pesnt life (Sevzv 2004: 143). It is even pssile t suest tt te villefests s inepenent mnifesttins f cmmunl wrsip were institutinlise ttt time in mn plces f Russin empire, incluin its Nrt-West crner inite

ort Izrins n Vtins.accrin t Sevzv (2004: 142) lcl ville cmmunities estlise suc fests

entirel n teir wn inititive n t te en f te 19t centur te crrespnentsf Tenisev bureu10 frequentl reprte t lest tw r tree suc fests per ville.Sevzv rew cler rerlines etween enerl Cristin lis, pris fests11 nte cter f ville fests, wic unlie teir mre estlise nlues cntin-ue t mnifest te nmism f lituricl life in Russi rit up t te 1917 revlutin(Shevzov 2004: 143). These days were held in highest esteem and people who had lefor urban areas oen returned for their celebration. Great popularity of village feastsment tt enerl Cristin ls n prctices were pte n ssimilte l elievers in w tt me sense in teir lcl wrls (ii.: 131).

Emples prvie te resercer swe tt te resns ein te est-

lisment f lcl fests vrie frm plce t plce. In er stu Sevzv empsiserepetel te reliius mtivtin fr te estlisment f ville fests suestintt similrl t cses f cpel cnstructin tese fests were estlise weneverand wherever a community felt a divine intervention in their lives: Oen believersestlise tem n te f sint wm te cnsiere t ve eerte is r erprotection over the community during an epidemic, re, or other natural disaster. Be-lievers llwe te te event ccurre n celerte wt ws cmmemrten te enerl ort clenr n tt s teir wn specil fest. (ii.: 143).

amn cmmn fetures f te ville fests, severl s f preprtin, efrethe actual feast day including fasting, cleanup eorts, the preparation of special foods

n rewin eer, sul e mentine. In sme lclities, specill csen pesntsupervise te preprtins fr te festivities (ii.: 144). Ville fests mit ve in-crprte divine Litur elivere n te f te fest in te pris curc r ifte ville csen nt t ve litur in te curc te priest ws se t crr ut prer service in te ville. on t cses prcessin frm te pris curc t vil-le ws crrie ut tt ws cnsiere te resercer t e te mst crcteristicfeture f lcl fests (ii.: 145)12.

In er Sevzv (2004: 147) utline te enerl escriptin f te ville fest relin n te mterils frm te Vl icese. Te entire cmmunit reetete prcessin, incluin te fest icn, wen it rrive in te ville n te min

scene fr fllwin prceures ws eiter te ville cpel r prtitine re in temile f te ville were cler cnucte enerl service fr te lessin f w-ters. Then the entire village along with the clergy took part in the blessing of the eldswhere dierent prayer services were held. In addition, the blessing of common pasturewas carried out where peasants drove their cale and horses for blessing. This was fol-lwe persnl prer services in pesnts mes n cmmn mel sre llvillers n cler. accrin t tese escriptins uests n reltives rrive frmneighboring villages to join the common meal and festivities aer the clergy and theicons had le for the parish church.

Shevzov drew aention also to two features of village feasts, the issue of work and

the cnsumptin f lchl, which were trets f criticism in the writins f the time.


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These tpics were hetedly deted s ppnents referred t t mny lcl fests thtlessened cnsiderly the numer f wrkin dys s well s hevy drinkin typiclof days o from work in Russia (see Shevzov 2004: 151.). This question manifestedthe conict between the tradition oriented peasantry and the business interests of land-owners and state ocials. Surprisingly, these ideas long feasting period and drinking

cme t the fre s chrcteristic trits in the descriptins f Vtin ville fests. Theve-mentined tw spects were frequently referred t in mny texts recrded yvarious folklore collectors that seem to reect stereotyped paerns of local value judg-ments.

almst in ll Vtin tets rewin n rinin f eer, vriet f prepre nur-isments n ln festin peri in te cmpn f reltives n visitrs, ws un-erline. Ville fests were referre t in tese tets frequentl wit cmmn term

prznikka feast, festival, holiday. Specic vernacular term in this context was 2ut-prznikka r out-prznikka (lspivnoi prznikka) eer fest tt pinte irectl t pre-prin n cnsumin f eer. In few cses celertins were title s 2ut-phpiv

eer Sun, vuvv2 phpiv te Sun f te er n prznikka ville fest.In times wen te lcl fest crrespne wit te pris fest te terms preston2ir zaprestoln2i prznikka, erive irectl frm te Russin clericl term ptrn sints , were use.

Votian village feasts followed largely the paerns sketched above by Shevzov. Folklore

accounts refer to both ocial religious practices carried out by the clergy as well as mani-festtins f ppulr Christinity, includin vrius rites in the ville envirnment.

VoTIaN VILLagE FEaSTS IN ThE CoNTExT oF oRThodox CaLENdaR

More descriptions about village feasts came from these Votian regions that were beercumente te fllre cllectrs. We cn ls relise tt in tese villes werecelerte nnull 2-3 r mre fests tt were cnnecte wit icns, n crrespn-in ptrn sint s, in lcl ville cpels r pris curces. Fr emple, in pr-chial center Kaila (Kotly/) te nnul ville fests were streei (< Presenttin f Lr; 2./15.02)13, kupoo (< St. Jn te bptist;24.06/7.07)14, tuli-mrja (St. Mr f Fire; 15./28.08)15, spssa (< Mc-cee te Sviur; 1./14.08)16 n tavi-mkkua (St. Nicls f Winter; 6./19.12)17. Itis imprtnt t mentin tt te lcl prcil curc, eicte t St. Nicls te

Wnerwrer, celerte n te lstl mentine te pris fest. accrin toral tradition there were several chapels in Kaila that might have dictated the dates oflocal village feasts in the selement. This is also reected in local microtoponymy: forexample, the Midsummer feast day is xed in the name of a small water body kupolobruda te pl f St. Jn lcte ner te ville (ariste 1969: 16).

In neiurin villes Lempl (Ranolovo/) n Pumml (Pumalitsy/) nnul fests were el n vriss(6./19.01)18, troisa (< u Trinit)19

npokrova (< Cver f te hliest Virin; 1./14.10)20.on troisa npokrova holy processions were held from Kaila church to these villagesand the priest blessed the spring and stone crosses, dedicated to Prophet Elah, situ-te in te mile f Pumml (Miste 1959: 109110)21. Te ner ville f Pi-


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Photo 1. Village chapel in Pihlaala where the feast ofnstssi was celebrated.Photo by Erik Laid 1942. VE VII (41).

ll (Pillovo/) ws well nwn fr te nnul fest f nastassia (St. anstsi;29.10/11.11)22, wic ws celerte in te lcl cpel f St. anstsi t te vere fte ville. Relin n mn ccunts in fllre cllectins, tis fest ws celerte

te initnts f mn clse villes w cme n nastassia t te cpel n lsprin net t it.

In so-called Orko (Valley) village group, which belonged to Kaila parish too, lo-cal feast days coincided only partly with afore-mentioned holidays. In Krvula (Ko-rovetino/) ville fest s were kupoo (24.06/7.07)23 n kma (< Sts. Csms n dmin; 1./14.11)24. Celerte fests in Mti (Maia/

) ville were tevd-jrti (St. gere f Sprin; 23.04/6.05)25 n tavi-jrti(St. gere f Winter; 26.11/9.12)26 s in tis ville ws situte cpel eictet St. gere. Te neiurin Svvl (Savikino/) ville celerte twfest s f St. Nicls tevd-mkkua (St. Nicls f Sprin; 9./22.05)27 n tavi-mkkua (6./19.12). In Pntiz (Pondelovo/) nnul fest s were pdr (< Sts. Peter n Pul; 29.06/12.07)28 n maa (arcnel Micel;8./21.11)29. Lstl mentine l n troitsa were celerte s te ville festsin Jrviitl (Babino/). Troitsa n li (< Prophet Elah;20.07/2.08)30 were ville fest s ls in Ilv (Undovo/).

Lesser t is ville ut lcl fests in kri ville rup s fllre cllec-trs visite tis re cnsierl selm. In tese villes, lcl fests were cnnecte


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wit te curces in te prcil centre kri (Koporie/). Te ptrn sint f te pris curc ws tuli-mrja (15./28.08) wile te ter curc, situte inte ruins f meievl cstle, celerte te fest n spssa (1./14.08). Imprtnceof the lastly mentioned holyday is reected in microtoponymy people from nearbyvilles n pilrims vlue n tt wter frm spslhe (Sprin f te Sviur)

tt ws lcte net tpsimti (hillc f te Sviur); in itin snctit f tiscmple ner curces ws mre wit te icn f Virin Mr (ariste 1969: 111, 115).hl prcessins were crrie ut n tese fests frm ne curc t nter n stpswere me net t te l sprin n illc. In te ner Vtin ville Itpiv(Icipino/) tuli-mrja ws celerte ls s ville fest were festivities werecrrie ut in te lcl cpel. a ville fest, incluin rewin eer n ctivities inte cpel, ws celerte in Itpiv ls n tavi-jrti (26.11/9.12).

Photo 2. Village chapel in Luutsa where the feast ofprv was celebrated.Photo by Gustav Rnk 1942. ERM, Fk 1049: 32.

In Vipli ville rup, which elned t the sphere f Sikkl (Soikino/)prish, ville fests were cnnected with ptrn sint dys f the churches in Sikklnd Jper (Krakolie/)31. bth f the churches were dedicted t St. Nichlsthe Wnderwrker nd cnsequently tavi-mkkua (6./19.12) ws celerted s the prishfest dy in Jper nd ville fest in Luuts. anther fest dy f St. Nichls tevd-mkkua (9./22.05) ws the nnul fest in Liivtl (Peski/) tht ws celerted

with prcessin t cstl chpel (rant tasovna) ner the ville. all these three vil-lesls shred nther cmmn fest, pdr/pedro (29.06/12.07). The third nnul fest


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in Jper ws lri (< Sts.Flrus nd Lurus; 18./31.08)32 typiclfest dy fr the villes with churchess the trditins f this dy included cn-secrtin f hrses with hly wter ner

the church (cf. pik 1970: 110, 156157).a third imprtnt fest in Liivtl ndLuuts villes ws celerted n pokrova(1./14.10) which ws the ptrn sint dyf the ville chpel in Luuts. on thtdy, t, hly prcessin ws crried utfrm the prish church t the chpels inthese villes33. Well-knwn were ls inVipli villes sme f the fest dys innery Izhrin villes: spssa (1./14.08)

in Luknsuu (Ostrov/) nd nas-tassia (29.10/11.11) in Prsp (Lipovo/

). Peple frm severl neihur-ing villages aended the feast in Prsps the chpel in this ville like in Pih-ll ws visited in rder t urnteed luck fr their sheep. on spssa, hlyprcessin frm the Jper church wscrried ut t the Lu River where thepriest cnsecrted the wter f Lu nd

ll the prticipnts swm in the river.

Photo 3. Parish church dedicated to St. Nicholasthe Wonderworker in Kaila.

Photo by Jri Metssalu 2006.

It is evient tt ville fests in te territr f Vtins were cnnecte clsel witocial Orthodox calendar, churches in parish centres, village chapel and other localsncturies. Tese fests ne f tem usull in sprin r summer n te ter nein utumn r winter were n te ne n inclue int te set f cmmn Cristinprctices n n te ter n pte wit te nees f lcl cmmunit. arciveaccounts reect obviously to certain archaic traits in the structure of the feasts in the endf te 19t centur n te einnin f te 20t centur tt cn e interprete in telit f escriptins frm te 18t centur n prllels f neiurin peples.

bEER FEaSTS aNd VoTIaN bRaTTINad

accunts ut ville fests in fllre cllectins re quite rief n lcnic. belwre sme srt smple tets recre vrius reserces tt escrie Vtin villefeasts in the rst half of the 20th century:

Pedro (29.06/12.07) ws ur fest. Ten ll men rewe eer in ever use. Everusemster i it. huse ws clene efre te eve fpedro, wmen ete su-n. Sun ws leve wen curc ells strte t rin. yun n l, ever

aended church in the evening. And then returned home. Lot of people were incurc, ut net tere wul e even mre. Ever went t curc in te


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mrnin n tere ws lt f peple, s tt lf f te crw ws n te curc-r. Wen te service ene, ever cme me. an ten it ws time fr lunc. Ever te teir lunc, rest fr wile n ten irls n swent t me merr in te ville. We lre rie in te mile f te vil-le. Ever tere n te rie. Ten irls sn tere. bs cme, ple

garmoshka, irls strte t nce. Ten s n irls nce tere. ol men jinete cmpn, s jine te cmpn, wle frm use t use. Te festetree s, celertepedro. (SkS kRa, M. hvi, 2792 < Vnl < Jper,dri Leti 1936)34on te f vriss(6./19.01) The church was aended in the morning and in theevenin te fest strte. Peple cme t visit frm te ter villes ft n nrsec. If tis ws ptrn sint f te curc rm ws utcere, vwas brought, beer brewed and sh prepared, everything that was available. Thefest lste tree r fur s. (VE I 7 (5) < Lempl, Slmni kuzmin P.ariste 1942 = ariste 1969: 13)

our jrti fest (23.04/6.05) is l f te cpel. beer ws rewe in llmes. V ws rut s muc s n mne. Ten v ws

ut; w rut tw ills, w rut pint, fur ills f v. Nwre, fest lste tree s. bs n irls, men n wmen cme t visit urville. an ten tere ws fest, peple sn n nce. In Vtic lnue tesepeple, ur peple, i nt sin. ol wmen sn in Vtic. (< Mti, Pitr b-rnv J. Miste 1943 = Miste 1959: 45)

brewin f eer ws evientl ne f te mst crcteristic trits f Vtin villefests f te time. beer cn e cnsiere in te cntet f ville fests s tritinl

ritul rin, n it ws rewe in ll usels n sre wit ters utsie temestic spere. kes wit newl rewe eer were ten ls t te lcl cpelswere priests lesse te vessels. Cmmn rinin witin te cpel r in frnt fte uilin fllwe te lessin ceremn. belw re tw smple tets ut villefeasts that were celebrated on 26.11/9.12., which reect obviously dierent stages in theevelpment f tritin:

on stz-jrti (gere f autumn) tere is fest Sun in Mti ville.ds f re, cmmn eer fr te ville ws rewe tere n it ws ten tent te lcl cpel t cnsin. Wen te priest cme n lesse te eer, it ws

strte t rin n eer ws prtine t ever in line. Te rest ws tenhome and was shared between dierent households. (SKS KRA, V. Alava XII, 508(184) < Kaila, Sonia, wife of Johorka 1901)

We talvi-jrti s eer fest. beer ws rewe in ll usels, even if terewere nl tw peple. Pies were me. Pies n eer ws ten t te cpel. antere it ws run. befre it ws pre. Tere were ln ences. Pies n eerin bowls were put on these benches. When village elder nished [the prayer], hesaid: Congratulations for the feast. Then beer was oered to others: Taste my

beer! Pies were ripped apart for a meal and shared with beggars. Sometimes vet si s were celerte, ut fur s ll te time ws feste. Tere were lt

f peple, s tt ville ws vercrwe. (VE I 235 (21) < Itpiv, alesnranreiev 1942 = ariste 1969: 138)


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Te wls wit eer were ten ln t lter cmmn terins in te pen ir ttfllwe reliius ceremnies. Tritinl site fr ncin n sinin n fest sin mn Vtin villes (Jper, kuuzi, Luuts) ws te rie unitin te twens f te cmmunit. Wen ll te villers celerte lri (18./31.08) in Jperte e ws ten ls t te rie were eer ws cmmnl cnsume (SkS kRa,

M. hvi, 2795 < Vil, ann bussin-kivis 1936).beer ws tritinll rewe ls n sme ter well-nwn ls f te or-t pesnt clenr, suc s tevd-jrti (23.04/6.05), Ester n li (20.07/2.08),celerte lmst in ll Vtin villes. In sme plces ville fests cincie witspecil cmmunit fests, nme brainaD, brtinaD, klaina (erive frm Russinterms n ) r vakkov2 (Izrin vakkove) tt sre evientl se-verl cmmn elements, incluin cmmunl rewin n cnsumin eer35. belw isthe text concerning this kind of feast in Krvula recorded by Paul Ariste in a neigh-

urin ville:

BrainaD were not held in our village. But it was celebrated in Krvula villagen li. beer ws rewe, v ws rut n pies were e. Sme mref ws prepre. all villers tere, wmen n men, l n un. Tensme peple frm ter villes cme t. Ever tere teter. Tle wsten t te rss n ences were plce tere. Ever st t te tle. Vil-le eler r te persn w ws te elest sre v n te ter ne sre

eer. It lste ne . Tere ws lt f eer. Mlt fr te eer ws rut. Mnews cllecte frm ever. (VE I 133 (7) < Mti, Timfei Mrzv 1942 = ariste1969: 107108; hvi 1963: 96)

In addition to similarities, folklore accounts refer to certain dierences between village

fests n te institutin f brainaD. In sme plces tese fests were celerte nter lis r even tes tt were nt mre in ort clenr36. In itin,brainaD were clerl fests fr te clse ville cmmunit r even certin enerrups witin it (nl men r nl wmen) n utsiers were nt llwe t prtici-pte in celertins. Te ntin mentine in cnnectin wit brainaD tt nl resi-ents f prticulr ville t prt in tese fests i nt cncern custmril villefests. In few cses, certin restrictins were mentine tt t te strt nl resientsof the home village aended the feast and visitors from other places joined them later inte evenin r even net . Smetimes tese limittins cncerne te lst f tefeast only local men aended this day of hangover while other people had to start

o for their home villages. If the same feast was celebrated in neighbouring villagesthe usual paern was following: at rst all the people gathered in one village and laterever mve t fest in neiurin ville.

Dierences between these two phenomena were manifested also in preparations forte events. In cse f brainaD oen the fact that common beer for the whole villagecmmunit ws rewe ws mentine: mlt fr te eer (r mne fr uin mlt)ws tere frm ll memers f te cmmunit n in te curse f festivities tis

eer ws sre wit ll prticipnts f te fest. develpe cmmunlit is visile inte fct tt ville eler r sme ter respectle persn in te cmmunit prtinete eer f brainaD. all tese spects f cmmunlit were muc weer in te c-counts about village feasts. A somewhat dierent modality is manifested in the de-


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scriptins tt let us nw tt preprtins were me iniviull in ll uselsn ever t teir newl rewe eer n f t cmmn mel sere llmemers f te cmmunit. Mn f te tets ut ville fests frm te mile f20t centur i nt stress evelpe cmmunlit ut refer t vriet f tritinlcuisine prepared for the feast and aain aention to a long period of feasting in the

cmpn f reltives n ter cquintnces.At the rst half of the 20th century the brainaD institutin ws nt nwn evenlin ll Vtin villes. Tese fests were rememere s te ne-time festivities tt

elne evientl t te pst. hwever, in certin villes, situte in remte res,tese celertins were mintine up t te turn f te centur. one f te mst cu-mente fests f tis in ws celerte in Jrviitl n li. Te venue f te festws lcl snctur situte t te ee f te ville. at te einnin f te 20tcentur wen severl Finnis fllre cllectrs visite te site te escrie n ll uilin (salvos) witut rf, c 8,5 metres ln n c 3 metres wie, tt cn-tained several old trees and their stumps, an icon aached to one of the trees as well as

stne crss37. The feast dedicated to Prophet Elah was celebrated within and next totis cmple. In 1901, lcl ville wmn hritini escrie te enerl structuref te festivities t fllre cllectr Vitri alv s fllwin:

beer ws rewe fr te ville kula38 r tw. Ten ever frm ll useswent t tis l uilin t pr te Lr wit cnles. F ( plte) ws prepreand bread was baked and buer was added to the plate in order to pray the Lord.Cmmn mel ws el net t te l uilin, in f tles were put tere neverybody ate (this bread and buer or even took some food home). The masterw rewe eer (ne usel rewe fr te wle ville) pure frm

te e. Ever st n te ences in te rw n rn eer. Tis lste uttw urs, ten peple frm ter villes cme t rin (tt eer, teter).(SkS kRa, V. alv xII, 292293 (87) < Jrviitl 1901)

Fllre cllectr Smuli Pulrju, w visite te site ten ers lter n even p-pene t prticipte in te fest, ws tl tt cnles were ten t te stne crssinsie te uilin, eer ws pure net t te crss n sme peple even plcetere sme cins (Pulrju 1919: 101). BrainaD in tis site were rememere lsin te en f te 1920s wen te Sviet linuist Jv Lensu wre in te ville. hews tl tt peple f tw neiurin villes tere t te fest, t men nwmen, w sn n nce tere teter fr severl s (Lensu 1930: 252254).

Te lstl mentine spect ws in cmmn wit ville fests tt ste witln peri merriment.

bEER FEaSTS IN ThE 18Th CENTURy dESCRIPTIoNS

Prllels t te vementine cult prctices cn e fun frm escriptins villein te curt prtcls f te hl Sn in St. Petersur elin wit te superstitinsf lcl pesnts in te 1730s. Tese cuments prvie te erliest etile recrsut ort fest s in severl Vtin villes, incluin mn ters Liivtln Luuts (cf. Vstri 2007: 94116). Surprisinl in tese escriptins ne cn ls


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realise variations in the structure of the feasts indicating evidently dierent layers inte fest tritin.

Fr emple, in te er 1733 pesnts f te Liivtl ville were ccuse f rew-in te eer f brainaD (Russin ) ner te l wen crss39 weren te f Sts. Peter n Pul (29.06/12.07; cf. pdr/pedro ve) te icn f tese

sints ws ten n prer meetin ws el. Cnles were lit n yuri Intiev,w ws lein te meetin, pure newl rewe eer nt te icn. Te rest fthe beer was consumed collectively and a common meal with cheese, buer, pies and

eer ws el in te lcl cpel tt ws uilt witut snctin (PSPR VIII: 169170;Lvrv 2000: 137138).

Similr escriptins cn e fun in te prtcl frm te sme er cncerninpesnts dementii n Semen klementiev frm neiurin Luuts ville. as stte

by the scribe, there was a wooden cross in Luutsa too where the feast of Prophet Elahws celerte: rm, r smetimes n ws slutere tere n eer f braina( ) ws rewe n te spt. Cultic prctices resemle t tse crrie

ut in Liivtl: cnles were lit in frnt f te wen crss n icns, prers werere n eer ws pure n te crss (PSPR VIII: 171; Lvrv 2000: 139140). a sme-what dierent element was the celebration of the day of Archangel Michael (8./21.11; cf.maa) wen ccrin t te prtcl klementiev wit cmres lit cnles infrnt f te crss n icn, pre t te Lr n ten ever pure teir eeron the cross as well as placed bits of foodstu brought along next to it (PSPR VIII: 171;Lvrv 2000: 140). Tese ccunts revel tt ls t tt time fr certin fests cm-mn eer ws rewe wile fr te celertins f ter fests eer ws prepre te villers seprtel.

accrdin t the 18th century dcuments, rewin f eer n the fest dys nd sk-

in the icns f the fest dy with it ws well-knwn ppulr trditin tht elned lst the set f prctices relted t the fest f Sts. Flrus nd Lurus (18./31.08; cf. lri). Thisntin ws vividly dcumented in the descriptins f the schlrs wh intrduced V-tins t the wider circle f reders t the end f the 18th century. bth the bltic-germnpstr frm Nrv, Friedrich Ludlph Trefurt, nd Russin histrin, Fedr Tumnski,pulished descriptins f the fest f Chlar/ tht included cmmn therins nerthe cross dedicated to these saints, in a chapel or a larger threshing barn, oering beer

t the icns three times, cmmn mel nd festin fr three dys under the cntrl fspecilly ppinted supervisrs (Trefurt 1783: 1618; cf. pik 1970: 110112).

Russin istrin alesnr S. Lvrv (2000: 136137, 142143) s pinte ut te

ie tt ccrin t te cuments frm te 17t n 18t centuries te prctice frewin eer fr te reliius fests ws ccepte te cler s tese surces refert utensils fr rewin eer mn te inventr f lcl cpels n mentin lclkeepers of the chapels as the main organisers of the feasts. Beer feasts aained the aen-tin f te hl Sn in tese cses wen nn-Cristin elements ecme previlinin celertin r pesnts vilte certin nrms frm te perspective f reliius f-cials. It is possible that in the cases mentioned above inadmissible was the fact that laypersns were lein reliius rituls, witut priests prticiptin, wic ve temte pssiilit t interpret n pt ort prctices en te cnnicl nrms.One of such practices that might have called forth the aention of clergy was the act ofpurin eer n te icns tt ws interprete s scrilee.


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Ville fests f te secn lf f te 19t centur n te einnin f te 20tcentur evientl sre severl cmmn elements wit brainaD n celertins fte ort fests f te 18t centur. It cn e sueste tt te institutin f villefests, in te Vtin res, ws frme n te sis f tese erlier festivities, cquirinin te curse f time inepenent sttus.

VILLagE FEaSTS aNd bLood SaCRIFICE

one mre spect f ville fests tt line tis penmenn wit te brainaD insti-tutin n erlier escriptins sul e iscusse in rer t cmplete te cmprisnstrte ve.

18th century documents refer oen to the slaughtering of livestock (a rooster, a ramr n ), srin it wit te memers f cmmunit s well s purin l f teslutere niml, especill tt f rsters, nt te crsses, stnes n trees in l-

cl sncturies n Cristin fest s. accrin t te eplntins f lcl pesnts,xed in the protocols of the Holy Synod, this was done in order to guarantee good luckfr te wle ville cmmunit fr te sesn t cme (cf. PSPR VII: 511514; PSPRVIII: 137139; 170172; cf. Trefurt 1783: 1618). Te mjrit f tese ccunts, utsluterin n r rm, were relte wit te celertins f te f PrpetElah (20.07/2.08), but the slaughtering of a rooster was practised in connection with se-verl ter fest s. Mre etile escriptin f te celertin f te f PrpetElah, including the slaughtering of a ram, is available in another article by Trefurt:

dem Prpeten Elis (Ilja prorok) zu Eren, in welcem sie en besctzer i-

rer heeren un esners irer Scfe vereren, wir leicflls ein jrlicesfeerlices Fest in reen uf einner flenen Ten efeert, vn jecnur der erste Tag goesdienstlich begangen wird. An oder vielmehr zu selbigenwird von ihnen ein ganz weies Schaaf, welches auch nicht den geringsten Fleckenhaben mu geschlachtet und gemeinschalich von ihnen verzehret. Zu dieser Ab-sict en sie fst in llen iren drfern vn einier beeutun ein eienes huser vielmer eine ort vn Cpelle, in welcem iese festlice Mlzeit eltenund sich einige Obros (Bilder der Heiligen) benden, vor denen sie Wachskerzennznen. an en Seitenwnen ieses leinen geues er steen ie biertn-nen, welce, ee er anfn mit ausleerun erselen vn inen emct wir,

eineseenet weren. (Trefurt 1785: 105106)Resercers ree tt tis in f sluterin n cmmn srin f met is sur-vival of a one-time blood sacrice that was known to many ethnic groups of the region(pik 1970: 133; Zelenin 1991: 383384). In Votian folklore texts, reecting mostly thetraditions of the second half of the 19th century and the rst half of the 20th century,tese prctices were rememere vuel in cnnectin wit te celertins f li nbrainaD. Fr emple, J. Lurinen wrte, in 1909, n ccunt tt te villes fPumml, Lempl n Pill slutere cmmn n te f PrpetElah (SKS KRA, J. Lukkarinen, 1909). According to V. Alava (1901: 83) the bones of theram that was slaughtered on the day of Prophet Elah were taken to the stone crosses,eicte t te sint, wic were situte in Pumml. Tese crsses were remem-


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ere s te site were eer ws cllectivel cnsume n li (Miste 1959: 69). It isevient tt in te mile f te 20t centur, tis cmple lst its cultic menin

ut P. aristes infrmnt Slmni kuzmin si in 1942 tt nes were ten ttese crsses wenever n niml ws slutere n met jell ws prepre (VE I 26(64) < Lempl). Tus, wile nlsin te escriptins we cn fllw ls te prcess

f escrlistin f certin prctices s tis ws te cse wit celertins f villefests in enerl.a ritul sluterin f rster n certin fest s ws rememere in rre cses

ls in te einnin f te 20t centur ut viusl tese ccunts cncerne ne-time prctices f te pst. accrin t te escriptin f J. Lurinen, me etween1910 n 1911, rster ws slutere net t te l irc tree, nwn s li kahti(Birch of Prophet Elah), on the eve of Archangel Michael (8./21.11; see maa above)in Jrviitl n l f te rster ws pure n te rts f te tree (SkS kRa,

J. Lurinen, 1160).40 Similar knowledge about one-time sacrices at this site on the f te ville fest ws psse t S. Pulrju (1919: 101102) few ers lter. at

te en f te 1920s, n 82 er-l yelen artemiev frm Jrviitl still new tetradition, despite the fact that she did not remember the specic feast day of the village:In te mile f ur ville tere ws i irc tree. Te irc ws l-e. Pep-le went t pr tere. If n ws nt well ten cin f mne ws ten tere.Prers were el t nit in rer t vi ter peple t see it. Tere ws n nnulfest wen rster ws slutere. (Lensu 1930: 254) here, t, we cn see teprcess w tis prticulr prctice ws erlier cnnecte wit te celertins f teville fest ut in lter ccunts nl te fct f sluterin ws rememere noerings were related with healing and believers personal well-being.

In a somewhat symbolical sense blood sacrices were institutionalised and preserved

in cnnectin wit te celertins f nastassia (St. anstsi; 29.10/11.11) in Pilln Prsp. St. anstsi ws venerte s te ptrn sint f seep in ppulr or-t f te rein n terefre lcl fests in tse villes inclue te lessinf wl, feet n es f seep tt were rut ln t te celertins. Tis wsdone inside the local chapel or in front of it and later these oerings given to the priestlein te lessin ritul r sre wit ers. Te fest ws cnwlee s tefest f seep41 n it ine ret ppulrit mn pesnts fr n ner w cr-rie ut quite ln jurnes frm teir mes t te cpels in tese villes. accents infllre ccunts n te fest f St. anstsi vrie t, epenin n te viewpint fte infrmnt. Lcl peple escrie te enerl prcess f te fest, incluin prep-

rations at home and service in parish church, while visitors, or even pilgrims aendingte fest, cncentrte n te ctivities in n net t te cpel. In t cses prmi-ses were me in rer t in luc fr seep n ter species f livestc.

Te f nastassia in Prsp. Peple were in te cpel n te eve f te fest,wl f te seep ws ten tere n it ws iven t te priest. Tse wseseep i nt trive if n crme wit wrs r wit sit prmise erlier t rin wl t priest. on te f nastassia ter peple wentto the chapel. There was lunch aer the service in the parish church; the priestwalked from one house to another and blessed homes. The feast was started aer

te service. Fur s were celerte n nastassia. Everne rewe nastassia eer


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t me if tis ws pssile. (SkS kRa, M. Virlinen, 571 < Liivtl < Prsp,Fil Niliev 1944)

Nastassia ws te f seep. We slutere seep ten. Te es f seepwere ten t te cpel in Pill fr te priest n ers. Te priest lessete es n ten tese were sre wit ers. a prmise ws me tt Ill

rin te seep. an u rut te e f te seep if seep i nt trive.(VE I 96 (31) < Kaila, Anna and Irina Antonova 1942 = Ariste 1969: 130131)

In Pill, liewise in mn ter villes, smll wter ies were inclue int teset f reliius n cultic prctices. Terefre sme f te tets in fllre cllectins re-fer t te fct tt te pructs rut ln fr lessin were ten t te sprin netto the chapel. In these cases this kind of oering was interpreted as a healing procedure,thus conjoining communal endeavour to guarantee good luck in cale breeding as wells persns iniviul well-ein.

The majority of the descriptions above reect the importance of religious aspects of tra-itinl ville fests sre wit te ncient brainaD-institutin s well s ortparish feasts. Notions and practices of dierent origin were adapted with each otherin tis penmenn witin te frmewr f te ort clenr. Tese festivitiesevientl resse te well-ein f te ville cmmunit s wle n its ini-

viul initnts. Tis ws cieve wit te elp f ppulr rites n tretments swell as through the Christian practices and blessings carried out by the clergy. Dierentreliius einnins mnifeste in tese celertins were inerentl sscite witec ter witut cusin iverence in te cmmunit f elievers. on te tern, escriptins, ville in istricl surces n fllre rcives, revel certinnmics in te evelpment f te penmenn, cncernin mstl te imensin fcmmunlit in ritul prctices.

hil evelpe cmmunlit f ville fests ws mnifeste in preprtins frtese celertins s well s in cmmn mels crrie ut insie r net t te cpelurin te fests. descriptins, tt refer t cmmn sluterin f n niml r

cmmn eer rewe fr te fest, incluin references t cllectin mne fr teseactivities and collective consumption, seem to represent more archaic paerns of com-munl cpertin. Mre recent evelpments rut t te fre iniviul spectsf ritul ctivities tt ls crcterise enerll tis penmenn in te spere fRussin ort in te secn lf f te 19t centur n te einnin f te 20tcentur.

We cn see tt reliius spects f te ville fests were clsel cnnecte witscil fcets f tese celertins. It is evient tt ville fests fstene ties etweenreltives n cntinuusl repruce cesin witin te cmmunit s it prvie frmewr fr intensive scil interctin witin te cmmunit s well s etween

neiurin villes42. knwlee ut fests f ner villes elne t tecmmn erite sre te peple f te sme ville rup. In sme plces ville

CoNCLUSIoN aNd CoMPaRIS oN WITh REVI VEd VILLagE FEaST INLUUTSa


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Photo 4. Wooden cross and icon at the site of theformer village chapel in Luutsa where the

village feast was celebrated.Photo by Madis Arukask 2003.

fests cquire, in itin, certin ec-nomic functions. For example, in Kaila,nnul pris firs were el n tuli-mrja(15./28.08) tt increse te vriet nrne f prticipnts in tese festivities.

According to the recent eld materi-ls, se n prticipnt servtin in20032004, te reliius spect is missinlmst entirel in te cse f te reviveville fest in Luuts. Te fest ws re-estlise in 2000 te stess f telocal private museum Tatiana Emova inrer t celerte te 500t nniversrof the village rst wrien records aboutLuuts were presente in te Nvri-

n ln reister f te er 1500. Te festentitle s eencelerte n te secn weeen f Jultt lrel crrespns wit pdr, te f Sts. Peter n Pul (29.06/12.07),wic ws te tritinl ville fest in Luuts. Since 2001, te celer-tins ve ten plce in te tritinlsite f te ville fest te r f teEmov family in the middle of the village

were up t te 1960s ws situte te l-cl cpel.

hwever, te structure f te fest isfor the most part dierent as instead of a prayer meeting and holy procession the cen-trl plce is cquire te l frmtin, in f l le te stess f te lclmuseum. The programme has included speeches by district ocials and the villageeler, lectures ut istr f te ville n its initnts, perfrmnces f vill-ers, fllre rups n invite musicins, s well s cmmn memril prceures tcmmemrte lsses in wr n represse cmmunit memers. In smewt sm-

licl sense te reliius spect f te event ws inicte in 20032004 te erectinf temprr wen crss n te frmer site f te ville cpel were n icn wsplce n cnles were lit in te curse f memril prceures43. Neverteless, telcl cmmunit s ppse rnisers inititives t s representtives f te clerto participate in the event. That obviously reects results of Soviet anti-religious poli-cies n present- reltinsips etween mjrit f villers n te lcl cler.

Traditional paerns of village feasts came to the fore in the informal part of the feastincluin cmmn mel in te cmpn f uests, villers n teir reltives wcme t visit tem n tis prticulr . Tritinl f ws prepre fr te meltt ws ten ln ll prticipnts n sre n ln tles. Cmmunl etinn rinin, eer ws sustitute wit wine n strn lcl, ws ccmpnie spntneus sinin n ncin, representin te mstl well-nwn Russin rep-


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ertire. Infrml prts inclue mes etween te in rups n te visit f tudi(), te rup f l resse n mse villers, representin tritinl insti-tutin f mummin tt ws re-ctulise spntneusl elerl villers.

Photo 5. Luutsa village feast in 2004. Participants of the feast follow the performance of thelocal folklore group. Photo by Kirsti Ruul.

In itin, Luuts ville fest cn e seen in te cntet f risin lcl ientit nintentins fr cnwlein Vtins s n inepenent etnic rup44. Te fest sprvie pssiilit t supprt self-cnsciusness f Vtin initnts in Luuts nneiurin villes. Tis ws mnifeste in te speeces f uests n prticipnts,

Vtin fl sns n pems presente te fllre ensemles, lets n te et-nic istr f Vtins n cllectin f Vtin fl tles istriute t te villers inte curse f te fest (see Ernits 2006; heins 2006: 234). In itin Vtin ntinlsmls, wre ut recentl te rup f entusists, were intruce t te wierpulic in 2003 witin te prrmme f te ville fest. Tus, te institutin f villefests s een use in revitlise frm fr reprucin etnic cnsciusness n s

een inclue int te prcess f Vtin ntin-uilin. Tis is prt f te strtef lcl entusists t ppse te iscurse f eclinin replicte in sclrl wrsn pulic pinin.


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Photo 6. The visit oftui at the Luutsa village feast in 2004.Photo by Kirsti Ruul.

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Historia Fenno-Ugrica I: 1. Cnressus Primus histrie Fenn-Urice. Eenum curveruntksti Julu et l. oulu: Sciets histrie Fenn-Urice, 335343.

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Lavrov 2000 = , . : 17001740 .: .

Lensu 1930 = , . . . . . T. 16.: , 201305.

Lii, herert 1968. Talupoegade koormised Eestis 13. sajandist 19. sajandi alguseni. Tllinn: Eesti R-mt.

Lurinen, Juus 1912. Inerilisten prsniist. Suomalaisen kansanrunousseminaarin julkai-

suja 2. helsini: Sumlisen kirjllisuuen Seur, 3791.Mansikka, V. J. 1922. Der Brief des Erzbischofs von Novgorod Makar an das Wotenfnel vom J.1534. Die Religion der Ostslaven, I. Quellen. FF Cmmunictins, N. 43. helsini, 226229.

Mtsumur, kzut 2001. Vtin: generl overview. Indigenous Minority Languages of Russia.URL: hp://www.tooyoo.l.u-tokyo.ac.jp/Russia/Votian/Votian1.html (accessed September 24,2006).

Mitrin 1994 = : . . . . :, 1994.

Miste, Julius 1959. Woten erzhlen: wotische Sprachproben. Sumlis-urilisen seurn timitu-si. Vl. 118. helsini: Sumlis-urilinen seur.

Nzrv, Eveni L. 2001. Te Cruses inst Vtins n Izrins in te Tirteent Cen-

tur. aln V. Murr (e.). Crusade and Conversion on the Baltic Frontier, 11501500. alerst[et al.]: Ashgate, 177195.

Nirvi, Ruen Eri 1971. Inkeroismurteiden sanakirja. Lexica Societatis Fenno-Ugricae. Vl. 18. hel-sini: Sumlis-urilinen seur.

ojnsuu, heii 1906. henri griel Prtnin vtjlisrrstuset. Virij 10: 1, 15.pi, Elin 1970. Vadjalastest ja isuritest XVIII sajandi lpul. Etnograalisi ja lingvistilisi materjale

Fjodor Tumanski Peterburi kubermangu kirjelduses. Tllinn: Vlus.Pulrju, Smuli 1919. Kuva tuolta, toinen tlt kaua Suur-Suomen. helsini: WSoy.Pravoslavnyi 2006 = 2006. URL: hp://days.pravoslavie.ru/ (accessed Sep-

temer 25, 2006).PSPR VII =

. Vol. 7. : , 1890.


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PSPR VIII = . Vol. 8. : , 1898.

Ryabinin 2001 = , . : 19711991 . -: .

Sevzv, Ver 2004. Russian Orthodoxy on the Eve of Revolution. ofr, New yr: ofr Uni-versit Press.

Siil, ann-Leen 2002.Mythic Images and Shamanism. A Perspective on Kalevala Poetry. FF Cm-munictins, N. 280. helsini: acemi Scientirum Fennic.

Trefurt, Frieric Lulf 1783. Vn en Tscuen. Versuche in der livlndischen Geschichtskundeund Rechtsgelehrsamkeit. hrs. Fr. k. geusc. I bn, 5. Stc, Ri: J. F. hrtnc, 128.

Trefurt, Frieric Lulf 1785. Frtesetzte Ncrict vn en Tscuen. Fr. k. geusc(hrs.). Versuche in der livlndischen Geschichtskunde und Rechtsgelehrsamkeit. II bn, 2. Stc.Ri: J. F. hrtnc, 89122.

Tsvetv, dimitri 1925. Vjlse. Eesti Keel. k. 5, nr. 12: 3944.Tsvetv, dimitri 1931. Vj eelenie. Eesti Keel. k. 10, nr. 2: 5766.Tsvetv, dimitri 19311932. Vj snni-, pulm- j mtusemei. Eesti Him. k. 4, nr. 34:

5259; . 5, nr. 12: 1821; nr. 3: 4648.Viier, Jri 2001. Te Vtes. Mrus kl, Ir Tnurist, Lemit V, Jri Viier. The RedBook of the Peoples of the Russian Empire. Tallinn: NGO Red Book, 356362. URL: hp://www.ei.ee/s/re/vtes.stml (ccesse Septemer 24, 2006).

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Zelenin 1991 = , . . :.

Zelenin 1994 = , . : , 19011913. : .

NoTES

1 als etnnm Vtes s een use in sclrl literture; cf. germn Woten, Russin ,, Finnis vatjalaiset, Estnin vadjalased, Vtin vaddalaiz2D, vadjakkoD. bsic fcts utVtins n teir lnue see, fr emple, Viier 2001; Mtsumur 2001; heins 2004.

2 Tis unique cllectin is use t te Estnin Fllre arcives f te Estnin LiterrMuseum. Prtl tets n ville fests were pulise in ariste 1969, wic is te seminl puli-ctin n tis penmenn in Vtin tritin.

3 here n elw Vtic vrints f te plce nmes re use in te tet; cntemprr Russinfrms f sme tpnms re e in rcets (t in Ltin lpet n Crillic). on Vtin

nmstics, see ariste 1967; mp f Vtin villes cf. Vstri 1999: 17.


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4 I am indebted to Tatiana Emova, initiator of the local museum, who shared informationut te revive ville fest in Luuts n ste te reserc tem f te Estnin LiterrMuseum in 20032004.

5 See, for example, Ojansuu 1906: 2; Tsvetkov 1925: 4144; Keunen 1930: 14; Konkova 1992:7176; Ernits 1996: 203; heins 1996: 342. on te prim f lss in fllre stuies see ant-tnen 2005: 4861.

6 Sttistics n te numer f Vtins n Vtic speers see, fr emple, vn kppen 1851:7073; 1867: 20; heins 2004: 10, Viier 2001.

7 discussin n tis tpic, see Ernits 1996: 193196; heins 1996: 338339.8 Mre infrmtin n tese surces, see Mnsi 1922: 226229; kirinen 1987; Siil 2002:

211212; Vstri 2007: 4473.9 Tis is te term use in Estnin literr lnue in 1920s t ente Russin ort.

In is riinl mnuscript in Vtic, Tsvetv use te term veni uzgo Russin fit (Tsvetv1931: 60).

10 Mterils f te Etnrpic bureu f Prince V. N. Tenisev, tere in 18961899, reuse in te arcive f te Russin Museum f Etnrp in St. Petersur.

11

a pris fest cmmemrte te f te sint r event in nr f wic teltr f te pris curc ws nme (usull crrespnin t te nme f te curc itself).If pris nl ne curc wit ne ltr, it wul celerte nl ne pris fest . /---/Tese fests, ec lstin tw r tree s, were celerte wit vespers n te eve n te di-vine Liturgy on the day of the feast and were oen beer aended than the standard major holys. (Sevzv 2004: 140)

12 accrin t Sevzv (2004: 145) prcessins re frm istricl perspective ne f temost elusive aspects since, like the construction of chapels, they were oen not recorded or regis-tere, even in pris recrs.

13 Te full title f te ort fest is te Presenttin f ur Lr n Sviur in te Temp-le. here n elw vernculr frms f te fest s in Vtic, tpe in pnetic trnscriptin f

Pul ariste, re use in te tet (see vrints in ariste 1969). In cse te Vtic term is erive i-rectly from Russian equivalent the term in Cyrillic is added in brackets aer the sign


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(hl Epipn. bptism f ur Lr n Sviur Jesus Crist) mrin te reveltinf Jesus Crist s te Messi n secn persn f te hl Trinit t te time f is ptism.

19 English equivalents of the feast are Pentecost and Trinity Sunday. Ocial title of the feastin Russin ort is d f te hl Trinit.

20 Ocial name of the feast in Russian Orthodoxy is tt cmmemrtes te reveltin f hl Virin in Cnstnti-nple in te mile f te 10t centur wen, ccrin t Cristin leen, se ve er swlt te elievers prin in te cterl.

21 It s t mentine tt cpel ws lcte net t te sprin n stne crsses f Prp-het Elah that evidently had impact on the cultic practices carried out there (see Ariste 2005: 28;cf. Alava 1901: 83; Mgiste 1959: 69). According to the recent eld recordings there was a chapelin Lempl ville t, ut tis fct ws nt cumente in erlier fllre cllectins.

22 The feast, ocially celebrated by the Russian Orthodox Church as the day of - Pius Mrtr anstsi frm Rme, ws wiel recnize inte rein s te fest securin te well-ein f seep (see ariste 1969: 127134 n elw).

23 In folklore collections no references can be found about village chapel in Krvula, but

well nwn ws te kupolo kaivo St. Jns well were certin prers n elin rituls werecrrie ut t St. Jns nit (see ariste 1969: 88).24 Ocial names of the feast in Orthodox calendar are u

hl Silverless Csms n dmin te assins. In tis w tese sints, nurefr teir sills t el peple witut tin n pment, were istinuise frm tw terpirs f sints erin te sme nme.

25 Vtin vernculr termjrti is derived from Old-Slavonic. The ocial title of the feast inort clenr is gret Mrtr gere te Victriuscmmemrtin te et f 3r centur slier f te Rmn Empire, lter Cristin mrtr.

26 Tis fests cmmemrtes te Cnsecrtin f te Curc f te hl grn Mrtrgere in kiev ( ) te Metrplite

Ilirin in te mile f te 11t centur.27 Te fest title Trnsprttin f

Relics f St. Nicls te Wnerwrer mrs te rrivl f te remins f St. Nicls t briin 1087 s result f te ctivities f Itlin mercnts.

28 Ocial title of the commemoration day is c Te df hl apstles Peter n Pul.

29 Tis fest is te mst celerte mn te l s eicte t arcnel Micel inEastern Orthodoxy, started in Laodicean Church in the 4th century. Ocial title of the feast in Or-t clenr is Cterlf Cmmner-in-Cief Micel n oter Incrprel hevenl Frces.

30 Prophet Elah was one of the prophets in Old Testament whose cult in Eastern Orthodoxy

is cnnecte wit tuner n litnin lts, ssimiltin tus in ppulr eliefs te trits f teerlier Slvic tuner Perun (see Elah the Thunderer).

31 Curc in Jper ws uilt cnsierl lte, in 18721874.32 Tis fest is t cmmemrte erl Cristin mrtrs Sts. Flrus n Lurus w were

venerte in Russin ort s prtectrs f rses.33 Tis tritin cese t eist in 1938 wen te lcl priest ws represse te Sviet u-

trities. Te cpel in Liivtl ws estre urin te Secn Wrl Wr in 1943; te cpelin Luuts ws mve frm its riinl plce in te 1950s n ws use since ten s wellinhouse (personal communication with Tatiana Emova, 11.08.2006).

34 In rcets rcive reference, ville, nme f te infrmnt n fllre cllectr, er swell s reference t te pulise mteril is iven if tis t is ville.

35 on te questin f () in Russin (Est-Slvic) fl tritin see, fr


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example, Zelenin 1991: 382385; 1994: 107110, 121; Lavrov 2000: 133148, the laer providing istrirpic surve n te tpic. Izrin vakkove (< vakka usel; Nirvi 1971: 633),documented extensively by Finnish folklorists in neighbouring coastal areas in the rst half ofte 20t centur (see hvi 1963: 6874, 8495), is pprentl bltic-Finnic nlue f ve-mentine Slvic festivit, srin t te sme time cmmn trits wit Estnin vaku(se)pidu-

tradition xed in the 16th century documents (cf. Ligi 1968: 4850, 7980).36 Cf. fr emple, tets tt escrie celertin f brainaD n M 5t r n sme ter in sprin ree te cmmunit (ariste 1969: 71, 106). Mjrit f te Vtin tets, w-ever, cncern celertin f brainaD on the day of Prophet Elah (li; 20.07/2.08), s tis wste cse wit Russin n Izrin vakkove traditions (the laer was partly celebratedn te f Sts. Peter n Pul,pedro, 29.06/12.07).

37 detile escriptins f te site see alv 1901: 8182; Lurinen 1912: 4750; Pulrju1919: 100101; hvi 1963: 127133. Tese Finnis resercers ve fun een interest in tecultic prctices crrie ut in Jrviitl n li n te cmple s een wiel interpretes te remins f pn snctur. on te ter n, te site n te prctices cntine evientort elements tt cn e interprete in te cntet f ppulr Cristinit (cf. Vstri 1998:

143144; 2007: 175177).38Kula (< ) mesure f rin (up t 150 ).39 accrin t te 18t centur surces tis in f wen crsses mre lcl snctu-

ries in mn Vtin villes (cf. PSPR VII: 511514; PSPR VIII: 137139, 170171; Trefurt 1783:1617). Te 20t centur fllre cllectins nt cntin n references n tis penmenn.

40 See ls rwin f te tree in hvi 1963: 135.41 In te riculturl wrin clenr tis fest psitine int te peri f sluterin

livestock for the winter season. According to some of the accounts people aending the celebra -tin ls rut ln feet n es f cws n pis.

42 Somewhat surprisingly I did not nd references to the activities on graveyards in con-nectin wit ville fests. Tis fcet f te celertins sul e stuie mre trul in

future.43 Tis prctice ws se n 18t centur escriptins (see ve) n ws intruce

the hostess of the museum Tatiana Emova.44 Vtins were nt rere s te representtives f utnmus etnicit (ntinlit) in

Sviet censuses since te 1930s. Up t recent times, n prtl even t present, Vtins were nare associated by the authorities with neighbouring Izhorians levelling thus linguistic dierencesn istinct etnic riin.

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