Артыкул

2018 - Leshkevich, A. Shrovetide Female Mysteries in Belarus: Erotic That Is Not About Sex

One of the main symbolical functions of female mysteries is to promote fertility of cultivated plants, domestic animals and humans. Women act as the carriers of fertility and sacred knowledge.

Shrovetide in Belarusian traditional calendar takes place between winter and spring calendar cycles. Female Shrovetide mysteries were celebrated in the northern, western and central Belarus. Only married women could participate. Men and unmarried women were not allowed. A detailed description of such a mystery in Western Belarus (Talyushany village, Astraviec District) left Stefan Kozlowski. He described the rite he saw as a young boy in 1947, and drew the characters. The mystery involved 3 disguised, 2 of them with clear male attributes. They probably represented seasons and their actions symbolically promoted good harvest. Men were forbidden not only to participate, but even to observe: in the case of spying women could hurt. Stefan wasn’t considered as a real man yet due to his young age.

Shrovetide female mystery in Haradok District (Nothern Belarus) is preserved in living tradition. It’s a game, “Grandfather’s funeral”. Grandfather is a man-sized doll, which is jokingly buried on Shrovetide Monday. Mourning, women tell stories from Grandfather’s life. A significant part of the stories is devoted to his erotic adventures. Women tell, that Grandfather has a good potency even being dead (penis of the dolls is made of a carrot and moves being leaded by a rope tied to it).

Funeral games can be found in various Indo-European traditions. They are usually connected to rites of passage. Through the death played revival (a new state or period, the aim of passage) is approached.