THE SUBJECT OF RITUAL ACTION IN THE CHRISTMAS CAROLS “TEXTS OF THE PATH”

Abstract

Considerable attention to the study of specific Ukrainian folk oral literature, observed recently led to the need for linguistic exploration of calendar ritual songs, because they most clearly record the echoes of the past and at the same time fix the peculiar changes caused by modern civilization processes. In this connection, the linguistic analysis of the archaic texts of folk literature, in particular the carolytic “texts of the path”, is of great relevance. These songs are directly related to the ritual of caroling and in poetic form reflect the key stages of the ritual action.

The image of the carol singers as subjects of ritual action is of particular importance in the texts studied. A comprehensive analysis of the nominations for the designation of the performers of the ritual can reveal a strong mutual relationship between the semiosphere of the calendar holiday, the structure of the ritual and the poetics of the calendar ritual song, to trace the deep archaic meanings of caroling as an important visitatorial ritual.

The article deals with the names on the designation of the image of the carol singers, their attributes and ceremonial intentions. The semantics, functional orientation, ritual and mythopoetic origins of fixed lexemes and lexical combinations are investigated. It is determined that the analyzed nominations express a purely positive evaluation of the subjects of the ritual action and indicate their sacred status.

The dynamics of folk notions about the ritual functionality of the groups of carol singers is traced: from the staging of the arrival of ancestors to the embodiment of the image of the servants of God, who spread the good news of the birth of the Son of God. This is due to the contamination of pagan and Christian religious beliefs.

The analysis involves material from ethnographic sources, because the specific features of the New Year ritual are reflected in the poetic structure of the analyzed works, affecting the semantics of key images.

At the end of the article the results of the conducted research were summed up, prospects of further exploration in this direction were determined.