New manifestations and meanings of Orthodox Lity - preservation of identity and sacralization of space and time in the Belgrade’s (and broader Serbian) context
In the text, we primarily deal with the observation of the latest manifestations of the Orthodox lity procession ritual and ways of sacralising the space on the example of Belgrade. Accordingly, attention is also paid to the symbolism of different spatial landmarks, which is emphasized a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Institute of Ethnography, SASA, Belgrade
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Glasnik Etnografskog Instituta SANU |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0350-0861/2023/0350-08612302055T.pdf |
| Summary: | In the text, we primarily deal with the observation of the latest
manifestations of the Orthodox lity procession ritual and ways of
sacralising the space on the example of Belgrade. Accordingly, attention is
also paid to the symbolism of different spatial landmarks, which is
emphasized at the level of several semantic layers. Recent events have once
again actualized the importance of the Lity procession ritual - deeply
rooted in both folk tradition and religion - as well as its manifestations,
both in the Republic of Serbia and in the wider Serbian ethnic area. The
basic and most visible function of Lity is the consecration and marking of
space, but also of time, with special significance for a certain
ethnic-social context, community or place. However, Lity also have a
pronounced cohesive and identity function, as was particularly clearly
demonstrated in the example of the defense of holy sites, i.e. of basic
religious rights, precisely through Lity in Montenegro. Consequently, Lity
proved to be one of the most effective weapons against attempts to
deconstruct the Serbian identity. In accordance with the relevant
indicators, in our work, with a multidisciplinary approach, various
structural and semantic dimensions and possibilities of Lity are considered.
This primarily refers to the level of the Belgrade area, but in a more
general sense it is also directly related to field and other research on
related issues, which were carried out in a much wider area during the
previous decades. |
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| ISSN: | 0350-0861 2334-8259 |