Food and related prohibitions in Chuvash funeral and memorial rites

Abstract

The study, based on literary, archival and folklore sources, as well as the author's field materials, examines food prohibitions and restrictions that were part of the customs and rituals of the funeral and memorial cycle of the Chuvash people living in the Volga-Ural region. These prohibitions and restrictions were conditioned by the human fear of death and the dead, the desire to placate the deceased and ensure his safe passage to the afterlife. Observance of these rules not only guaranteed the safety and well-being of people, but also ensured the patronage of the deceased as a representative of the world of ancestors. Food taboos regulated human domestic and ritual behaviour, imposed certain restrictions on the composition of food and drinks, the technology of preparation, the peculiarities of the meal, the number of dishes and participants in the ritual, as well as on the time and place of ritual actions. These prohibitions were present at all stages of the rite (pre-funeral, funeral, post-funeral) and constituted one of the components of the ethnos' socio-normative culture. Despite the fact that most of the prohibitions were based on superstition, they are still observed today. This testifies to the antiquity of their origin and their stability in time and space.