CELEBRATION IN THE VISION OF BRONISLAW MALINOWSKI
CELEBRATION IN THE VISION OF BRONISLAW MALINOWSKI

Summary/Abstract: The functionalism is the first modern anthropological current based on the research of a real facts through the objectively participation. One of the researcher who belongs to the functionalism is the polish anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski. In his vision, the celebration has a symbolistic side and it represents the central spiritual part in a society. The celebration does not lose the symbolistic side even outside the primitive society, so it is becoming an entity with influencing of the role and it is maintaining a social and moral equilibrium. Celebrations are connecting with the period before them. However, the contemporary society has changed so much, but Malinowski's research about the primitive society still have a thing in common with ours: the celebrations are seen as spiritual way in a society. The symbolics of the celebration has remained in the same time sacred and profane. Celebrations marks a pass from the past to the future through the present. Also, celebrations are an important sacred or profane events. Bronislaw Malinowski presents the celebrations as initiations where their last forms are consisting in its consumption. Regardless that we study celebrations from a traditional or laic way, they always have a symbolistic. Celebrations are representing a structure of myths and rites, who have the role to produce a change in the society from time to time, as Malinowski described them as seasonal. A celebration can't have a symbolistic part if it doesn't have enough reasons to be produced. The symbolistic elements are passed from generation to generation where it is creating an reform to its meaning. The world is changing, but the cultural elements remain.

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