«Смерть ближе, чем ворот рубахи» (этнография смерти болгар Республики Молдова
“Death is Closer than the Collar of the Shirt” (ethnography of death among the Bulgarians in the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine). Belief and rituals associated with the coming of death and preparation for funerals

Summary/Abstract: The author offers a synthesis of field materials collected in different years, covering popular views about the death in Bulgarian communities of Moldova and Ukraine. A detailed description of practices is provided, related to preparation of the dead and for the funeral, and rites associated with passage to the other world, registered in Bulgarian villages. Bulgarian funerary rituals, design and specific features of traditional monuments are described. The analysis suggests stability of popular views about influences of the infernal world on the living.

• Details
• Contents