Функциите на хляба в обреда
The Functions of Bread in Rites

Summary/Abstract: The basic function of bread in rites is the communicative one. Its aesthetic function is inseparable from the latter. And the symbol expressed by means of this bread determines its aesthetic function. While the communicative function is a manner of action and the aesthetic one an indispensable form of this manner, the symbol presents the indispensable contents that determines correspondingly the aesthetic form of the communicative function. Ritual bread is one of the media of the communicative process in the rite. it is a material expression of kindred and social relationships. By means of it a ritual relation between sexes, between generations or social groups is established. The major purpose of the communicative process here is the affiliation of the individual with his or her kin, or with a definite social group. Communication is an indispensable condition for the implementation of the semantics of bread as an object of sacrifice, as a preservative or magic means, a remedy, an object of exchange, etc. Thus, by way of one and the same channel for transmitting information – communication between individuals – both the social organizing function of bread and its remaining meanings are realized.

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