Język sakralny wobec polskiego języka narodowego. Łacina

Author(s): Joanna Sobczykowa / Language(s): Polish Issue: 11/2023

Joanna Sobczykowa’s article deals with Latin as a sacred language in the Polish cultural area in history and today. Sobczykowa outlines the situation in other areas of culture, Semitic or Slavic. She examines the status and functions of liturgical Latin in history and today, by looking at opinions of speakers, theologians, linguists, and philosophers of religion. She also looks at documents in the form of Latin works by medieval Polish preachers and their concern for the understanding of the Latin liturgy by the people. Finally, she shows and stresses the difference between verbal and spiritual understanding present in meditation and that between the tendencies towards sacralization and desacralization.

De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine… Le specificità linguistiche delle giaculatorie e la loro presenza storica nel repertorio delle preghiere italiane

Author(s): Małgorzata Jabłońska / Language(s): Italian Issue: 11/2023

The aim of the paper is to demonstrate the formulas of the aspiration prayers from a historical, theological and linguistic perspective, in order to outline a complete picture of these religious texts. The discussed phenomenon, whose origins date back to the first centuries of Christianity, is widely represented in the Italian tradition, both in past centuries and today. The aspiration prayers from the prayer manuals of the 17th–19th centuries, as well as the texts of the prayers printed on sacred images, were subjected to a multidimensional analysis, focused on linguistic, functional and textual specificities. The research made it possible to contextualize the aspiration prayer in the frame of the model prayer text, first of all exposing its rich expressive values. The analysis of the linguistic material has proved a stability of the form of the aspiration prayer over the centuries. All the prayers analyzed have a strictly personal character, which results among other things from the strong expressiveness of the formulas, achieved with the adoption of terms usually associated with amorous confessions.

FUNERAL CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS IN THE TRADITIONAL ROMANIAN VILLAGE. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL LANDMARKS

Author(s): Viorica Pîrvan (Soavă) / Language(s): English Issue: 32/2023

In man's attempt to decipher the mystery of death he wanted to understand the meaning of life. Life and death are connected, if life is the beginning of the line, death is its end. But the line is the same, the beginning and the end are part of the same process. Death is and remains an incomprehensible, undeciphered phenomenon, a great mystery, a great secret that only leaves room for the imaginary. If we can understand man's attitude towards death, we understand his attitude towards life. For the traditional man, who is himself a religious man, death is not just an end, but a life within another life. Death is even represented as a path to true life. He prepares for the great journey from his lifetime and makes sure that he lives in a faith-based way to secure a good place for himself in the next world. Thus, death is not seen as final or meaningless, but on the contrary, it brings with it a rebirth to another level of existence. The three great thresholds in every man's life are birth, marriage and death. Of these three great thresholds, the last threshold is of special importance because it, more than the others, brings to light all the beliefs, feelings and thoughts of man.

Модни тенденции в съвременната българска антропонимия

Author(s): Gergana Petkova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/2023

THE HERO IN SEARCH OF MAGICAL OBJECTS. SOME MYTHICAL-SYMBOLIC ASPECTS IN THE FOLK FARE TALE PETREA VOINICUL AND ILEANA COSÂNȚANA, BY I. G. SBIERA

Author(s): Sergiu Crăciun / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 33/2023

In this article we will identify and develop some aspects regarding the magical objects, found in the fantastic folk fairy tale Petrea Voinicul and Ileana Cosânțana. The text is part of the volume Romanian Folk Stories and Poems, published in 1971, Bucharest. The volume includes both folk material from the props of the popular epic, prose and popular lyricism, collected by I. G. Sbiera, from the Bukovina area. In general, folk tales show us the journey of a hero, usually the positive character, on a mission, more or less complex. The supporting text, which we choose for a mythological and symbolic discussion, includes a series of elements that are the subject of our research.

CONFLUENCES AND INTERFERENCES OF CUSTOMS IN THE ROMANIAN-BULGARIAN BORDER AREA

Author(s): Nicoleta Diana Jilavu (Matei) / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 33/2023

Our approach includes, on the one hand, the meeting point of customs in the cross-border area of the Danube and, on the other hand, it aims at the common points and the differences that they imply. The cross-border region of the Danube in the Bulgarian region, the holidays over the year have certain corresponding elements in the existing customs and traditions and in the Romanian cross-border space. There are not so many written references about the folklore of this area, which is at the center of research in this area. They were reduced after the 40s of the 20th century, after the establishment of communism. "After a hiatus of several decades, only since the seventh decade have several anthologies of prose and popular Aromanian poetry been published," as Iulia Wisoşenschi states.

Overview of Dogs Training Programs in Correctional Institutions

Author(s): Hanna Mamzer / Language(s): English Issue: Sp. issue/2023

Positive opinions about impact that relations with animals have on participating humans were the main reason for introducing animal-based resocialization programs in correctional institutions. As a form of occupational therapy, they aim at increasing and improving social and psychological skills of imprisoned individuals. They aim at creating and increasing empathy, improving communication and its effectiveness, building sense of responsibility and patience. Participants of such programs underline the positive impact on their well-being and subjective sense of wellness. In this text, I present the short history of using relations with animals in improving psychological and social competencies of humans. I also discuss the positive effects that such programs have on the effectiveness of correctional institutions.

FEMALE DONATION AND REPRESENTATION IN SERBIAN MEDIEVAL VISUAL CULTURE: QUEEN AND EMPRESS JELENA (C. 1330 – 1376)

Author(s): Svetlana Smolčić Makuljević / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2023

Female donation and representation are an important part of Serbian medieval visual culture. This paper explores the donation and representation of queen and empress Jelena in Serbian visual culture. It points to the mechanisms of presence and visibility of Jelena in the life of medieval Serbia by way of her participation in political matters of the state, her participation in the creation of visual culture, donations she made as a female ruler along with her husband, her visual portraits in monumental fresco painting, as well as her erection of endowments during Emperor Dušan’s lifetime.

KRONIKË SHKENCORE E AKTIVITETEVE TË INSTITUTIT ALBANOLOGJIK PËR VITIN 2022- DEGA E FOLKLORIT DHE DEGA E ETNOLOGJISË

Author(s): Valon Shkodra / Language(s): Albanian Issue: 52/2022

Instituti Albanologjik i Prishtinës në kuadër të aktiviteteve vjetore të tij, për të trembëdhjetin vit me radhë organizoi konferencën shkencore “Java e Albanologjisë” që u mbajt nga data 5-10 qershor 2022. Në këtë konferencë morën pjesë studiues nga Kosova, Shqipëria dhe Maqedonia e Veriut.

KOLEKSIONI I FOTOGRAFIVE NË ARKIVIN E KOSOVËS SI BURIM PËR KËRKIME ETNOGRAFIKE

Author(s): Valon Shkodra / Language(s): Albanian Issue: 1-2/2022

Historical scholarship, as well as other sciences concerned with illuminating the human past, usually devotes its attention to written sources and neglects other types of sources, such as narratives or memoirs, oral, photographic, etc., wrongly considering them to carry less data and thus to be less valuable for study. However, photographs, either as material within an archival fund or as part of a special collection of photographs held by private owners or collectors or in archives, represent important documentary assets for identifying and illuminating the cultural heritage of a community or country, and as such are a valuable source for research in the field of history in general and ethnography in particular. The Archive of Kosovo has a rich collection of photographs of personalities, events, monuments and various objects, neighbourhoods, bazaars, houses, streets, crafts and artisans of the time, which provide us with important data for research and studies in the field of cultural heritage in general. Considering this fact, in our article we will treat and consider those photographs from the collection of Kosovo Archive that provide us with information and help us in further research in the above mentioned areas.

RITUAL ROADWAYS AND PLACES OF POWER IN THE CHACO WORLD (ca. AD 850–1150)

Author(s): Robert S. Weiner / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

This paper considers the topic of sacred spaces in North America through the vantage offered by Chacoan roads, monumental avenues constructed by Ancestral Four Corners people of the US Southwest from ca. AD 850–1200. I begin with a critique of the concept of the “sacred” as applied to the Chacoan past, suggesting instead that the Indigenous North American concept of power (in the sense of potent, generative force infused throughout the environment) offers a more culturally relevant framing. Next, I present three examples of locations along Chacoan roads that I argue were recognized as places of power due to the inherent landscape affordances of these locales. I close by briefly describing some of the practices carried out along Chacoan roads and drawing a connection between the understanding of “sacredness” evidenced through the archaeology of Chacoan roads and contemporary Native American activist efforts to protect landscapes of great power and meaning.

CZECH SACRED PLACES IN TEXAS AS THE KEY ELEMENT FOR PRESERVING CZECH IDENTITY

Author(s): Lukáš Perutka / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

The process of Czech and Moravian immigration to Texas is a well-known phenomenon. Since 1848, tens of thousands decided to cross the ocean to seek a better future in the “Lone Star state.“ Although their history is well documented, there are still themes to be explored. Their religious activity and the connection it has created with their metropolis is one of them. The church and its institutions sent priests to America to attend to the immigrants in their mother tongue and helped them preserve their cultural identity. Furthermore, they organized the construction of their sacred places that would remind the parishioners of their home country. One example could be the famous painted churches still present in Texas today. This topic has not received proper attention from historians because it requires studying sources on both sides of the Atlantic. The presented contribution tries to change this unflattering fact using the microhistorical approach. Its aim is threefold. First, explain the historical dimension of the religious connection between the Czech and Moravian immigrants in Texas with their metropolis. Second, describe the sacred places of the immigrants, how they were built, what role they played in their everyday life, and how they established a bond with their country of origin. Third, what importance did the sacred places of the Czechs and Moravians have in preserving their language and cultural identity? The microhistorical approach demands the use of various and fragmented sources, and this study will be no exception. It will use archive material from Austria and the Czech Republic, principally the funds of the religious organizations that supported the immigrants in Texas, such as the Leopoldine Society. Furthermore, the article will use published contemporary personal recounts and secondary literature. The content of these sources will be critically analysed to answer the research questions and hopefully contribute to the theme of religion and its invaluable role in an immigrant society.

MAKING INDIGENOUS RELIGION AT THE SAN FRANCISCO PEAKS: Navajo Discourses and Strategies of Familiarization

Author(s): Seth Schermerhorn / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

Navajo claims pertaining to the sacredness of the San Francisco Peaks (as well as those of other Native American tribes), while no doubt profoundly sincere, are necessarily and strategically positioned in relation to the contemporary legal struggles within which they have arisen. However, I cannot stress too heavily that this should not suggest that their claims are spurious, invented, or in other words “inauthentic.” Greg Johnson asserts that “frequently, the specter against which authenticity is measured is what critics might call ‘postured tradition,’ a shorthand means of suggesting that tradition expressed in political contexts is ‘merely political’” (2007: 3). To be sure, the discourses that posit the sacredness of the Peaks are fundamentally and simultaneously both religious and political; yet this does not necessarily mean that traditional religious claims made in contemporary political contexts are motivated by purely political considerations. Although these claims are necessarily formulated to persuade others of the incontestable ‘authenticity’ of their claims, I suggest that the degree to which this incontestability is achieved is directly related to an accumulation and accretion of discourse resulting from nearly four decades of continuing conflict at the Peaks.For the purposes of this article, I have primarily limited my inquiry to the claims of only one of five tribes engaged in the litigation concerning the San Francisco Peaks between 2005 and 2009: the Navajos. Moreover, they are only one of at least thirteen Native American tribes to describe the Peaks as sacred. My limited focus is not intended to suggest that the claims of these other tribes are less important, or especially less ‘authentic.’ Rather, the only compelling reason that I do not provide a full analysis of every tribe’s claims regarding the sacredness of the Peaks is the limitation of space in this project.

INDIGENOUS BURIAL SPACES IN MEDIA: Views of Mi’gmaq Cemeteries as Sites of Horror and the Sacred

Author(s): Jennifer Stern / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

The term “ancient Indian burial ground” holds bifurcated meaning for Indigenous and mainstream populations. What one group may respect as sacred ground where their ancestors rest, another sees the mystical –and frequently evil– site of forces beyond their knowledge influenced by an ethnic Other. This paper explores this dual labeling of North American Indigenous burial sites through media by looking at representations of Mi’gmaq burial gravesites. In director Jeff Barnaby’s 2013 Rhymes for Young Ghouls, main character Aila (Devery Jacobs) confronts two burial sites that turn the mainstream stereotype on its head: that of her mother which situates Indigenous burials in a contemporary context and that of a mass grave of children at her residential school which places malintent on settler colonial practices. The film highlights Indigenous ways of coping with these practices including violence, substance abuse, and art. Dissimilarly, Pet Sematary’s (1989) plot involves no Mi’gmaq representation but follows non-Indigenous Louis (Dale Midkiff) as he interacts with a stereotypical Indian burial ground imbued with evil, unknown magic that leads to the inevitable downfall of his entire family. Both films interestingly include zombies, and they portray Indigenous burial spaces similarly as shot from above and filled with fog. However, their conclusive statements placing the blame behind the horror are vastly different.

Tożsamość zawieszona, czyli językowe formy poszukiwania i wyrażania tożsamości narodowej na przykładzie języka włoskiego

Author(s): Katarzyna Kwapisz-Osadnik / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2023

Katarzyna Kwapisz-Osadnik’s article is a reflection on Italian identity in the context of united Italy and the standardization of the Italian language. The purpose of the analysis of the linguistic exponents of expressing the subject of an utterance as a part of the research on subjectivity and the linguistic image of the world is to reveal the very essence of contemporary Italian national identity. The research corpus consists of both Internet portals, where users spontaneously express themselves and shift between their Italian and local selves (i.e., between I Italian and I Piedmontese), and online press texts addressed to all Italians and aiming to verify the Italian identity. The analysis shows that Italian identity remains suspended in favor of local identities immersed in the distinct regional histories and cultures and in the various languages.

ИЗВЕСТНО И НЕИЗВЕСТНО ЗА АЛЕКСИ АТАНАСИУ ЗОГРАФ

Author(s): Teodor Peev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 22/2023

There is not much information about Aleksy Athanasius’s life and his works. All that we know by now is that he is from Naousa (Greece) and that he was both working on murals and icons. Some of his works are dated and bare his signature. From the time of 1845–1850 Aleksy Athanasius has lived in the village Gorni Voden (today’s district of Assenovgrad). In 1857 Aleksy Athanasius moves along with his family in Assenovgrad. A big part of his creative period is related to parts of the city that he had lived in and the villages of the Rhodope Mountains. Aleksy Athanasius is one well educated painter, who has mastered the techniques of painting of his time. His works are rich in color and his iconographic schemas can be recognized from their good composition and excellent knowledge of biblical and gospel topic.

ОБРАЗ И СИМВОЛ. ПРАВОСЛАВНИ МОТИВИ В ИЗКУСТВОТО НА БЪЛГАРСКИЯ СИМВОЛИЗЪМ ОТ 20-ТЕ ГОДИНИ НА ХХ В.

Author(s): Daniela Petrova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 22/2023

The publication examines the meaning behind the paintings of the Bulgarian symbolist artists from the 1920s, in the context of the Native Art movement. With the advent of Symbolism in the Bulgarian art scene, religious images, which are part of the overall conceptual apparatus of European Symbolism, began to appear more and more often in the works of various artists. Thus, along with the modernized “academic” appearance of the new Bulgarian church art, the images of Christianity enter the modern Bulgarian art, mostly through the symbolist narrative. After the end of the First World War, passed through the tragedy and horror of national catastrophes, the Bulgarian artist turned his attention to the religious image in a deeper way, finding in it both spiritual trust and search for a higher meaning, than everyday life, as well as a foundation of his national identity, of his ancestral memory and essence, inextricably linked to the Orthodox faith. In the decade of the 1920s, the complex way in which secessionist aesthetics and Symbolism merge is particularly clear. Not only in Bulgaria, but also in other countries where the Secession develops, it cultivates and educates a special sensitivity to the spiritual and the legendary. Whether in the religious narrative, or in the ascetic images of the monks, the paintings inspired by the Orthodox faith in the Bulgarian art from the 1920s are most often are recreated by the language of Symbolism. Like the old masters, Bulgarian artists realize that in the philosophical depths of the themes of spirituality and faith, the easiest way to embody specific ideas is through the symbol.

ЖИВОПИСНИ ПРОИЗВЕДЕНИЯ ОТ ФОНДА НА НАЦИОНАЛНИЯ ЕТНОГРАФСКИ МУЗЕЙ – СОФИЯ. ЗА ЕДНА МАЛКО ИЗВЕСТНА КОЛЕКЦИЯ

Author(s): Ilia Borisov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 22/2023

In 1906, the National Ethnographic Museum was established. Historically, the national museums that existed until September 9, 1944 – archaeological and ethnographic – were transferred to the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Thus, from the end of 1948, the Archaeological Institute with a museum and the Ethnographic Institute with a museum were established at the BAS. Since then, the Ethnographic Museum has shared a building with the National Art Gallery, which is part of the former royal palace. Popular and well-known names from the artistic life of the country are represented in his painting collection. At the present time, it is difficult to recreate the initial selection of the collection, as well as to trace the movement of specific works, due to the institutional hiatus created as a result of transfer between galleries.

ОТЗИВ ЗА КНИГАТА НА ПРОФ. АНАТОЛ АНЧЕВ „МОЯТА НАУЧНА БИОГРАФИЯ. (По случай 70-годишнината ми)“ София: Издателска къща „Тип-топ прес“, 2022, ISBN 978-954-723-264-8, 160 стр.

Author(s): Rossen Malchev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 22/2023

The text presents the newly published book by Prof. Anatol Anchev (2022) – content, composition, style, author’s self-assessments.