TRADITIONAL FUNERAL RITUALITIES OF THE OLD BELIEVERS OF NORTHWESTERN BELARUS (BASED ON FIELD RESEARCH IN THE EARLY 21ST CENTURY)

This article examines the traditional funeral rites of the Old Believers of northwestern Belarus. This work draws on materials from modern folklore and ethnographic research conducted among Old Believers in the region. Earlier materials and archival sources were also used. The article identifies the traditional structure of the funeral rite, characterizes its main stages and ritual actions, and traces the evolution of the funeral rite during the second half of the 20th and early 21st centuries. We conclude that even today, this aspect of Old Believer folk culture retains many archaic features. As revealed by the analysis of the materials, the funeral rite was significantly influenced by the religious prescriptions and norms of the Old Believers, which determined its structure and influenced the complex of beliefs and ritual actions. This characteristic persists into the modern period. The analysis of the materials also revealed that the structure of the Old Believers' funeral rite clearly reflects distinctively Russian ethnic traditions.