THE SYMBOL OF THE CROSS IN PRE-BURIAL RITUALS IN THE GALICIAN HUTSUL REGION (SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH – EARLY 20TH CENTURY)

Abstract

The aim of this article is to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the semantics, functions and specific features of the symbol of the cross in traditional beliefs concerning death and pre-funeral rituals among the Hutsuls of Galician Hutsulshchyna in the second half of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Particular attention is paid to determining the place of the cross within the system of folk beliefs, revealing its role in the sacralisation of space, and examining the interaction between Christian and pre-Christian worldview concepts preserved in Hutsul tradition. The methodological framework of the study is based on the principles of historicism, scientific objectivity, and systematic analysis. The research employs historical-comparative, historical-genetic, structural-functional, ethnological, and semiotic methods. The source base includes historical and ethnographic works from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, contemporary scholarly studies, archival materials, and the author’s own field research conducted in the Verkhovyna and Kosiv districts of the Ivano-Frankivsk region. Results. The study demonstrates that the symbol of the cross was present at all key stages of the pre-funeral ritual cycle. It has been established that, in the traditional culture of the Hutsuls, the cross performed not only religious but also apotropaic and communicative functions. The research traces the specific features of the use of the symbol of the cross during the preparation of the deceased for burial and in the sacralisation of the domestic space. It is shown that the cross functioned in close interaction with other protective elements of folk magic, including fire, tar, garlic and grain, forming an integrated system of ritual practices intended to ensure the soul’s transition to the afterlife and to protect the living from the possible harmful influence of demonic forces believed to become active with the arrival of death. Conclusions. The study concludes that in the pre-funeral rituals of Galician Hutsulshchyna during the second half of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, the cross retained its status as a universal sacred symbol, combining the Christian doctrine of salvation and resurrection with archaic folk beliefs concerning death, the soul and the afterlife. Its multifunctional nature ensured its exceptional endurance within traditional Hutsul culture, where the cross remained one of the most significant elements of pre-funeral ritual practice, fulfilling religious, protective, ideological and socio-cultural functions.