https//orcid.org/0000-0001-9047-6608
E-mail: ogiik@mail.ru
Tel.: +7 (4862) 41-61-91
15, Leskov str., Orel, 302020, Russian Federation
PhD in Philology, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Cultural Heritage, Orel State Institute of Culture
Valentina N. Chernogorova
E-mail: oo_orel_ocnt@orel-region.ru
Tel.: +7 (4862) 54-26-66
29, Sovetskaya str., Orel, 302002, Russian Federation
National Master of the Orel Region, Leading Methodologist for Ethnocultural Heritage, Orel Regional Center of Folk Art
Traditional games with colored eggs have been an integral part of Russian Easter customs. Competitive games occupy a special place among them. Contests in which one person tries to break another’s egg by hitting it with their own (igra “v bitki”) are ubiquitous in Russia to this day. The Orel Regional Center for Folk Art has collected expedition materials that allow us to study this game in detail and determine its territorial specifics. There were many variations of “egg rolling.” One well-preserved local version of this game was recently recorded in the Livensky District of the Oryol Region. This version of the game was probably played in a wide area, as a similar version of “egg rolling” has been partially preserved in the neighboring Lipetsk region. This ancient game was actively played until the 1980s. Since then it has only been played sporadically, but it retains authentic ritual features: the requirements for players, equipment, rules, and game etiquette. This lends study of this local version of the game special scholarly interest. Also of interest is the game’s connection with traditions of the men’s community
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