E-mail: anarovskaya@gmail.com
Tel.: + 375 29 620-99-14
1, bld. 2, Surganova str., Minsk, 220072, Republic of Belarus
DSc in History, Associate Professor, Doctoral Researcher, K. Krapiva Institute of Art History, Ethnography and Folklore, Center for Belarusian Culture, Language and Literature Studies, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
This article explores the semiotic space of the red (or sacred) corner in traditional Belarusian dwellings. The study of the semiotics of the red corner allows us to uncover the deep meanings that underlie the Belarusian worldview and lifestyle. The article investigates the inclusion of objects placed on the table, the “kutny” (corner) windows, and benches, into the symbolic space of the red corner and their transformation into symbols and transmitters of family cultural values. The article presents the author’s field materials collected in villages in Belarus that she used to create a Christmas interior (“kalyadnaga”) of a traditional dwelling in an open-air museum. Her reconstruction of the red corner was based on ethnographic principles. The objects for the museum are accompanied by information from informants regarding the Belarusian Christmas interior. This allows for an exposition not based primarily upon objects, but on ritual scenarios. The symbolism of the objects is revealed through their functional and spatial connection with the ritual of “kalyadavanne” (Christmas caroling). During guided tours, attention is drawn to the fact that ordinary objects (the table, rushnyky [embroidered towels], pussy willow, bread) have one meaning outside the ritual, but within it become carriers of the object’s sacred meaning
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