The Eastern Slavic Rite of "Kolodka": Context, Variants, Geography

The paper is devoted to the East Slavic version of the rite "kolodka". I examined its structure, variability, and the relationship of different elements of the rite. The previously poorly lit song tradition (songs accompanying the “kolodka”) was considered in the context of the rite itself and in the context of the Russian non-ritual song. Then, the time of the ceremony is considered - it can refer to different days of the Carnival, the first day of Great Lent and Christmas time - and its connection with wedding rituals: the “kolodka” as a matchmaking and as part of wedding roistering. The paper summarizes the available and provides new data on the geography of the rite in connection with the migration from the territory of Ukraine, Belarus, and the western regions of Russia to the eastern regions of Russia. Thus, the work contains a comprehensive analysis of the “kolodka” in the East Slavic tradition.