UDC 391

The article is devoted to the customs of mummery, which are still common among the Germans living in Siberia. These customs have been preserved since the Germans moved to Russia. Their features are the preservation of archaic features and the multiplicity of local variants. Mummery customs are timed to coincide with winter calendar holidays, in particular, Christmas. The main Christmas characters are Kriskinde and Pelznickel, who represent good and evil forces, respectively. The article offers a version of the origin of these characters and examines their functions. The development of the ritualism of Russian Germans was significantly different from the development of ritualism in Germany, especially in the XX century. The article analyzes the reasons for the long-term preservation of mummery customs among the Germans of Siberia, their evolution and current state, and describes local variants of mummery. The article is based on the materials of ethnographic expeditions that were conducted in the Altai Territory, Novosibirsk and Omsk regions.

Key words: calendar holidays, Germans of Siberia, ritualism, mummery customs.

Introduction

Mummery customs are common among many peoples. Their historical roots lie in ancient beliefs. The analysis of customs associated with mummers among the Germans of Siberia allows, on the one hand, to consider the processes of evolution of the ritual itself, and on the other, to characterize the patterns and features of the reproduction of ritual elements in isolated groups living outside the historical homeland.

Russian Germans, who have been living in Siberia for a long time, are carriers of a unique ritual culture. It emerged in the course of complex processes of forming this ethnic community. The mass migration of German peasants to the territory of the Russian Empire dates back to the end of the XVIII - middle of the XIX century; at that time, many German colonies were founded in the north-western provinces, the Volga region, the Black Sea region, and Volhynia. The German colonies ' relations with Germany were irregular and mostly limited to the religious sphere. They gradually weakened more and more, and by the middle of the twentieth century they were interrupted. Therefore, the existence of the ritual culture of the Russian Germans was determined first by partial, and then by complete isolation from the ritual culture of Germany.

In Germany, the development of ritualism obeyed the logic and process of forming a national state: unification of rituals took place, local differences were erased, folk holidays acquired an "organized" form and became part of professional culture. Here, the holidays were designed to unite the nation. In the Diaspora, their function is to emphasize the distinctive characteristics of an ethnic community.

All the customs and rituals common among the Germans of Siberia are known to researchers of German culture. Otto Lauffer [Lauffer, 1934], Dietmar Sauermann [Sauermann, 1996], Alois Doring [Doring, 2002], and others have written about mummery customs in their time. In Russian historiography, we should mention the work of T. D. Filimonova, published in the collective monograph " Calendar customs and rituals in the countries of foreign Europe: XIX-XX centuries. Winter holidays "[1973].

All researchers agree that the archaic elements of German holidays, common before

in the end of the nineteenth century, in Germany they were later completely lost. Echoes of ancient traditions can be seen in modern carnivals and festivals, but they have little in common with German folk culture. This is reported, for example, by Yu. V. Ivanova-Buchatskaya, who conducted field research in modern Germany. In her opinion, in many cases "we are dealing with information about artificially restored traditions that once naturally died out" [2006, p. 128].

In the conditions of diasporal existence, the development of the ritual of the Germans took place differently. Materials on German ritual practices have been collected since 1989 during expeditions to the southern regions of Western Siberia, where Germans live in compact groups. It is necessary to point out the rather complex composition of the German population of Siberia. First of all, they are descendants of German immigrants who took part in the colonization of the region in the late XIX-early XX centuries. Representatives of German colonies went to Siberia from the Volga region (mainly from the Saratov and Samara provinces), from the south of Russia (from the Ekaterinoslav, Tauride, Kherson provinces and the Crimea), Volyn (from the Mogilev and Zhytomyr provinces). The immigrants differed from each other both by origin - they represented different lands of Germany and, accordingly, spoke different dialects, and by religion. The Volhynian Germans were Lutherans, the Volga Germans were mostly Lutherans and Catholics, Mennonites and Baptists predominated among the natives of the southern provinces.

In Siberia, the bulk of Germans settled in Omsk and Slavgorod counties. Initially, the newcomers lived in small and medium-sized settlements. The 1926 census recorded 872 German settlements in Western Siberia, including 609 in the Omsk region and 223 in the Altai region. During the period of collectivization and consolidation of collective farms, German farms were liquidated, and Germans belonging by origin to different groups were resettled in large settlements. During the deportations of the 1940s, about 400,000 people were placed in Siberian villages. Germans from the Volga region and other regions of the European part of the Soviet Union.

As a result of a long and complex resettlement process, by the end of the 1950s, more than half a million Germans had settled in Siberia, mainly in the Omsk Region and Altai Krai (mainly in rural areas). Despite the confusion, the region has areas with a predominance of certain groups of the German population. Thus, the Volsh Germans lived compactly in the Lyubinsky, Gorkovsky, and Tarsky districts of the Omsk Region, the Volga Germans - in the southern districts of the Omsk Region and in separate villages in the Altai, and the Mennonites-in compact groups in the Altai Territory and along the railway from Isilkul to Tatarsk.

Materials about the customs of mummery recorded among these groups are of great interest, since, firstly, there is practically no mention of the existence of these customs among Russian Germans in the literature; secondly, in recent years, the traditional ritual of Germans has undergone a significant transformation under the influence of their mass emigration to Germany. The main body of information refers to the 1950s-1980s - the time of fairly stable functioning of the ritual sphere. Emigration changed the ethnic composition of settlements, the way of life of the German population, and ritual practices.

Mummery customs among the Germans of Siberia exist in both calendar and family rituals. Their general characteristics are given in a number of works (Rublevskaya and Smirnova, 1998; Rublevskaya, 2000). In family rituals, these are mainly customs associated with the celebration of the so-called second wedding (zweite Hochzeit). In the calendar rites recorded cases of mummery on Shrovetide, Easter, Trinity, the feast of slaughtering cattle. But mostly these customs are centered around two holidays of the winter cycle-Christmas and New Year.

Christmas

Germans celebrate Christmas on December 25, giving gifts to all family members, but paying special attention to children. Parents prepare gifts in advance, but they do not give them themselves, but through intermediaries. The main character who brings gifts to children, the Germans of Siberia is Kriskind (Christkind). It is believed that in Germany Kriskind (lit. Christ the Child) as a character who gives gifts to children, he appeared with the spread of Protestantism. Before that, gifts were brought to children by St. Nicholas, whose day was celebrated on December 6. The rejection of the cult of Catholic saints during the Reformation led to the transfer of the function of St. Nicholas as a donor to Kriskind.

According to sources, in 19th-century Germany, gifts for Christmas "were brought by Christ the Child accompanied by various masks. In some places, the role of the Christ-child was played by a girl or a young woman. In the Rhineland, in some places, on Christmas eve, two girls appeared, dressed in white robes decorated with ribbons and beads, one representing Christ the Child, the other his servant. They went to the houses where there are children, and gave gifts. With the spread of the Christmas tree, especially in cities, gifts began to be placed under the tree" [Filimonova, 1973, p. 148].

Among the Germans of Siberia, it is still customary for Kriskind to give gifts. This role can be played by girls and boys. The character must be dressed in white clothing, his face, as a rule, is hidden behind the screen.-

covered. Descriptions of Kriskind in various villages were given as follows: Kriskind goes from house to house, adults give him gifts, which he gives to children. Kriskind always had a few girls accompanying him, all dressed like him in white dresses. Kriskind comes in the evening, i.e. Christ himself comes to the children. He is dressed in a dress, a wreath, a veil, hides his face under tulle, distributes bags to children with his name written on them. Kriskind walks with a staff (D. Schumanovka of the German National District of the Altai Territory); Kriskinde dressed in white clothes, covered her face with tulle and carried gifts (S. Funny of the Tabunsky district of the Altai Territory); Kriskinden - a woman or a boy in white, with a bell that he rang under the window before entering to the house (Boronsk village, Suetsky district, Altai Krai). A woman dressed in a Kriskind, put a bag on her head, and held a branch in her hands (in the village of Orlov, the German National District of the Altai Territory). Her face was covered with a white cloth so that no one would recognize her. She gave the children presents. Kriskinde had assistants-they were also dressed in white, but their faces were exposed. Usually dressed up young, 16-18-year-olds (village Kusak of the German National district of the Altai Territory); Kriskinde was dressed in white, she was carrying a basket, where she put gifts that her parents gave her. Two other people went with her - they were assistants. They were also mummers. Adults usually dressed up-everyone who wanted to (Tsvetnopolye village, Chistoozern district, Novosibirsk region); Kriskinde was all in white, her face covered with a white cloth. She had a thin twig in her hands (Varvarovka village, Chistoozern district, Novosibirsk Region); Kriskinde had a white sheet or blanket over her face, and a basket or gift bag in her hands (Kamyshy village, German National District, Altai Territory). Parents give mummers gifts to give to their children. His parents take them out, and Kriskind hides them under his clothes. She is dressed in white: she is wrapped in a sheet, everything is white on her head, and her face is covered with white gauze. The face is painted - mouth and cheeks are red. The role of Kriskind was played by any girl 15-16 years old, sometimes even a woman (the village of Krasnoarmeyka in the German National District of the Altai Territory). Kriskind was wearing a white dress and a shiny crown on her head (village of Kvasovka, Lyubinsky district, Omsk region). Kriskind could be either a girl or a young man dressed in women's clothing and wrapped in a woman's headscarf (Matyushino village, Lyubinsky district, Omsk region).); as a rule, this is a girl in a white dress. And something should be on your head - a wreath or, for example, a crown (the village of Rosa-the Valley of the Azov German National district of the Omsk region); Kriskinde is, as a rule, a girl of 11-15 years old, dressed in a white holiday dress, she is an assistant to Santa Claus (the village of Mikhaylovka of the Suetsky district).in the Altai Territory). Kriskind was always a girl in a white dress, she went to every house and distributed sweets (village of Vlyaden Blagoveshchensk district of the Altai Territory).

Thus, there are local variants of mummery in Kriskind. When describing Kriskind, informants use both masculine and feminine words, since the character's name is masculine and the dress is feminine. For most people, this is still a female being. Many facts suggest that the image of Kriskind was collective. The immediate prototypes were most likely Catholic saints, whose days fall on calendar dates close to Christmas. This is St. John the Baptist. Catherine, whose day Catholics celebrate on November 25, and St. Lucia, her day-on December 13. Saint Catherine, according to a popular proverb, "comes in a white dress" -since that time, snow often fell and the establishment of winter was considered complete [Grozdova, 1973, p. 71]. Lucia is a young girl in white clothes with a red belt and a crown made of branches with candles (Morozova, 1973, p. 104). In the past, in Germany, on the evening before St. Lucia's Day, girls dressed in white dresses, with the bride's crown on their head (Lucienbraute), in which the "candles of life" were fixed, went from house to house. In some places, Lucia appeared as a bride on a white Christmas donkey with rods in her hand (Filimonova, 1973, p. 145). Such contamination suggests that Katerina and Lucia could serve as prototypes of Kriskind among the Germans of Siberia. His role is played, as a rule, by girls, girls and young women.

The archetypes of St. John the Baptist. Katherine and Lucia may also have been pre-Christian deities and fairies represented in Germanic and Scandinavian folklore. In particular, St. Lucia probably took the place of the pre-Christian spirit, which brings light( Lichtbringerin), happiness and blessing to the beginning of the New Year [Ibid.].

The ancient origin of the image of Kriskind is indicated by dressing exclusively in white, with a thick veil on the face (currently tulle, stockings or gauze), in some places - the tradition of maintaining complete silence. In some villages, all conversations with children and parents during the donation were conducted by other mummers, and Kriskind always stood and was silent, and then silently gave gifts to children (village of Tsvetnopolye, Azov German National District, Omsk region); she always stood, and at the end silently put a basket with gifts on the table (d. Red Army of the German National District of the Altai Territory).

We can say that Kriskind is a syncretic character who served as an image of the ancient spirits of light, snow, and winter, embodied in the images of Catholic saints-Catherine and Lucia,

as well as St. Nicholas, who gave gifts to children. The most recent was the image of the Christ child, which gave this character a name.

It should be noted that in the past, the cult of St. St. Nicholas and the custom of giving gifts on the day of this saint was preserved among the Catholics of Germany, and Kriskind as a Christmas character was characteristic only for the lands where Lutheranism was widespread. In Siberia, Catholic Germans, as well as Protestants, also have the Kriskind as the main donor. Information about this was recorded from Catholics living in the villages of the Omsk region (Hofnungstal, Osipovka, Chuchkino) and the Altai Territory (Elizavetgrad, Zabavnoye, Krasnoarmeyka, Kusak, Serebropol, Telmano, and Shumanovka).

Kriskind's companion, who represents evil forces, is Pelznikel. Informants describe him as follows: Pelznickel is dressed in a fur coat with the hair turned outwards, chains hang on him; he must look stern so that children are afraid of him (d. Gofnungstal of the Isilkulsky district of the Omsk region); this is a bad person, he is dressed in a fur coat inside out, belted with chains (Krasnoarmeyka village of the German National District of the Altai Territory); Pelznikel is a peasant in a fur coat inside out, belted with a chain painted red. In the cold, it froze, covered with frost and looked very ominous. Peltsnickel walked with a large stick (Lebedino village, Tabunsky district, Altai Krai); Peltsnickel puts on a fur coat inside out, ties himself up with chains, and puts a handkerchief on his face so that he is not recognized. In his hands he has a twig with which he punishes naughty children (Mikhaylovka village, Suetsky district, Altai Territory); Peltsnickel always went with a large Kete chain, and Kriskind-with a Waide twig, his fur coat was tied with a chain, a thick beard, his face was smeared with soot, and a whip was in his hands (Kamyshi village). national district of the Altai Territory); Peltsnikel - a man in a sheepskin coat turned inside out, chains and bells hung on his belt (d. Mikhaylovka of the Suetsky district of the Altai Territory, Nikolaevka of the Blagoveshchensk district of the Altai Territory); Peltsnikel molded cotton wool on his face so that no one would recognize him (d. Mikhailovka of the Suetsky district of the Altai Territory, Nikolaevka of the Blagoveshchensk district of the Altai Territory). Reeds of the Tabunsky district of the Altai Territory); a man always dressed in Peltsnikel, he put on an inverted fur coat, took a chain, which he rattled to frighten children (village of Orlov of the German National District of the Altai Territory); Peltsnikel put on a sheepskin coat turned inside out, in his hands he had a chain, a twig (village of Funny Tabunsky district- in the Altai Territory); Peltsnikel is a man dressed up as a bear (Yambor village of Tabunsky district of Altai Territory); Peltsnikel went in a fur coat inside out, with a rag on his face for unrecognizability (Boronsk village of Suetsky district of Altai Territory); his face is always covered, a handkerchief was usually wrapped, and then his face was covered up. painted: her cheeks were painted and her nose was smeared with charcoal. Inside-out fur coat (village of Kuznetsovka, Bagansky district, Novosibirsk region); he must dress in a special way; a fur coat turned out on the left side, a mask is put on his face. But soot was never smeared, never painted. And masks made of cardboard, made of paper (d. Rose-Valley of the Azov German National district of the Omsk region); they covered his face, put a fur coat on him and pulled his hat down over his eyes so as not to recognize him (Dobroye Pole village of the Moskalensky district of the Omsk region).

In some places, not only a fur coat was worn inside out, but also trousers, a hat, mittens; Pelznickel's valenki or boots were different, sometimes he put a valenok on one foot and a boot on the other (village of Kusak of the German National District of the Altai Territory, village of Tsvetnopolye of the Chistoozern district of the Novosibirsk region, village of Varvarovka In the village of Krasnoarmeyka in the German National District of the Altai Territory, the following description was recorded: Pelznickel wore a fur coat turned inside out. On his head was a cap on the left side. His face is painted, his eyebrows are smeared with black soot, and his cheeks are painted red. They covered his face with gauze and painted him with a black moustache. He was wearing a chain like a dog's, with a bell on it. The fur coat was belted with a belt, and there were large mittens. He would take two pot lids and bang them together. On the feet - different pima. He had a twig to beat the kids with. He was screaming, shaggy, and scary. He took a potato in his mouth to change his voice. In the village of Matyushino, Lyubinsky district, Omsk region, a fur coat was tied with a towel, and trousers were torn to rags. In d. Podolskoe of the Bagan district of the Novosibirsk region. straw and dry grass were tied to the Peltsnickel belt. In many German lands, characters "dressed in straw" (or in costumes with bundles of straw tied to them) appeared as evil companions of St. Nicholas (Filimonova, 1973, p.144).

The image of St. John the Baptist. St. Nicholas as a gift giver and mummer was not common among the Germans of Siberia. There are only a few references to this character. For example, Irma Geyer, who was born in Engels in 1927 and was deported with her family to the Altai, said that Kriskindchen and Nikolaus came to the Volga region for Christmas with gifts. Here, in Siberia, it was called Peltsnickel. But, apparently, even in the Volga colonies, this character was not significantly widespread, in any case, Jacob Dietz, who described the customs and customs of the Volga colonists, about St. John the Baptist. Nicolae doesn't mention it. According to J. Dietz, their main Christmas character, like the Siberian Germans, was Pelznickel - "a man disguised as a bear, dressed in an inverted sheep's sheepskin coat, a fur hat and huge felt boots, and belted-

iron drawbar or plow chains, the end of which drags along the floor, producing a clang and noise" [Dietz, 1997, p.392].

Most likely, at the time of the resettlement of Germans from German lands to Russia, the image of St. John the Baptist was created. The project has already been significantly transformed, and the function of gifting children has passed to Criskind. Kriskind's mummers were accompanied around the village by the same characters who had previously accompanied St. John the Baptist. Nicholas. The disappearance of St. John the Baptist. One of the mummers ' marches took place rather quickly, because the good-natured old man in the bishop's costume did not match this group, which represented evil spirits. In addition to Pelznickel, Knecht Ruprecht, Lucer, and Polterklaus could participate in the procession. Outwardly, they were similar to Pelznickel: they were also dressed in turned-out fur coats, with bear masks on their faces or with their faces blackened with soot. The Volhynian Germans called Pelznikel Peltsebok (Pelzbohk-lit. mutton skin). In some villages, the mummers ' processions were quite numerous. Men put on women's skirts, headscarves, and smeared their faces with soot. Women dressed up in turned-out fur coats, turned-out hats, torn trousers. Some of them had drums; they were making noise and thundering (Ekaterinovka village, Kulundinsky district, Altai Krai).

On Christmas eve and at night, mummers walked around the village and scared people. They caught walking children and adults, strangled them as a joke, and could start a fight. Peltsnickel forced to bite the frozen chains hanging from his belt, sometimes to such an extent that his lips were bathed in warm water (Lebedino village, Tabunsky district, Altai Territory). Many of the mummers ' jokes were far from harmless. A resident of the village of Khortytsia, Nizhneomsky district, Omsk region. Irma Reinhardt told the following story:: It was in the early 1970s, when my son was 10 or 12 years old. He met Pelznickel in a scary mask, and he scared the child so much that the son fell ill. They were treated in the hospital, but there was no result. Then the old people advised how to treat fright: you need to wait until the dead person is in the village and a grave is dug for him. The boy had to go to the cemetery at night, he had to go alone, and urinate in a freshly dug grave. He did just that. After the deceased was buried, the disease passed. This method of treating fright has been tested repeatedly. Pelznickel was carrying a bag of onions and garlic. He forced the caught passers-by to eat onions and garlic, they could only "buy off" with prayers.

Kriskind and Pelznickel went into houses where there were children. Mummers rang the bell, knocked on windows and doors with their staffs. The children waited outside the door and, when they heard a noise, sat down at the table, on which each child had a plate for a gift. The children chanted "Christkinde, komm, mache mich glucklich, dass ich in Himmel komme" ("Christkinde, come and make me happy so that I can go to heaven"). Kriskind would enter the room with a greeting: "Gelobt sei Jesus Christus!"("Praise be to Jesus Christ!"). The children answered him, " In Ewigkeit, Amen!" ("In eternity, Amen!"). Kriskind asked the children to recite a prayer or a poem that they were learning for Christmas. In return, Kriskind gave them gifts, which he took out of a basket or bag and put on a plate. They used to give me toys made with my own hands, and, of course, sweets - sweets, gingerbread. If the child couldn't tell him anything, Kriskind would hit him with a twig. If the parents stood up for the baby, said that he was obedient, well-behaved, then the child also received a gift. If the children did not obey their parents or committed any misdemeanors during the past year, then Pelznickel entered the game. He said that if the children were not obedient, he would beat them with chains, hide them in a bag and take them to the forest.

Pelznickel beat naughty children with a rod, whip or staff, forced them to ride on a broom, eat onions and garlic, and took away their gifts. The children cried, but they did everything he asked. In some villages, Pelznickel was not allowed in the house, he threatened with his chains and staff under the window, this was enough to make the children become obedient. In the end, all the children received gifts: obedient immediately, and mischievous and restless-after the test. Usually, the festivities on the streets of the village lasted all Christmas night.

Nighttime festivities and mummers are typical mainly for those villages where Lutherans and Catholics lived. Where the majority were Mennonites and Baptists, there were no noisy holidays; there were several prayer meetings on Christmas Day. Gifts were given to children either by their parents or by members of the community at a prayer meeting. However, the Mennonites also had a character who is usually compared to the Russian Santa Claus. He was called Weihnachtsmann - "the Christmas man". In some villages, Vainakhtsman dressed in the same way as Pelznickel: in an inverted fur coat, a shaggy hat, glued a beard and mustache to his face, and put on glasses. In recent years, Vainakhtsman no longer looked any different from Santa Claus - an ordinary fur coat with a belt, a red hat, a white beard. Unlike Pelznickel, he never punished children, but only gave them gifts that he took out of the bag.

From December 25 to 31, the Christmas Week - Weihnachtenwoche-lasted. At this time it was necessary to behave very carefully and just in case more often

pray. It was forbidden to walk at night, swear (especially mention the devil and swear), play cards. It was believed that at this time all sorts of evil spirits were running around the sky, trying to harm people. A resident of the village of Lebedino, Tabunsky district of the Altai Territory, Iosif Kelbakh (born in 1923), said: once in his youth, he stayed up this week to visit his aunt, with whom he was playing dominoes. After sunset, adeentkatze ("Advent cat") began to run across the sky. He ran home as fast as he could, thinking that adeentkatze was going to catch up with him and scratch him for being out at night and gambling. This week it was impossible to drink vodka, and also to work, otherwise God would come and drive a nail into your head.

New Year

After a week-long lull, the fun started again on New Year's Eve. Mummers appeared again in the village streets, men dressed in women's clothing and women in men's, and young people walked all night. The masks were the same as at Christmas (Kriskind, Pelznickel, Ruprecht, gypsies). Only on this night, the mummers not only gave gifts, but also received them themselves. Groups of mummers walked around the village, entered houses, sang songs, read poems, and wished every success in the new year. Men were always the first to enter the house (it was considered lucky), and then women. They were invited to the table, treated.

In the German villages of Siberia, on New Year's Eve, men leave their homes with guns and shoot into the air at midnight. Representatives of the older generation walked around the village and sang divine songs under the windows of relatives and neighbors. When they entered the house, they "sowed" wheat. It could only be cleaned the next day. The young people made a fool of themselves in every possible way: they blocked up the doors, gates and gates so that the owners could not open them in the morning, clogged the chimneys with rags and snow so that the stove could not be lit, changed cows in the stable from different owners, whitewashed pigs with chalk. They could drag a cart with firewood to the roof of a neighbor, rearrange the gates.

Among the Volhynian Germans of Siberia-natives of the northern lands of Germany-the images of some mummers have North German roots. For example, Peltsebok is the character most frequently encountered in Mecklenburg. He only showed up at Christmas. On New Year's Eve, other mummers walked around the village, most notably Neujahrsmutter or Neujahrsbaba. Neujarsmutter is an old woman in dirty, ragged clothes, with her face smeared with soot, with a stick in her hands, with which she hit passers-by. In the north of Germany, on New Year's Eve, an old woman also appeared, known as Aschermohm (Aschermohm), Frau Holle (Frau Holle). She carried a bag of ashes on her shoulders and "hit the disrespectful with it," but gave gifts to the humble. The prototype of this character was the terrible Perchta, a deity of ancient German origin. On New Year's Eve, Neujahrsmann also walked around the village among the Volhynian Germans (Rublevskaya, 2000, p. 71).

Spring, summer, and autumn holidays

The customs of mummery on Christmas and New Year's Eve among the Germans of Siberia continue to exist everywhere to this day. Masquerading on Shrovetide and Easter, most likely, did not become widespread, there are few references to it. In some places, the autumn slaughtering festival "Schweinhochzeit" (Schweinhochzeit-lit. pig wedding) was also accompanied by dancing and a masquerade. One of the participants wore a pig mask, he was holding a wedding rod decorated with ribbons, he ran around the village and scared everyone.

In the village of Ananyevka in the Kulundinsky district of the Altai Territory, information was collected about the "witch festival", which was celebrated at the end of June. Everyone dressed up as witches, danced wildly, and jumped over the bonfire. Obviously, in this case, we can talk about a local version of the celebration of St. Peter's Day. Johanna.

Residents of the village Ekaterinovka of the Kulundinsky district of the Altai Territory preserved memories of the celebration of the Trinity with the participation of mummers: On the Trinity they rode horses. There were three horses in the team, always two white ones on each side, and a black one was placed in the middle. Or vice versa, but the horses were always different suits. They were decorated with bells, and on the middle horse there was a large bell. The cart was also decorated with flowers and wreaths. On the cart rode a mummer, they called him Denclel (crank, fool). His shirt was special, with pieces of cloth sewn on. He played the accordion and sang ditties in Plattdeutsch (the local dialect). He invited everyone to a party. Then women put on colored dresses, shawls, and girls-wreaths of branches, between the branches flowers intertwined. Men wore bouquets of maple twigs with interwoven flowers on their chests. The married ones wove blue flowers, and the unmarried ones - white ones. The procession moved beyond the village, where they drank, ate, and danced. The mummers were making everyone laugh, fooling around, playing the harmonica. Young people then usually separated, walked separately. Other customs of mummery in the spring and summer-autumn holidays among the Germans of Siberia were not recorded.

Conclusion

Analysis of the field material allows us to conclude that the Germans of Siberia have mummery customs that are most characteristic of winter holidays. They are an integral part of the modern holiday culture and preserve local specifics, which are largely due to the places where German immigrants came out. The genesis and semantics of these customs remain debatable. Currently, the animistic and totemic ideas behind these customs are a thing of the past. In the life of modern German villages, the entertainment side of mummery came out on top.

For the time elapsed since the resettlement of Germans from Germany to Russia, these customs have undergone certain changes associated with adaptation to local conditions and current socio-political and cultural realities, but they continue to exist as ethnic markers.

List of literature

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Dits Ya. E. Istoriya povolzhskikh nemtsev-kolonistov [History of Volga Germans-colonists], Moscow: Gotika Publ., 1997, 496 p.

Ivanova-Buchatskaya Yu. V. Plattes Land: Symbols of Northern Germany (Slavic-German ethno-cultural synthesis between the Elbe and Oder rivers). Saint Petersburg: Nauka Publ., 2006, 226 p. (in Russian)

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The article was submitted to the Editorial Board on 26.03.09.

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