Road Rituals and Taboos in Russian and Kalmyk Cultures: The Aspect of Well-Being

Introduction. The road as a metatext accumulates variable forms of mobility which are determined by different ways of mastering alien territories. The article deals with departure in a broad sense — as pilgrimage and development of new lands. The relevance of the work is determined by the comparative approach to the study of the road tradition in Russian and Kalmyk linguocultures. Goals. The article seeks to identify and systematize protective road rituals and taboos in the Russian and Kalmyk traditions in the aspect of well-being. Materials and Methods. The study focuses on works by T. Shchepanskaya, A. Bayburin, V. Korshunkov, and N. Zhukovskaya. The main research methods employed are the comparative-historical and retrospective ones which make it possible to distinguish general and particular road safety rituals and prohibitions in Russian and Kalmyk cultures.  Chronologically, the study covers the period between the late 18th and early 20th centuries. Results. The mastering of new territories is associated with overcoming boundaries of ‘own-alien’ space, which results in that departure both in Russian and in Kalmyk cultures is characterized by increased semiotics reflected in protective rituals and certain related actions to be avoided thereto. In Russian culture, protective rituals of safety include as follows: crying/gulba, feasts, the ‘sit-down-on-the-path’ custom, farewell blessings when leaving the house. The road ritual taboos comprise any repeat of already accomplished actions, resumption of household cares, verbal prohibitions dealing with the direction. In the Kalmyk cultural tradition, the ritual of departure is accompanied by uttering good wishes and the ritual of development of new territories. It was prohibited to settle near the roads. Conclusions. Russian protective road rituals are aimed at overcoming the border of the ‘own-alien’, which can be explained by the sedentary self-consciousness of Russians. In the Kalmyk linguistic and cultural tradition, the road ritual and its ceremonial part are associated with the spatial development of the surrounding world which is manifested not only in movement but also in stops.

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