The Organization of a Festive Feast in a Village in Komi in the Years 1917–1960

The article examines the changes in the organization of a feast in a village in Komi in 1917–1960 and identifies the ethnocultural peculiarities in the composition of the feast dishes. The relevance of the topic is explained by the need to examine the process of feasting to preserve identity in a multinational world. The sources for writing the article were the memories of residents of the Komi Republic and photos of feasts from that time. The emergence of a new festive culture was associated with the ideological restructuring of society and the state. The new holidays were divided into three types: those associated with the most significant events in Soviet history (October Revolution); those that sacralized the social structure (Teacher’s Day); “those that embodied a certain ideologeme” (International Labor Day). The knowledge of the previously existing program for celebrating the holidays of the church calendar was retained, as well as some food attributes (Kulich, Easter cake) of the calendar ritual. The organization of the new holidays of the Soviet era according to the developed scheme was carried out by the local administration and Komsomol activists, and participation in the festive events was mandatory for everyone. However, the food crisis, which was observed from the beginning of the revolutionary events until the end of the 1950s, did not allow mass festivities to be organized. The social feasts of a rural community with rich food, characteristic of the 1920s, were replaced by modest tea parties with traditional pastries, whose festive atmosphere was created by background music. However, the earlier practice of holding a public feast at the end of farm work remained. A certain improvement in food supplies in the 1950s made it possible to organize house parties for a circle of people connected by kinship or professional interests. At the same time, the integrating character of the feast remained. Festive dishes were prepared from homemade products; only flour and cereals, tea, gingerbread, cakes, sweets, and alcoholic beverages were bought. Purchased sweets and alcohol were clearly considered attributes of the festive table. The ethnocultural character of the festive menu was evident in the practice of serving traditional baked goods, game and fish dishes, mushrooms, and berries.

feast culture, Soviet era, feast, Komi village, food