The Soviet Cultural policy and Traditional Rites of the Peoples of the Volga Region: Experience of Interaction

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the Soviet cultural policy, which was carried out in the 1920–1980s and transformed a way of life and traditional rites of the peoples of the Volga region. The main stages of its realization are characterized that was caused by the specific actions of the authorities which were initially destroying, and then adapting a part of regional traditions for needs of the state. The author identifies three stages of the Soviet cultural policy focused on traditional rites of the local population on the basis of the reports on ethnographic expeditions to the Volga region and documentation of the Central Executive Committee of the Volga German ASSR, the Council of Ministers in the Chuvash ASSR from the central and regional archives: 1 stage (the 1920–1930s) — an active fight against religious carry-overs; 2 stage (the 1940–1950s) — the period of silent acceptance of the saved elements in ritualism; 3 stage (the 1960–1980s) — a careful condemnation of regional traditional rites and an attempt to adapt some of it for development of the Soviet holidays and rites. The party workers’ conviction of an opportunity to liquidate this or that traditions by administrative methods did not give the expected results. Wedding and funeral rites of the peoples of the Volga region showed the greatest stability in the Soviet times as “the well-tried recipes” of overcoming of crisis events. In general, not only ideological factors but also processes of urbanization, a growth of interethnic marriages had an influence on traditional rites of the natives of the Volga region. The novelty of the research is that traditional rites of the peoples of the Volga region are considered from the point of view of the system approach for the first time, which assumes the identification of the steadiest elements in it under the strengthening of administrative influence from the state.