Gimtuvės ir krikštynos Lietuvos kaimo gyvenime (XIX a. pabaigoje - XX a. I pusėje)

LTDarbe tiriami XIX a. pabaigos - XX a. pirmosios pusės Lietuvos kaimo bei bažnytkaimių gyventojų papročiai. Pagrindinis darbo šaltinis — 1989-1996 metais autorės surinkta lauko tyrinėjimų medžiaga pagal etnografinių klausimu lapus “Gimtuvių papročiai“ ir “Krikštynų papročiai“. Tyrimui panaudoti 552 žinių pateikėjų atsakymai (296 apklausė autorė). Pateikėjos-moterys, kurių dauguma gimusios 1890-1930 m. Tarp jų 2 totorės, 3 lenkės, visos kitos - lietuvės. Ši medžiaga saugoma Lietuvos istorijos instituto Etnologijos skyriaus rankraštyne. [...] Darbo tikslas - pažvelgti į kaimo bendruomenės bei šeimos tarpusavio santykių problemą per gimtuvių ir krikštynų papročius Lietuvos kaime, siekiama pateikti XIX a. pabaigos - XX a. vidurio gimtuvių bei krikštynų modelį. Tuo tikslu keliami šie uždaviniai: atlikti gimtuvių ir krikštynų struktūrinę analizę; atskleisti jų regioninius bendrumus bei lokalinius savitumus; pasekti papročių transformaciją bei apeigų simbolių funkcines prasmes; nustatyti santykį tarp krikščioniškų Bažnyčios reglamentuotų ir liaudies tikėjimuose nusistovėjusių reikalavimų, susijusių su kūdikio krikštu bei motinos įvesdinimu į bažnyčią; išaiškinti gimtuvių bei krikštynų svarbiausių veikėjų funkcijas ir atliekamus apeiginius veiksmus; motinos elgesio bei veiksmų apribojimą gimtuvių ciklo metu; motinos ir kūdikio integravimą į kaimo bei religinę bendruomenę erdvės ir laiko atžvilgiu. Taigi siekiama prisidėti prie žmogaus gyvenimo ciklo tyrimo, kurio dalį sudaro gimtuvės ir krikšlynos, liaudies manymu, galėjusios turėti didžiulę įtaką tolimesniam žmogaus gyvenimui. Sprendžiant šią problemą, naudotas integralinis metodas [Iš disertacijos santraukos leidinio].

ENBirth and baptism belong to a specific area of national spiritual culture. Three periods can be distinguished in Lithuanian birth-related customs: 1) the pre-birth period; 2) the actual birthgiving period; and 3) the post-birth period. The first period represents expectation of a baby, i. e. it is composed of customs relating to fertility, birth rate limitation methods, and parents’ desire to exercise certain influence upon the gender of their yet unborn child. The second period comprises childbearing and midwifery procedures. The third period starts immediately after the child’s birth: the baby is introduced to the community of females, is given a name and is baptised. The period is concluded with the baby’s mother’s ceremonial leading into the church. All this constitutes the cycle of birth, a definite biological and cultural phenomenon existing in time and space. As in the course of this cycle woman acquires an exceptional position in her family and community, the birth cycle is examined in the light of the intercourse existing between an individual and a community. By means of customs and traditional rites, relations between a village community and a pregnant woman, a woman in child-birth, a woman recently confined, a newborn, and his/her godparents are established. Everything that is connected with the appearance of a child is reserved to an intimate and close area of human life. In contrast to it, baptism ceremonies are deemed to be public involving not only family members but also residents of a given village. Traditionally, a midwife was the only person admitted both to birth ceremonies and to baptism rites. Besides giving medical attendance services, the midwife also performed a social function, that is she introduced a new member to his/her family and his/ her village community. She herself represented a village community as a social body held together by economic, cultural and other ties.The custom of coming to see a woman recently confined had a clearly expressed collective character. It demonstrated the village community’s attention to and high opinion about the woman, and also it meant the baby’s introduction to the women’s community. By means of this custom the baby was promoted from the sphere of his/her family to a more superior social plane, that is to his/her village community. According to traditional understanding, baby’s life before baptism is different in quality from the life after his/her baptism. The time and space in which the child exists before his/her baptism are dangerous both to the child and his/her surroundings. A series of safety and precaution methods were aimed to help avoid misfortunes threatening a non-baptised child. In the investigated period it was a common practice in Lithuania to baptise a new-born as soon as possible. Baptism celebrated at the church had a legal power, however traditionally the most rich rites were performed at home. Those two independent celebrations assembled to constitute a set of baptism rites. The purpose of baptism rites was to legitimise a new-born as a legal member of community. The child is helped into anew situation by the persons surrounding him/her, ritually, by his/her godparents - a couple of guardians, - in the first place. It is owing to the child’s godparents, midwife, parents and guests that the child becomes a full member of a Christian and a village community. The traditionell feast following official baptism ceremony consolidates eventually the child’s new status.The ceremonial leading of the child’s mother into the church marks the final stage of the birth cycle, that is her official return to eveiyday village community life. The mother’s leading into the church meant her child’s blessing and the public recognition of her status both on the part of the church and of the village community. The following three important features determined the existence of birth cycle in the investigated period: 1) traditional baptism of babies in the period preceding the mother’s leading into the church; 2) participation of a midwife as a chief character in birth- and baptism-related ceremonies; and 3) village community’s role in the legitimisation of a new community member. A baby, his/her family and his/her village community comprised a birth cycle meant to promote gradually an individual from closer (only family) to more public forms of legitimisation of a full social and legal membership of a village community. By means of employing the institutions of a midwife and that of godparents, the community sought to secure each member’s safety without infringement upon community’s interests. A detailed investigation into birth- and baptism-related customs in Lithuanian village at the end of the 19th - 1st half of the 20th c.c. enabled us to build up a model of baptism rites indicating its regional characteristics and pointing out its specific ethnic features.