CULTURE OF CEREMONY PROCESS IN A SECULAR SOCIETY IN THE RZECZPOSPOLITA IN THE MID XVI – MIDDLE ХVІІTH CENTURY

Abstract

In 1569 the Union of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Poland resulted in the unification of the two states in a federation under the name "Republic", translated literally into Polish as "the Rzeczpospolita". August, 11 of that year, Pidlasie, Volhynia, Bratslav region and Kyiv region merged finally with the Crown. In 1648–1654, because of the liberation war for Greek faith that union was reformatted.

Poland tried to take an effective part in the international political and cultural transattraction for a long time. From the period of the Middle Ages there were constant intercourses with the Pape’s court, resulting in a religious coloration of history development and socio-cultural processes in the country. The regular transattractions were maintained with the Hungarian, Russian, Tatar, Turkish (mostly through Pasha) crowns. The ambiguous relationship with the Cossacks and the Hetmanate took place. The cultural relations with Courland, Moldavia and Wallachia, Czech, France (Monluk, Prince Henry of Anjou – Prince of Bourbon, a brother of the king and the Valois dynasty), Britain, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Austria and Germany were arranging.

The protocol concerned apotheosis coronations, marriage ceremonies, burials, signing of important international agreements and unions, official diplomatic summits.

Little by little, the Rzeczpospolita opened embassies with the most important partners. At that time, in 1569, a truce negotiated through a great ambassador that corresponds to the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs. It was remarked that any questions during their occurrence can be solved by means of the official correspondence or ambassador mission. A part of stories in the correspondence were stories about health and willingness, "resulting in growing favor" of the Turkish side. That is, the bilateral relations were kept in a particular protocol.

Except for "the most important genltemen", the noble youth could go to the ceremony of signing "condition" (necessary conditions) and regulations, including those which were held outside the Rzeczpospolita. Altogether, that Embassy audience, such as the French king in Paris, on the occasion of the coronation of Henry, numbered up two hundred fifty people. Remarkably, at the end of the official part, when they were "on both sides and in order to thoroughly sealed" agreement, there were "frequent and fun dinners and banquets" which ended up parting with a great honor.

In the Rzeczpospolita it was accepted to wear dresses of different nations, as in some Polish provinces the various customs existed. The official language of the state – Latin – contributed to the knowledge of the cultural and assimilative processes of the European world. So Italian, Spanish, French, German, Czech, Hussar, Magyar, Persian, Hungarian, Turkish, Moldovan and Tatar clothes were in use. According to the customs of different lands, during some ceremonies clothes complemented with individual accessories, hats, weapons, symbols of power. The clothes had specific ethnocultural features of cutting of indigenous population.

In some areas the table etiquette of the nobility can be understood in such a way that a gentleman, even the poorest, a gentleman (equal to equal) did not served because it is not typical to the tradition of a noble duty. In other lands, on the contrary, every gentleman was served with the servants who sat with him at table in order. If the court was large, the owner had several tables with the gentlemen who were served. Those, in turn, the submasters helped as one plate of food was given for several people. The submasters had boys-assistants, who, in turn, were passed by servants. Such "subordinations" could be up to four changes when one person helped the others. Sometimes the gentlemen gave any gift to the servants for their friendly attitude and service.

The culture of having meals in the Rzeczpospolita was held with the reference of the Old Rus’ traditions when the people of special positions ranks were involved in feasts and eating procedures which lasted for many days. These ranks were chashnykys and pidchashiyis (the latter were chashnykys’ assistants and later their duty was to serve the king with drinks, having tasted then before, and observed the drinks on the royal table); kraychyys (their functions were to make meals for the king, placing dishes on the table, cutting meat, its tasting before giving to a queen or a great prince); vynocherpiyis (the officials who were responsible for drinks and brought them during the dinner); stolnyks and pidstoliys (the latter were stolnyks’ assistants who served the dishes to a prince or a king); cooks, bartenders, porters.

That century the culture of gifts, offerings, clothes was European in great deal, acquired the traits of esthetical secularism and responded to some fashion trends of Catholic West at that time.