Magical Beliefs of Ukrainians in the Context of Formation of Ethnocultural Identity

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to clarify the essence of magical beliefs and related practices in Ukrainian traditional culture and to determine their role in the formation of the spiritual world of Ukrainians, the preservation of ethnocultural continuity. The methodological basis of the study is a complex of interdisciplinary approaches – culturological, ethnological, folkloristic, mythopoetic, and hermeneutic. The principles of historicism and comparative analysis were used to trace the evolution of magical practices from pre-Christian times to the present day. The semiotic method made it possible to interpret the symbolism of magical actions and rituals as a system of signs that express collective meanings. The hermeneutic approach was used to reveal hidden meanings in spells, songs, ritual formulas, and the structural-functional approach was used to determine the role of magic in the formation of the traditional worldview and ethnocultural code of Ukrainians. Scientific novelty. In a single cultural context, the interaction of verbal (spells) and non-verbal magical acts as forms of sacred communication of a person with the transcendent world and a means of forming ethnocultural identity is considered. Conclusions. The magical and mythological beliefs of Ukrainians constitute a holistic system of worldviews, which combines elements of pagan and Christian traditions. The phenomenon of dual faith became not a contradiction, but a unique manifestation of cultural synthesis, within which magical rites acquired a new meaning and continued to exist in the form of folk customs, holidays, blessings, and folklore texts. Magic rituals ensured harmony between man, nature and the world of the sacred, forming ethnocultural moral and value guidelines. After all, magical and mythological representations play the role of a cultural code that transmits collective memory and spiritual meanings from generation to generation. They contribute to the restoration of the authenticity of Ukrainian culture in the modern globalised world. Magical practices (incantations, amulets, rituals, belief in the power of words and power of action) performed both utilitarian and symbolic functions: on the one hand, they protected a person from evil, diseases and failures, and on the other hand, they consolidated archetypes of goodness, fertility, unity with the natural world in the public consciousness.