Leather and Sheepskin Clothes in the Wedding Ceremonies of the Middle Dnieper Ukrainians in the Late 19th — First Half of the 20th Century

The article considers the use of handicraft sheepskin and leather clothes in the wedding ceremonies of the Middle Dnieper Ukrainians in the late 19th – early 20th century. It is established that they have performed important ritual and protective functions. In particular, the ritual function means that clothes served as ritual attributes. In gifting ceremonies, the sheepskin and leather clothes had both practical and special semantic meanings (for example, by giving boots to the bride’s mother, the groom showed his respect and appreciation). The protective function is connected with ancient beliefs about the power of ritual attributes and magic acts. In particular, the leather in the culture of East Slavic people is associated with birth and renewal, while the sheepskin was the symbol of wealth and fertility. In wedding ceremonies, the sheepskin was associated with a cloud, while the wheat grains were thrown over the bridal couple as a symbol of rain and fertility. We may define pre-wedding, wedding, and post-wedding rituals with sheepskin and leather clothes. The most widespread pre-wedding ritual was gifting leather boots to the fiancée and sewing a flower into the fiancé’s sheepskin hat on the engagement day. A sheepskin coat turned inside out played an essential role in the Ukrainian traditional wedding. The highest level of concentration of various magical symbols is retraced in the ceremony of send-off and reception of a newly married couple. In post-wedding rituals, the sheepskin coat was used for costume games to introduce such characters as a bride and a groom, animals, gypsies, etc.