What is included in the concept of decoration?

Abstract of a scientific article on philosophy, ethics, religious studies, author of the scientific work – Sertakova Irina Nikolaevna, Mudretsova Tatyana Vladimirovna

Decorations are considered as cultural artifacts from the point of view of their symbolic and functional significance in the history of world culture. i Nadoeli bannery? Vy vsegda mojete otklyuchit advertisement.

Similar topics of scientific work on philosophy, ethics, religious studies, author of scientific work – Sertakova Irina Nikolaevna, Mudretsova Tatyana Vladimirovna

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Text of the research paper on the topic “Symbolism and cultural and historical significance of jewelry in traditional culture”

SYMBOLICS AND CULTURAL-HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF JEWELRY IN Sertakova Irina Nikolaevna – Candidate of Philosophy, Associate Professor Tatyana Vladimirovna Mudretsova – student of TSU named after. G.R. Derzhavina Annotation. Decorations are considered as cultural artifacts from the point of view of their symbolic and functional significance in the history of world culture. Key words: decoration, ritual, symbol, apotropaic, function, tradition, artifact. The development and preservation of any national culture at the present stage is associated with finding adequate mechanisms for its translation, with the effectiveness of living traditions. The solution to these problems is associated with increased interest in the history of national traditional culture. In Russia and other countries, interregional and international symposiums and conferences are regularly held at which the problems of preserving cultural heritage, broadcasting and reviving national traditions are discussed, state programs are being created to develop the spiritual and educational sphere, ensure the preservation and effective use of cultural heritage. It is obvious that the issue of self-sufficiency of national cultures in the modern world is quite acute. Against this background, research aimed at determining the ethnic self-identification of national cultures, which contributes to both the growth of national self-awareness and mutual understanding and stability in the world community, becomes relevant. The spiritual experience of each ethnic group is important not only for the preservation of national culture and spiritual space, but also has universal significance and value. One of the universal languages ​​of culture, which contains a deep layer of ethnic memory, archetypes of the people’s worldview, and the specifics of mental characteristics, is the traditional form of art – the creation of jewelry. Therefore, it is important to consider the processes of creation and existence of jewelry from the point of view of their symbolic nature in the context of the sacred and ordinary, functions, verbal and non-verbal communication, cultural and historical significance. Attempts to show the relationship between spiritual and material culture in folk traditions holistically and structurally through the consideration of jewelry also seem relevant. Jewelry, which is an integral part of culture, is a concentrated reflection of the history of the people, spirituality, a symbolic model of cultural and historical connections that have both utilitarian and symbolic properties. In general, consideration of jewelry in the context of their symbolism and cultural and historical significance leads to the following main conclusions: • Studying the processes of origin and development of various types of jewelry in the context of traditional culture allows us to identify images and symbols of culture, reveal the national characteristics of peoples, and also show that, despite the differences between ethnic groups and civilizations, spiritual (sacral, aesthetic), practical (everyday, protective , ritual) and social (identification, stratification) functions of jewelry are performed in a similar way and represent a cultural integrity reflected in jewelry. • The origin of jewelry is associated primarily with the appearance of amulets and talismans, which served as apotropaic jewelry, were used in various magical rituals, and were also an integral part of human everyday life. • The cultural and historical significance of jewelry lies in the elements of creation, preservation, reproduction and transmission of ethnic culture. • Semiotic analysis of the traditional art of creating jewelry allows us to identify the iconic nature of culture, reflecting the characteristics of the spiritual traditions of the people. • The symbolism of jewelry is closely related to the basic principles and elements worldview of a person of traditional culture: ideas about the structure the Universe, about the relationship between the Universe and man (solar, lunar symbols), about the surrounding world, nature (animalistic, symbols of inanimate nature), about the structure of one’s body as a container for the spirit (symbols of body parts), sacred symbols, which allows us to systematize religious, ethical- aesthetic values ​​of the people. Traditional culture is part of the general concept of culture, a set of cultural forms and phenomena (tools, household items, norms of behavior, everyday concepts, ideological complex) that developed in the pre-industrial era and bear a distinct stamp of local and ethnic specificity [1, P.8]. Traditional culture is created collectively, its norms are stable and reflect the experience of previous generations. Jewelry as cultural artifacts is closely related to the most ancient layers of traditional culture. Researchers associate their appearance with the emergence of the first magical objects. The image of the Universe that was built in the consciousness of primitive man, along with the everyday, included another world – invisible, otherworldly, and both of these worlds were merged and interconnected through everything that exists – souls, thoughts, phenomena, things. Being was something a higher integral unity, in which there was one step from the everyday, natural to the supernatural. Therefore, even insignificant objects of everyday life carried a certain magical charge and expressed complex cosmological ideas. Magical objects with their own inner world, will, soul, and personality had a special status. They acted as messengers of gods or spirits, guardians of people, protectors of the tribe, patrons of the clan. The earliest jewelry served not only an aesthetic function. These, first of all, were magical objects – fetishes. Fetishism was sooner or later replaced by other religious ideas, but its echoes continue to live to this day and are found, in particular, in the general predilection for talismans and amulets, which even now often exist in the form of jewelry. Traces of the teaching about the mysterious forces inherent in objects are present among all peoples of the world, and the idea that the mysterious can manifest itself in the earthly and ordinary is also found in monotoistic religions. Under certain circumstances, any thing endowed with special properties among many peoples of the world can play a magical role. This can be clothing (hats, belts, sundresses, etc.), household items (tables, chairs, vessels, axes, spoons, mirrors, coins), musical instruments (drums, gongs, bells), weapons (knives, bows) , arrows), as well as seemingly worthless objects, such as bird feathers, animal teeth, etc. And of course, jewelry – medallions, pendants, beads, necklaces, rings, earrings. A special place among magical things is occupied by jewelry containing religious shrines: images of revered animals and plants, saints, engraved on metal or carved on a piece of wood, leather, etc. These can be sacred texts, pebbles from sacred mountains, roots and leaves of sacred or medicinal plants, pieces of skin, fangs, bones, animal horns and much more. Most often, magical jewelry was made from materials sanctified by tradition (often they alone could give the objects power); the image was never arbitrary, but was always strictly regulated. Making such things was considered a sacred act, so this was usually the responsibility of intermediaries between worlds: shamans, sorcerers, healers, soothsayers, clergy. Sometimes it was enough for them to consecrate an ordinary object or endow it with mystical power, and it began to be regarded as magical. Because of their mysterious significance, they treated magical jewelry in a special way: they wore it on the body and hid it from prying eyes. It was believed that not all magical things were subordinate to shamans, soothsayers and clergy; there were also those that acted independently. Since their influence often became unpredictable, people were afraid of them and tried to surround them with special care and attention, performing special rituals. According to the degree of proximity to a person, all magical objects are divided into three circles: the first (closest) includes personal jewelry – talismans, amulets, personal fetishes. The second circle consists of objects that are designed to protect the family, home, and clan. The third circle is objects that protect the entire community, community, people [2, p. 39]. Jewelry that performs the functions of amulets, amulets, talismans came to help to people in time immemorial, when proof of presence in the world supernatural, felt by all five senses, served as a guarantor of life According to researchers, the specific structure of jewelry should be formed according to its location on the human body [2, p. 48]. In this regard, it is considered reasonable to classify them as: 1) head, ear, temple; 2) temporomandibular, neck, chest, shoulder; 3) side, waist, hand decorations; 4) decorations for feet. This division corresponds to the levels of the model of the conceivable Universe, where the first group is associated with the symbolic top, the second and third – with the middle, and the fourth – with the lower world. Thus, a set of traditional jewelry is one of the characteristics of a person’s traditional worldview, symbolically a decorative means of visualizing ideas about the structure of the world. According to the vertical division, in which top, middle, bottom are distinguished, headdresses and head decorations were characterized by the idea of ​​“top”, including the idea of ​​“sky”, “sun”, horns, birds. Middle-level decorations were characterized by symbols of the Earth, Tree, and rain of terrestrial animals. The bottom is characterized by “dark”, aquatic, reptiles. This interpretation of the symbolism of jewelry and headwear is characteristic of almost all ethnic groups. In real life, women and men wore a lot of jewelry. Along with such classic products as necklaces, rings, bracelets and earrings, we should note tiaras, brooches, combs, forearm bracelets, belt clasps and overlays, anklets, as well as even more specific items – archer rings, signet rings, rings worn in the nose and toes, long pendants that framed the face, ornaments for headdresses, and finally rosaries and the famous talisman boxes. Jewelry art, like all types of artistic creativity, has specific features. The main one in the past was the variety of social functions. For thousands of years, a significant role has been attached to the ritual and cultural meaning of jewelry. There was a lot of mystery in this art, starting with the craft of the jeweler, his workshop, tools, the ringing of a hammer and chasing, which were of a sacred nature, his work associated with the “sacred” fire, materials – precious metals and stones, ornamental motifs, the shape and purpose of the products , – according to ancient ideas, everything was endowed with semantic meaning and sacred power, and became a symbol of various benevolent creatures, objects, phenomena and concepts. The complex of traditional decorations, functioning in the rites of the life cycle, is related to rituals; variations within the structure of everyday behavior are interconnected and find expression in the symbolism of objects. Decoration is considered as a sign of the relationship between society and the inner world of a person; the specific role of jewelry in cultural, historical and individual artistic experience as a symbol of ethnic self-awareness is highlighted. Decoration as a material sign determines the structure of an individual’s behavior in everyday life and is one of the mechanisms for maintaining tradition in the system national culture, at the same time it is a sign of ethnic identity. The idea of ​​the world as an ordered system made the surrounding circumstances mastered, understandable, which provided guidelines, made the life of a person in a traditional society understandable, understandable, where everyone took their place, actions were regulated [5, P.25]. Jewelry is necessarily included in the sphere of activity of any people and thereby characterizes its inclinations, capabilities, spiritual horizons and historical stages of development of material culture. Through centuries and eras, stories, techniques for processing natural materials, traditions and styles have reached us. The first jewelry was made from bone, shells, feathers, etc. Then – from clay, glass, precious metals and precious stones. Intense cultural mixing led to the formation of new styles and technologies of artistic processing of materials, as well as unique forms of jewelry, many of which are still used in the traditions of jewelry in various countries. Jewelry carries the power of symbolic ornaments, the magical mystery of metals and precious stones, aesthetic pleasure, and sacred information from ancient times. Initially, the jewelry was endowed with magical properties, so it acquired great significance for the one who wore it – he turned to it constantly in his life. Decoration was considered as an object that had protective powers. It was believed that the shape itself determined the magical power of the decoration. Symbolic objects, for example, decorations in the form of fruits, provided their owner with the protection of the sun as a source of life or connection with the forces of fertility. This merging through magic with the forces of the universe was supposed to protect a person from any phenomena or actions that pose a threat to his existence. Round pendants are reminiscent of the solar cult, signet rings are reminiscent of the special status of their owners, images of animals and plant ornaments are associated with fertility, symbols of the Family, the Upper and Lower Worlds. Being a reflection of the cosmos, the complex of decorations, each decoration individually, in its symbolism represented ideas about the picture of the world in the traditional worldview of man. Any symbol, in turn, has a multiple semantic structure: as complex in each case as it was widely used historically. It can be assumed that symbols-decorations, multi-layered in nature, play the role of consolidation mechanisms in the consciousness of a given community, and also cause resonance in a number of other structures of social consciousness. In addition, the situational meaning of a symbol can, to one degree or another, determine the direction of national identity [4, p. 18]. Thus, a multi-level structured system is formed, where jewelry performs a number of different functions. The main ones include: 1. gender and age stratification; 5. indicator of wealth, social status; The ancients also had a lot of other decorations that were not endowed with spiritual meaning and had only a decorative function. However, many of them still preferred to be worn on those parts of the body where, according to Indian beliefs, the chakras are located – the etheric centers of consciousness and human power, which are responsible for his spiritual and physical state. Surprisingly, it is believed that other peoples did not have the slightest idea about the existence of chakras, but they wore their jewelry precisely in their locations. This strange coincidence was revealed by historians relatively recently, when they began to compare some facts from the cultures of ancient peoples. Thus, we can say that all the social functions of jewelry form a certain unity and integrity. The cultural and historical significance of jewelry is closely related to the ritual system, which was one of the ways to preserve and transmit over time the worldview of our ancestors. At the same time, jewelry serves as signs of a person’s social status and marks the transition from one age group to another. In addition, they are an effective way to introduce the owner to the team. The analysis of jewelry as objects of traditional culture is associated with the processes of ethnogenesis, ethnic interactions, traditional way of life, and religious views. This allows us to trace the dynamics of the existence of jewelry over time through a complex system of connections, first of all, with nature, the history of the people, which shape their spiritual experience. The symbolism of jewelry contains extensive information. It is one of the oldest methods of expressing reality, capable of revealing various aspects of traditional culture: the main features of the traditional worldview, the picture of the world, the norms that guide human society in its life. The formation of the symbolism of jewelry was also influenced by factors of the natural environment and religious views. Folk applied art, expressed in jewelry, is a very important area of ​​the spiritual culture of a particular people, actively influencing the formation of artistic tastes, enriching professional art and transforming life and national life. National jewelry, with its unique form, processing techniques and functional symbols inform about the time, place of origin, environment, conditions of existence. This has a direct impact on the formation of the original identity of jewelry of a certain ethnic group, as well as the entire material culture of which it is a part. 1. Zhukovskaya P.I. Categories and symbolism of traditional Mongol culture. M.: Science – 2. Miller D. Jewelry. M., 2004. – 256 p. 3. The world of things. Encyclopedia. – M. – Avanta +, 2003. – 805 p. 4. Morris C.W. Foundations of the theory of signs // Semiotics. Ed. Stepanova Yu.S. – M, 1983. – 5. Toporov V.N. Myth. Ritual. Symbol. Image: research in the field of mythopoetic: selected / V.N. Toporov. – M., 1995. – 138 p. Elegant necklaces, graceful earrings, woven bracelets and chains are popular and well-known jewelry. However, there are many pieces of both modern and retro jewelry whose names are rarely mentioned. Have your eye on a piece of jewelry, but don’t know what it’s called? Our mini-dictionary will help. Questionnaire – a bracelet worn on the ankle. Beads – decoration made of beads. It is made from natural or artificial stones: pearls, opals, amethysts. The product is worn around the neck and its size can vary greatly depending on the design. Some beads are worn under the throat, for example, strings of pearls, long models – in several turns or in a knot on the chest. Bangle – decoration for the wrist. There are monolithic and wicker models. Monolithic ones are put on the hand, simply passing the wrist through the ring, and woven bracelets are fastened. Brooch – a piece of jewelry similar to an agraph, which is often used not as a clasp, but rather as a decorative element. Loket – this is what a vintage pendant is called. The decoration consists of two parts that open when you press a button. Portraits or photographs of loved ones are placed inside. Lokets were especially popular during the war, when women kept images of their husbands near their hearts. Cufflinks – a men’s jewelry that is used as a fastener for shirts. Currently, products for ladies are also becoming fashionable – such cufflinks are decorated with precious and semi-precious inserts and attached to the sleeves of blouses. Cameo – a vintage necklace made from stones or sea shells. A bas-relief is carved into the material. As a rule, craftsmen depict portraits or flower arrangements on pendants, which are then attached to chains or velvets. The decoration is based on dark material, and for contrast, the bas-relief is made on a light stone. Thanks to this technique, the pendant looks very elegant and sophisticated. Ring – decoration for the finger. The product is made from both precious metals and analogues: copper and cupronickel. Stones are often inserted into rings, and weaves and designs are created from the material. cocktail ring – a type of massive finger jewelry. It is distinguished by its catchiness and original design. These items are suitable for parties or other cocktail events. Often a cocktail ring is worn in a set with earrings or a pendant. Necklace – an ornament that is worn around the neck. The product gradually expands from the fastener to the center and then narrows again. Often woven necklaces are decorated with stones. There are also monolithic models that can be complemented with carvings, enamel or patterns. There are types of necklaces:

• choker is a piece of jewelry consisting of one or more necklaces that fit tightly around the neck. They are often decorated with pendants or stones;

• collar – necklace. Size is about 30-35 cm. A distinctive feature is several rows of beads that lie next to each other;

• opera is a long necklace, the size of which can reach 85 cm. The length allows you to wrap it around the neck in several layers or wear it as one row so that the decoration is located below the chest;

• princesses – a small necklace that lies on the collarbones. The size of the product is from 42 to 50 cm, so it can be complemented with pendants and pendants;

• rope is a decoration more than one meter long. The main feature is the ability to wear it both on the hands as a multi-layer bracelet and on the neck as long beads or an elegant choker.

Set – otherwise called a set or headset. Initially, this was the designation for vintage jewelry that was created in one design. They matched each other in material, color and decor, and the main advantage was the ability to wear the products both together and separately.

In jewelry stores you can also find sets of jewelry: earrings, pendants, brooches and necklaces.

Parure – a set of several pieces of jewelry. Such sets include more luxurious vintage jewelry: tiaras, heavy necklaces, earrings and bracelets with stones.

Suspension – a pendant that is worn around the neck or on a bracelet. Jewelry is worn not only on chains, but also on velvet, beads and special threads.