Символика ежа в традиционной свадьбе калмыков России и ойратов Монголии и Китая

The article examines the archaic elements of the traditional wedding of the Kalmyks of Russia and the Oirats living in China and Mongolia, which are associated with folklore and mythological representations of the hedgehog, where the hedgehog is the founder of marriage. The study of folklore among peoples with rich histories and unique traditions contributes to the preservation of their cultural heritage. In the context of globalization and the dominance of mass culture, the study of oral traditions becomes particularly relevant for understanding and preserving ethnic identity. The study of folklore in the context of modern realities allows us to identify how traditional genres adapt to new conditions. This is the first time this issue has been studied from this perspective, which makes this research novel. The purpose of this research was to study the mythological and ritual aspects of traditional weddings that are associated with the image of the hedgehog. The study is based on available folklore and field samples of the Kalmyks of Russia and the Oirats of Western Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, recorded both in the late 19th century and in the present day. To identify typological parallels, individual information from the peoples of Southern Siberia and the Manchus was also used. Using structural-semantic and comparative-typological methods, the author analyzes and reconstructs mythological representations with centuries-old layers that preserve the cultural codes of the people. Results. It was established that the image of the hedgehog in the oral tradition of the Kalmyks is associated with family and clan customs and wedding rituals, and that the mythological and ritual complex associated with the hedgehog reflects the once-united beliefs of the Kalmyks of Russia, the Oirats of Western Mongolia, and the Xinjiang Uyghurs of China. It was that the modern wedding rituals of the Kalmyks include a mandatory element: colored ribbon pendants (ölgts), which symbolized the requested soul of a child, which the bride brings with her to the groom’s house. However, the mythological and ritual significance of this vestige, as described in the legend of the hedgehog and in the comments of the collector I. I. Popov, has been lost. The girding of a new yurt for a young family with a black-and-white hair belt (khoshlң) is an integral part of the wedding rite of the Oirats of Western Mongolia and China. Conclusions. The study revealed common mythological and ritual representations of the hedgehog as a cultural hero with the gift of anticipation and a mixanthropic figure; it also identified the common roots of the archaic element of the wedding rituals of the Kalmyks and Oirats, such as the colorful ribbons called “ölgs” and the black and white belt of the yurt (khoshlң), and traced their transformation in the new realities.

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