SACRED FUNCTION OF THE FESTIVE PIE AMONG ANCIENT ROMANS: ONOMASIOLOGICAL AND CULTUROLOGICAL ASPECTS

Abstract

The article represents evolutional changes in modern culture of celebration, the traits of desacralization of traditional festive practices in comparison with the old ceremonial rites of "serving the deity" appropriate, in particular, to Greeks and Romans. In conformity with V. Turner’s universal theory of rite its multilevel structure was determined (symbolic, valuable, teleological and role-playing) as well as important sacred function that insures the integrity of all components. The rite of sacrifice was described as the most important festive ritual aimed at the creation of the channel of communication between the heavenly and the earthly, between gods and people. The assignment of different species of animals and plants’ sacrifice was determined the existence of link between the type of ophir and the deity’s cult was proved, between its zoomorphic and phytomorphic attributes, which had to guarantee the choice of the victim at the deity’s preference. Ancient Greeks and Romans traditionally sacrificed the bulls to Zeus / Jupiter, the cows to Hera / Juno, the horses to Poseidon / Neptune, the ear of cereals to Demeter / Ceres etc., and those who lacked the money to buy animals, had to choose animal and vegetable substitutes to bloody sacrifice – pies in the form of animalistic figures. The sacred assignment of festive banquet after the sacrifice ritual was grounded, when joint consumption of food symbolized an accord between gods and people and was aimed at winning support of the celestials and to ensure receiving divine favour. Names of bakery product were analyzed, in particular, pies, that ancient Romans used as bloodless sacrifice during both public sacrifice ceremony and festive rituals in the family circle. Conclusion was made that metaphthonyтy is major means of nomination, language formulas of dedication and examples of the use of pies’ names in the works of such famous Roman authors as Cato, Ovid, Horace, Martial and others were illustrated. Derivative mutuality of the names of festive pies and the libation as various types of the ophir deriving from the Latin verb "libare" – to sacrifice – was determined.