Mummery in the Calendar Rites of German Settlers in Siberia

The present article discusses mummery rites which are widespread amongst the Germans living in Siberia today. These rites have been practiced since the time of immigration of the Germans to Russia. They are rather archaic in certain respects, and numerous local variants are known. Mummery rites are associated with winter calendar holidays and Christmas in particular. Christkind and Pelznikel are the main Christmas characters impersonating forces of good and evil, respectively. The article proposes a version of origins for those characters and studies their functions. The evolution of the rites practiced by the Germans in Russia and in Germany followed very different trajectories, especially in the 20th century. The reasons for the long term preservation of mummery customs amongst German settlers in Siberia, and the evolution and present state of those traditions, as well as their regional variants are described and analysed. The article is based on the materials of ethnographic expeditions conducted in the Altai Territory, as well as in Novosibirsk and Omsk Oblasts

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