Преподобні Зосима Тасаватій Як Покровителі Бджільництва

• Main Author: Богомолець Ольга Вадимівна
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2015
• Subjects: beekeeping; bees; hives; honey; wax; ceremony; fire; monks; Solovetsky
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.35306; https://zenodo.org/record/35306

The article highlights the socio-cultural and ideological principles of the cult of bee and bee products in the world and Ukrainian cultures. For this purpose peculiarities of using bee products in early cultures are examined. It is found that the overall symbolic and ritual importance of bee products in the world and domestic cultures is accompanied by distinct technological differences formed as a result of later transition of the Slavic culture from appropriating to reproducing forms of economy. The factors that contributed to forming in the consciousness of the Ukrainian people the idea that the Saints Zosima and Savvaty (Sabbatius) were the patrons of beekeeping are considered as well. This process, as it is shown in the work, was formed by several factors. An external factor that was canonizing saints and forming lists of saints revered on certain daysby the churches played a leading role. This list was externally imposed on calendar customs and rites of the Ukrainian people. However, it is shown that such purely external imposition of respect for the saints could not penetrate the minds of people so deeply because it needed philosophical foundations. So, the leading role in this process was played by the prominent theologians who made the symbolic comparisons of the hives with the church of Christ and the bees – with Christians who have to work every day in order to secure the kingdom of God and eternal life for themselves. The latter, in the minds of the Ukrainian people, even in the pagan period was closely connected with thescarifying fire of heaven that at the level of family and community rituals was symbolized by the fire of wax candle that cleaned, protected and defended the man and his family. The Solovetsky monks Zosima and Savvaty became such a kind of heavenly fire, fiery pillars that preserve, protect, and convert people. Such interpretation could promote their patronage of beekeeping in the people’s consciousness as a matter of God.