Mari Ritual Practices as Representation

Abstract

This article focuses on festivals and rituals of the Mari people living in the economically depressed Volga region of Russia. The article focuses on women’s activity during the Mari festivals and the ways in which this activity can be framed as a representation of the official power. The festivals organized by the local administration are compared to the rituals coordinated by the local people, mostly by the women. Based on field work done in 2002—2004, the purpose of the author is to find an answer to the following question: does the feast, the stage provided by the bustle of a festival, construct the strength of national identity, or do festivals just provide the binding force to the recurring rhythms of everyday life?