Death is closer than a shirt»: Funeral ceremonialism of Chasovennye (“Chapel-going”) Old Believers

The article analyzes the funeral and memorial complex of contemporary Old Believers of the Chasovennye (‘chapel-going’) type, living in Tuva (Russia); in Nukus, Turtkul and nearby settlements (Republic of Karakalpakia, Uzbekistan); and in Taraz and the village of Rybzavod (Zhambyl region, Kazakhstan). The article is based on the author's field materials collected during the 2014-2016 expeditions to Central Asia and the 2018, to Tuva. Also provided are some excerpts from interviews with the informants. The Chasovennye try to confess and commune the dying person in time, using the Great agiasma (Holy water of the Epiphany). Near the body of the deceased, they light hand-made candles of beeswax, the production whereof is controlled by clergymen. In dressing the body, it is preferable to use homespun fabric made of natural materials. In most of the communities studied, the dead may be buried in regular clothes, but always unworn. Tuvan Old Believers have a more austere and archaic outfit in which sarafan and pants are not included. The shroud is a necessary distinctive feature of Old Belief funeral. The baptismal cross of the deceased must also be new. None of the burial clothes can use knots. A tradition to swaddle the deceased has also been observed. Ablution is a rather symbolic procedure. The body is placed on a bench in the ‘red corner’, first with its head to the icons, then facing them, when it is transferred to the coffin. The Tuvan Chasovennye still bury their deceased in the coffins carved from a solid tree trunk, which are called “domovina”. The Uraltsy (Chasovennye living in Central Asia) may use coffins made of planks, but an indicator of their greater or lesser "correctness" is how parts of the coffin are joined together "with wooden spikes", that is, without nails. As a rule, the grave is dug right before the funeral. In the article, we also examine the issues on Old Believer’s internal preparedness to death – an event defining the person’s life and the nature of the farewell ceremony. Ritual practices, an organization of the cemetery space, artifacts and symbols – all of these are considered important markers for the Old Believer communities, indicating the current group boundary, which differentiates and integrates it at the same time. With the inevitability of contacts with the surrounding population, the Old Believers try to protect their ritual sphere and related objects from external influence.