THE ISSUE OF SECULARIZATION OF THE CULT OF WOOD IN THE SOVIET EXPERIENCE

Abstract

In 1926, Vaso Aptsiauri's poem 'Don't cut down forests!' was published in 'New Village' magazine. The popularity of the poem led to the creation of various folk versions, which were documented by folklorists in different locations and time periods. The popularization of the poem was greatly facilitated by the strengthening of Soviet anti-religious propaganda, because, along with its artistic value, the poem precisely responded to the ideological discourse of the era.

As it is well-known, in the 1920s, the Bolshevik government waged a fierce campaign against all religious denominations, referring to them as 'religious vestiges', and attempted to eradicate any religious beliefs, ideas or traditions among the people. One of the targets of this propaganda was the Christmas tree and Ded Moroz ("Дед Мороз") associated with Christmas, who is a humanized version of the ferocious character of Russian folklore, Morozko. Ecology was cited as one of the arguments against the Christmas tree tradition, and since the above-mentioned verse was well suited to Soviet propaganda, the authorities used it for their own purposes.

In 1935, the Soviet authorities reintroduced the spruce as the main attribute of the New Year holiday, rather than Christmas. This was done to provide public holidays for people, particularly children. Ded Moroz also returned to Soviet children at this time.

The article examines the reception of the Christmas tree as an ancient tree cult in the Christian world. The issue of its conception, development-spread and indoctrination both in Western Europe and in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. Also, the issue of indoctrination of the character from the Russian myth - Ded Moroz - which has never been a subject of study in Georgian folkloristics.

Key words:  Soviet ideology; Folk ecology; Christmas tree; Ded Moroz.