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The ritualised commemoration of the deceased belongs to the most common forms of communication with the dead. The meaning that people ascribe to a religious commemoration ritual is determined by a concrete religious doctrine, although it can be influenced by a broader cultural tradition. However, in the context of alternative spiritual currents, there can be many possible interpretations of communication with the dead, as there is no "official" doctrine supported by established institutions. In addition, alternative spirituality is marked by the emphasis on individuality, which results in the predominance of solitary practice. Yet, in various contexts, the tension between individuality and community can be manifested in different forms of ritualised behaviour, ranging from strictly private performances to prescribed group rituals. The paper addresses different levels of individual and collective practice in the context of alternative spirituality in Slovakia, a post-socialist country with a predominantly Christian, mostly Catholic, population. It makes use of the theoretical tools of Mary Douglas' theory relating to the connection between cosmological beliefs and particular forms of social life. Rituals and ritualised behaviour are considered in the case of the triduum of All Saints' Eve, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day. The results of ethnographic research on spiritual circles operating in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, have shown that these holidays are perceived and practiced differently by people with different religious or spiritual affiliation. The individual interpretation and the degree of associated ritualised behaviour depend on personal background, as well as the social organisation of a circle to which a practitioner belongs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the analysis of ethnographic research in a village in eastern Slovakia. My aim is to consider the narratives of people from countryside who witnessed socialist period and to present their view of land which they cultivated. I explore two sources: people’s life stories; and a local chronicle which was written during the 1960s. I argue that (1) both kinds of narratives serve as cultural tools for members of a collective as they recount the past in certain context; (2) in this, expression of moral emotions indicates narrative conventions related to social norms. I demonstrate that the semi-official context of the local chronicle demands expression of moral emotions in evaluation of the big-scale political events, but the chroniclers are rather cautious in assessment of local people’s behaviour. On the other side, in informal settings people summarize life periods using moral terms and freely express positive as well as negative attitudes toward other people and social conditions, to make sense of the past events in relation to the present time. Thus, the language of emotions indicates the specific narrative context as well as social rules. At the same time, emotional expressions should be read considering a narrator’s personality and social background; in this, the local historical and cultural setting is essential.

The paper presents the analysis of the narratives which were obtained by means of the ethnographic research in a village in eastern Slovakia, inhabited by Greek Catholics and Orthodox Christians. We consider accounts of the local conflicts resulting from the alterations of government policy towards the Greek Catholic Church in the second half of the twentieth century. We identified the narrative templates employed by people of the two confessions in their stories: (1) the story line stressing unity and division of the community, used by both Orthodox Christians and Greek Catholics; and (2) the story line emphasizing the suffering and the final satisfaction of the Greek Catholics. We concluded that narrators make use of these templates in accordance with their motivations, to pursue various goals on particular occasions of meaning-making. Our results highlight the advantages of ethnographic research in the investigation of collective remembering in small communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the topics discussed within the issue is presented, including the symbolism of blood in South Slavic place-names, an examination into the particular aspects of the body-gender and age in Croatia, and an interdisciplinary approach of medical anthropology.