Satılma ritual in the healing of childlessness - historical context and metaphoric language of ritual [Çocuksuzluk sağaltiminda satilma ritüeli – ritüelin tarihsel bağlami ve metaforik dili]

Abstract

The elements of cultural identity are preserved in cultural memory with some codes, tokens and symbols. Intergenerational transmission of cultural elements encoded in cultural memory is provided by means such as customs rituals, ceremonies, etc. Recalling the elements of the common memory and the regular repetition has great prominence in the continuity of the social structure. In this context, the rituals, of which content is static, performance is dynamic and functional, is repeated with ritual continuities as the founding principle of cultural memory in the transmission of common memory or cultural heritage. In ritualistic practices, one of the most important items of social memory, it is possible to find the signs of the different social layers and various social, historical and religious, strata. It is possible to find traces of the layers. In this study, the satılma ritual in Amasya region associating with the historical context in which they are produced; we combined and the conceptualization of ritual symbols and the different modes of performance of rituals and evaluated in the context of word, action and function. Satılma ritual is a ritual that is performed to have a child and that the subject is a woman. Women who have been subjected to reproductive misfortune in accordance with their gender or social role are “sold” to a tomb/a saint or a holy tree, stone and water to have children. Rituals rank among the traditional healing applications in the sense of symbolical and religious with crisis resolution functions. The symbolic content of the rituals hold plenty of mythic components which are the extensive emphaticicial notices of the common values and beliefs. It is read into exerciable dynamics of rituals which take part in satılma ritual applications and their core symbolic meaning reportoirs. Using general observations and participatory observations research techniques we followed different performances of the satılma ritual in situ and gathered the data. Folk etymology constitutes a part of ritual explaining a symbol. For this reason direct rituals and rituals are conveyed. © 2017, Milli Folklor Dergisi. All rights reserved.