NDLI: Just beautiful green herbs: use of plants in cultural practices in Bukovina and Roztochya, Western Ukraine

Content Provider	Springer Nature : BioMed Central
Author	Stryamets, N. Fontefrancesco, M. F. Mattalia, G. Prakofjewa, J. Pieroni, A. Kalle, R. Stryamets, G. Sõukand, R.
Abstract	Background The use of plants in rituals is a little explored corner of biocultural diversity which has developed through time within a complex socio-ecological system. Indeed, rituals are complex interactions between humans and biodiversity shaped by history, culture, and ethnic belonging. Yet, in Western Ukraine, such rituals were forbidden for over 50 years (1939–1991). The current revival of rituals by rural inhabitants is an untapped reservoir of local ecological knowledge. The aim of the present study was to identify the ritual use of wild and cultivated plants in two regions of Western Ukraine, Bukovina and Roztochya, and to compare the findings with historical data. Moreover, we analyzed attitudes toward the ritual use of plants and interactions with the local environment. Methods We conducted 31 in-depth semi-structured interviews among Orthodox Hutsuls of Bukovina and 16 interviews among Greek Catholic rural inhabitants of Roztochya during summer 2018 focusing on the ritual uses of plants. Results We documented 28 plant taxa among Bukovinian Hutsuls and 58 plant taxa among inhabitants in Roztochya that were used in 7 religious festivals (of which two were celebrated differently in the two communities). Plants were mainly used in bouquets, but also for decorating churches and houses or in fruit baskets. In both communities, almost 25% of the interviewees could not name the plants they collected for bouquets, but rather referred to “just beautiful green herbs” one can get in meadows, forests, and gardens. Comparison with historical data shows a smaller number of taxa currently used (wild taxa have been lost), yet the persistence of 18 taxa used both now and a century ago. Conclusions Contemporary practices concerning the use of plants in Christian rituals in Bukovina and Roztochya can be contextualized in the broader phenomenon of the revitalization of traditional environmental knowledge and practices that have characterized Europe over the past 30 years and in particular Eastern Europe after socialism. The current religious use of plants is to a certain extent the revitalization of historical rituals supported by various internal (knowledge from older generations) and external (church authorities and fashion in the region) drivers. Further research should address changes in regions with longer and more severe prohibition of religious practices and their revival.
Related Links	https://ethnobiomed.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s13002-021-00439-y.pdf
Ending Page	25
Page Count	25
Starting Page	1
File Format	HTM / HTML
ISSN	17464269
DOI	10.1186/s13002-021-00439-y
Journal	Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine
Issue Number	1
Volume Number	17
Language	English
Publisher	BioMed Central
Publisher Date	2021-03-04
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	Complementary & Alternative Medicine Biodiversity Ecology Ceremonies Forest products Hutsuls Non-wood forest products Religious rituals TEK Biocultural diversity
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Cultural Studies Complementary and Alternative Medicine Health (social science) Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Journal Impact Factor	2.9/2023
5-Year Journal Impact Factor	3.6/2023

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

Knowledge transmission patterns at the border: ethnobotany of Hutsuls living in the Carpathian Mountains of Bukovina (SW Ukraine and NE Romania)

Why the ongoing occupation of Ukraine matters to ethnobiology

Interaction between forest biodiversity and people’s use of forest resources in Roviana, Solomon Islands: implications for biocultural conservation under socioeconomic changes

TEK, local perceptions of risk, and diversity of management practices of Agave inaequidens in Michoacán, Mexico

Palm Sunday in central Mexico: among sellers, palms and syncretism

How does urbanization affect perceptions and traditional knowledge of medicinal plants?

Plants as highly diverse sources of construction wood, handicrafts and fibre in the Heihe valley (Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi, China): the importance of minor forest products

Semiarid ethnoagroforestry management: Tajos in the Sierra Gorda, Guanajuato, Mexico

Does commercialization lead to more intensive management strategies? Decision-making for the utilization of non-timber forest products in a Nahua area of the Sierra Negra, Mexico

Just beautiful green herbs: use of plants in cultural practices in Bukovina and Roztochya, Western Ukraine

Similar Documents

Knowledge transmission patterns at the border: ethnobotany of Hutsuls living in the Carpathian Mountains of Bukovina (SW Ukraine and NE Romania)

Why the ongoing occupation of Ukraine matters to ethnobiology

Interaction between forest biodiversity and people’s use of forest resources in Roviana, Solomon Islands: implications for biocultural conservation under socioeconomic changes

TEK, local perceptions of risk, and diversity of management practices of Agave inaequidens in Michoacán, Mexico

Palm Sunday in central Mexico: among sellers, palms and syncretism

How does urbanization affect perceptions and traditional knowledge of medicinal plants?

Plants as highly diverse sources of construction wood, handicrafts and fibre in the Heihe valley (Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi, China): the importance of minor forest products

Semiarid ethnoagroforestry management: Tajos in the Sierra Gorda, Guanajuato, Mexico

Does commercialization lead to more intensive management strategies? Decision-making for the utilization of non-timber forest products in a Nahua area of the Sierra Negra, Mexico

Just beautiful green herbs: use of plants in cultural practices in Bukovina and Roztochya, Western Ukraine