Klaipėdos universitetas

The article is devoted to the analysis of the reaping rituality of Ukrainians to demonstrate its close relationship with Old Slavonic ones, and partly with Indo-European mental constants, which has a pre-Christian basis. Thus, memorial motifs (honouring of the dead ancestors for their assistance to living descendants of reach yield) extremely clearly occurs in the reaping rituality.

Briefly presented in this paper are the results of the 2007 and 2008 excavations at the complex of ancient sites at Ogresgala Čabas. Particularly significant discoveries were made in the Liv cemetery site, which presented a surprising diversity of grave practices, among which particularly significant are the stone circles surrounding the graves, the offerings of artefacts, the sacrifice of a horse and possible sacrifice of a woman. Considering the horse graves at Ogresgala Čabas, in the cemetery adjacent to Daugmale Hillfort and the offerings of horse body parts at cemeteries in the Lower Daugava area, it seems that the horse played a greater role in Liv mythological belief and ritual than has been assumed hitherto.

The article is devoted to the ethnological and the religious culture history research results on the cult of the Hills of Crosses in Lithuania and Poland. It is typical to have still preserved the cult of the Hill of Crosses both in Lithuania and Poland. The Hill of Crosses in Lithuania is not far from the Šiauliai city, while in Poland – it is in Grabarka localities. The research allows us to make the conclusions about the identities (geographical situation, the origin of the cult, the heritage of the religious culture, and rituals), peculiarities (Catholic and Orthodox sanctuaries) and rituals here. The hypothesis was raised that the cult of the Hill of the Crosses in Lithuania and in Poland is a Christian symbol of the fights for religion and freedom.