Russian wandering
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In the history of
Russian Orthodox religion the tradition of wandering (Russian: странничество, strannichestvo) was a special way of life, a form of piety, devotion, and the search of God, which consisted in rejecting the earthly ways of life. A person was called странник, strannik, literally "wanderer". It is similar to the concept of (Christian) pilgrimage and often is translated in English with this term. However, in Russian language pilgrimage is denoted by a different word: (Russian: паломничество, palomnichestvo). The major distinction is that pilgrimage has a finite goal: a visit of some holy place, while strannichectvo is the wandering way of life.[1] It should be distinguished from aimless wandering, or wandering of the poor, vagrancy. For the purpose of this distinction, the terms "spiritual wandering" and "holy wanderer" were used.[2]
History
Strannichestvo did evolve from the Christian tradition of pilgrimage. Some pilgrims carried out pilgrimage into several places spending a considerable part of their life for this. Over time it has evolved into a particular kind of spiritual feat, which could include pilgrimage. Stranniks were welcome by Russian common folk. In return for hospitality, strangers described the holy (and other) places they visited, peddled holy relics and texts.[2]
Unlike European mendicant orders, Russian stranniks were ordinary people, rather than monks.[3]
Superficially a Russian strannik and a
vagrant looked alike in their way of life. The main difference is that for a strannik peregrination is a spiritual value, while for a vagrant or a travelling beggar it is an inevitable hapless state due to overwhelming circumstances.[3]
Wanderers schism
In the last quarter of the 18th century, a
beguny[4]
("runaways").In culture
- The Wanderer, a 1867 poem by Apollon Maykov
- The Enchanted Wanderer, a 1873 novel by Nikolai Leskov
See also
References
- ^ Pål Kolstø , Heretical Orthodoxy: Lev Tolstoi and the Russian Orthodox Church, Chapter 6: Tolstoi and the Wanderer Tradition in Russian Culture
- ^ a b О паломничестве и странничестве
- ^ a b Д.Б. Дорофеев, ФЕНОМЕН СТРАННИЧЕСТВА В ЗАПАДНОЕВРОПЕЙСКОЙ И РУССКОЙ КУЛЬТУРАХ, Культурология, 2010, no. 1. pp.63-88
- ^ Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary (in Russian). 1906. .