The dearly not-quite departed : funerary rituals and beliefs about the dead in Ukrainian culture

This dissertation presents and examines contemporary Ukrainian funerary and related rituals and beliefs about the dead, relating them to similar rituals and beliefs from the pre-revolutionary period. Analysis of the beliefs and practices focuses on the relationship between the living and the dead, the nature of the transition the dead undergo and the length of time it requires. It also examines the nature of the afterlife, treatment of space, cultural beliefs, values and concerns expressed in the rituals, and the implications of all of the preceding for Ukrainian worldview. Through the analysis, the importance of family and community, the importance of marriage, and concerns about territorial boundary crossing in Ukrainian culture become clear.