Latvian Old Believer rite of baptism: Tradition and transformation under the impact of Soviet secularization (1940s–1980s)

Abstract

This paper analyzes the specificity of the Old Believer (Eastern [Russian] Orthodox) rite of baptism – the sacrament of initiation into the Holy Church of Jesus Christ – rooted in the tradition of early Christianity. It is based on a literature review and narratives recorded in the eastern region of Latvia (Latgale) from the 1970s to 2021 during oral history, areal linguistic and folklore expeditions. The empirical evidence is selected from the collection of Daugavpils University Institute of the Humanities and Social Sciences and reveals typical features of Old Believer baptism as well as changes in the performance of the traditional ritual in the middle and second half of the twentieth century under Soviet occupation (1940–1941; 1944/45–1990) and forced secularization. The use of oral history sources allows us to reconstruct historically, politically and socially significant past events from a subjective perspective. Being the carrier of specific religious, social and cultural information, the Old Believer rite of baptism remained of crucial significance for members of the religious community in Latvia in order to identify themselves with family, and denomination and pass down the values and traditions of their ancestors to the next generation. During the unfavourable conditions of forced secularization aimed at gradually eliminating religious belief, various forms of religiosity were suppressed and persecuted. Despite many limitations, for the Old Believers in Latvia the rite of baptism remained one of the crucial manifestations of their belief. However, due to changes in human behaviour, the baptismal ceremony became an individual family matter rather than a community event, as it was performed in secret.