Amasya region transition period, calendar and fertility rituals

In this research, the process and meaning structure of the transition, calendar and fertility rituals in the Amasya region were examined. The study, first of all, aims to determine the transition, calendar and fertility rituals, which have important functions in every stage of social and individual life, to cover Amasya center and its six districts, with the methods of compilation from the field, and as a second stage, to create a structural integrity by following the data and the successive chain flow of the rituals. to classify and transfer by process method; and finally, with the "elemental analysis" method, which analyzes the constituent elements of the rituals by separating them; It aimed to analyze the symbolic language, codes and deep meaning structure of rituals. The study consists of five main parts. In the first step of the First Chapter, the concept of ritual is discussed in detail. In this context, the definitions of ritual, the basic features of the ritual, the concepts related to the ritual, and classification studies are included. In the second step of this section, western-centered ritual theory and theoretical approaches are discussed, and the history of ritual studies is summarized. In the third step of the First Chapter titled "The Structure of the Ritual and Its Elements", information is given about the elemental analysis method, which is our method of analysis. In the last step of the First Chapter, the Amasya region, which is the sampling area of the study, is introduced in terms of history and geography. In the second part of the study; Transition period practices consisting of birth, marriage and death rituals are discussed. The stages of the rituals, which are given in a sequential sequence, are structured according to the stages of the transitions. Accordingly, a process path as pre-liminal, liminal and post-liminal was followed. In the Third Chapter, calendar rituals are included. Calendar rituals are divided into two main categories as seasonal cycle-based and commemorative rituals, and the ritual types belonging to each category are examined under sub-titles. The rituals in this category are also given in stages by following a certain process path. The Fourth Chapter consists of fertility rituals. Abundance rituals; It has been examined under two main headings, the first being agricultural and the second animal fertility rituals. Rainfall rituals as agricultural fertility rituals; On the basis of animal fertility, Coach Kati and Saya Traveling rituals are discussed. In the Fifth Chapter, titled "Structural Elements of Rituals", ritual elements such as time, space, ritual persons and roles, ritual objects are handled as indicators, and their contributions to the functioning of the ritual and the formation of meaning in general are analyzed. As a result, in the first step, it has been revealed that rituals have a process and a system. In the second step, it was seen that the rituals conveyed multiple meanings and condensed messages through their founding elements.