MEMORY AND FORMAL RITUAL: THE KRYVYI RIH CASE OF RECEPTION OF VICTORY DAY COMMEMORATIONS

Abstract

The paper examines the reception of commemorative ceremonies on Victory Day. The aim of the paper is to analyse the perception of commemorative events on Victory Day by ordinary citizens. The following research questions are formulated: To what extent did the reception of these events by city residents match the meanings attributed to them? How effective were they as commemorative and educational events? The experience of participating in commemorative events is analysed in a broad chronological perspective, but with a special focus on the period from the 2000s to the 2020s. The study presents the case of the city of Kryvyi Rih, although it can be extrapolated to the situation typical of the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine. The sources include 16 interviews between 2022 and 2024, as well as the author’s personal observations. It was concluded that the temporal distance weakened the personal connection with the memory of the Second World War for younger generations who had been involved in commemorations since the 1990s. Their perception of these events as obligatory rituals that did not develop a personal connection or evoke a sense of belonging indicates that commemorative ceremonies did not fulfil their traditional functions of transmitting knowledge and values and uniting the community. This was also facilitated by the transformation of the events since the 2000s, in particular the passing of the generation of WWII veterans and attempts to visually appropriate the celebrations by political forces. Consequently, the ceremonies could be interpreted as political demonstrations or simply as a mechanical reproduction of a usual formalised ritual. The ineffectiveness of traditional Victory Day ceremonies as commemorative events from the perspective of participants is also evidenced by expectations that the commemoration of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war will not replicate them in form.