04/08/2026
Seminari sulla religione slava oggi in Europa. A cura del prof. Giuseppe Maiello, docente all' università di Praga.
On 9th, 23rd and 30th of August: Slavic Religion by prof. Giuseppe Maiello
Slavic religion was practiced until the 9th–10th centuries CE across vast areas of Central, Southern, and Eastern Europe. From the late Middle Ages onward, belief in the ancient deities and nature spirits gradually weakened; nevertheless, well into the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th, numerous elements of the pre Christian tradition remained clearly recognizable among rural communities in Slavic speaking regions. Thanks to the work of ethnographers, many components of the ancient Slavic religious system have been reconstructed. Building on this research, the 20th century—especially its final decades—witnessed a revival of groups throughout the Slavic world dedicated to revitalizing these ancient beliefs.
The seminar aims to present the main theories concerning the religious system of the ancient Slavs and to examine how contemporary rodnover groups reinterpret and put these reconstructions into practice.
The presentation will also explore several characteristic elements of the Slavic religious imagination, such as vampirism and the relationship with the dead and with death. As a counterpoint to this analysis, an in depth discussion of the sexual customs of the ancient Slavs will be offered.
Finally, the seminar will address the symbolism of the kolo, the circular dance that continues to be performed in many parts of the Slavic world—not only within contemporary Slavic communities, but also in village traditions across Central Europe and, in the case of the southern Balkans, even in urban settings.
