December 15, 2022
Folk Religion and Practices
in Ashkenazi Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
with Ron Wixman
7:00 - 8:30pm EDT
online via Zoom
$10 is suggested but any amount is appreciated. Donations support these events, leaders and musicians, and the Folk Arts Center.
Use this link to join the presentation via Zoom.
Come and hear Ron share (in his own inimitable style) informative and entertaining first-hand observations of "folk religion practices" from cultures around the world - sure to be an evening to remember!
About the Presentation
One of the most interesting features of folklore and culture is what people actually practice as "religion." Traveling to over 100 countries all over the world, Ron Wixman discovered that the majority of people have relatively little knowledge of the ritual practices of their official religions, but rather pursue folk practices passed down over generations. He has observed that in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam it is more often men who practice the Biblical/Koranic official religion, and more often women who preserve the folk religion.
In the end, the folk religious beliefs and practices are more important to many members of these societies than the "official" ones. Unfortunately, those beautiful and meaningful folk cultural worlds are being lost to modernization and increasing educational opportunities; many women are shifting away from their traditional beliefs and adopting more and more of the men's formalized religious practices.
About Ron
In addition to his status (well-known to us) as a respected and much-loved teacher of Balkan dance and collector of traditional costumes, Ron is also Dr. Ronald Wixman, author of numerous books, articles, and papers and professor emeritus in the Department of Geography at the University of Oregon, where he has taught on a range of subjects relating to ethnic geography, the geography of religion, cultural geography, and ethno-political geography of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.