Lithuanian religious and ceremonial terms of semitic origin : the phenomenon of Azazel

ENThe article deals with the so-called phenomenon of Azazel, i.e. the scapegoat icon, examples of which can be found in the Dictionary of the Lithuanian Language and in dialectal sources. Its relics are also traced in three-day Shrovetide rites before the Lenten fast, which begins on Ash Wednesday (Shrove Tuesday in Lithuania), and in the Easter feast from Piev˙enai in Samogitia (the histrionic so-called “Easter Jews” vigil on the night before Easter). Using different methods of investigating cultural realia, i.e. cross-cultural comparison and linguistic analysis (based on the inner and external reconstruction (or historical) methodology), two main types of religious terms of Semitic origin registered in the Dictionary of the Lithuanian Language and dialectal sources are identified: (i) Hebraisms with neutral or hereditary connotation; and (ii) pejoratives or semantically modified words with an anti-Semitic background. The paper also explains the origin of the xenophobic elements of the Easter feast, the way it has been celebrated in Pievėnai until today.