Modern Commemorative Practices of immigrants from the flooded villages (Kyiv, Khmelnytsk, Chernihiv regions)

The article analyses typical fragments of narrative about forced resettlement from the flood zone, namely stories about annual meetings of migrants (former fellow villagers), based on oral historical memoirs written by the author in 2012–2019 and presented in relevant publications about flooded villages. The article objective is to describe and characterize modern commemorative activities of the residents relocated from the flood zone due to hydroelectric power plants construction. The scientific novelty is in that a little-known material on new forms of Ukrainians’ modern ritual culture is introduced into scientific discourse. The study uses typological, structural & functional methods and that of field research. Today the most common social form of preserving cultural memory about the flooded villages is migrants meetings. This practice began in the 2000s and continues until now. The action and subject series of these memorial practices are described, namely joint meals, performing the village anthem, taking photos. Conclusions. Modern commemorative activities to honour the flooded villages are a quite new phenomenon in Ukrainian traditional culture. Due to reduplication and similar historical experience, former villagers’ meetings in Ukraine different regions where the flood took place have the following common features. The initiative comes from the participants themselves; the meetings happen near the flooded settlement and include elements aimed to create a solemn atmosphere; the activities declared purpose is to preserve memory about the lost village. The stories about villagers-migrants’ meetings have the following features: emphasizing the events voluntariness and its participants’ activeness; emphasizing the meetings mass scale; mentioning their solemnity and important social significance.