Criticism and bibliography Moscow: Publishing house firm "Vostochnaya literatura", 2001. 230 p. E. E. Nosenko's work is unique, because Russian Oriental studies have not yet attempted a complete reconstruction of the history of the most important Jewish holidays from the moment of their origin to the present day. Based on a wide range of sources, the author traces the evolution and peculiarities of holiday culture in Jewish communities in various regions of the world. But the main thing that distinguishes this study is the historical and anthropological approach to the phenomenon under study. The culture of the holiday occupies a key place in the Jewish tradition, especially actualizing various aspects of the"Jewish myth". In the difficult periods of the Jewish people's history, of which there were many, the holiday allowed us to keep faith, bringing light and hope of the coming deliverance. Again and again separating the world of the "sacred" from the "mundane," the holiday preserved the Jews as a " nation of priests." Acting as a mediator in the process of reproducing the archaic meanings of Sacred Tradition, the holiday at the same time translated the "high" categories of theology into the language of folk culture. "One of the distinctive features of Jewish holidays, starting from the Biblical era, was their mass character, the involvement of all members of the collective in the festive action without distinction of gender, age or social status" (p. 15). Having formed in the Middle Eastern natural and cultural landscape, the Jewish holiday shared the fate of the people-it absorbed more and more new components, while losing much of its original symbolism. According to E. E. Nosenko, " at present, different ideas and practices co-exist in Jewish holidays, starting with the most ancient and ending with innovations of modern and modern times. In one festive and ceremonial complex, various religious ideas and practices are thus connected in stages. The original natur ... Read more