2 Bożena Gierek to one of the aspects of the feast, namely, to the abundance that distinguishes the feast from ordinary days (cf., e.g., Caillois [1939] 1972: Ch. 4; Canetti [1960] 2001; Duvignaud [1977] 2011). This aspect is disconnected from its old function and is not necessarily used in its original context. It is also used as a metaphor; e.g., any kind of art can be a feast for the eye. Because the term “feast” and its equivalents in other languages (e.g., Ger. Fest, Fr. fête, Span. fiesta from Lat. festum, festa) are commonly used to signify celebration, and there is a semantic difference between “feast” and “festival” in many languages, hence particular events are called “feasts,” not “festivals,” and vice versa; we, therefore, decided to leave the Authors of the chapters the choice to use either of them. Carnival, in turn, is treated as a special form of feast or festival. Feast is connected not only with free time, relaxation, and entertainment, but also with determined rituals, religious cult, dates important for a nation or a state, labor law, organization of production, traditions of social movements and their ideologies, and demonstrations that take place on special days. The feast—serious and elevating, or crazy and derisive—allows its participants to confirm their cultural identity and distinction from other groups (cf. Ciołek, Olędzki & Zadrożyńska 1976: 298–299). It concerns both natural and artificially created communities (cf. Heers [1983] 1995: 136–137). The feast plays an important role in the process of socialization and enculturation of an individual. It is always infused with strong emotions (of horror, fear, guilt, joy, liberation, triumph)—both individual and collective—much stronger than any other event. Emotions are present not only during the celebration, but also during the preparations for the feast (cf. Mielicka 2006: 43). These emotions, especially joy, felt collectively, have a purifying power (cf. Żygulski 1981). “The emotional response” of an individual, regarded by the American anthropologist Ralph Linton ([1945] 1975) as the distinctive psychological desire, or even the most distinctive desire, can be satisfied in a group. Feasting with others, especially with those with whom an individual shares cultural patterns, is a situation in which the emotional response can be multiplied. There are plenty of different definitions of feast that highlight its various aspects, functions, and characteristics not specified above.2 However, all of 2 There are numerous publications on feasts, festivals, and feasting, but most of them concentrate on a particular feast. Another problem is that a vast number of these publications is in languages that are not widely known. An example is a book written in Polish called Antropologia świąt i świętowania [= The Anthropology of Feasts and Feasting] by the Polish
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