Mmedea burduli qarTuli tradiciuli samedicino kultura

The complicated system of religious rituals associated with magic
aimed at winning deity’s favour and healing. People went through rituals
both to be healed and to prevent diseases (Svaneti, Lechkhumi and other
regions of Georgia).
Magic and religious rituals were performed at home, divine place
or in the sanctuary (church, divine tree etc.). According to materials from
Svaneti, each disease had its own “sending deity”. Therefore, the ritual
was held in a sanctuary dedicate to the certain deity.
It is worth to be mentioned that in some cases healing magic
implied transfer of disease from a patient to another person by verbal
formula or action. Any belonging of the sick was hung on a tree or put
somewhere. The disease was thought to be transferred to the person who
touched the object.
The incantation was the most popular kind of magic healing.
Exorcists had confidence and authority among people.
The so-called “good days” – Monday, Thursday and Saturday and
certain phases of the Moon were chosen for incantation.
According to ethnographical data main role in treatment of
diseases (e. g. psycho-neurotic ones) was given to exorcism and ritual. In
some cases (skin diseases, wounds, etc.) herbal and other kinds of
traditional healing means were used in the first place, exorcisms and
rituals – in the second place.
It is worth to note that the structure of incantation texts against
different kinds of psycho-neurotic diseases is almost identical. The first
place of patient and the last one, if treatment isn’t effective, is a demand
and threat towards the given disease.
The number of persons participating in a ritual depended on
heaviness of illness. The number varied from 3 to 9. In some cases nine
bonfires were burned in a circle around the sick individual.
Magical sources of treatment affect diseases and its causing
reasons with the purpose of curing a patient. Text and ritual are
complicated and often repeated when incantation is the main treating
method. Thus the patient finds himself in calm, partly darken environment
where exorcist is whispering in a low, monotonous voice. These actions
are necessary to calm neurotic patient and bring him out of stress. If the
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