Percepties van bovennatuur. Continuïteit en verandering in de Zuidnederlandse rite-praktijk

Abstract

Perceptions of the Supernatural. Continuity and Change in Dutch Ritual Practice.The way people perceive nature and landscape varies f.e. according to period, social-cultural group, religion and region. In this contribution the religious and mythical attitudes towards landscape is examined. In modern Western culture thinking related to nature is dominated by a profane perception and rational-economic use of space. The mythical dimension is usually projected upon pre-industrial rural societies. This makes sense indeed, but it cannot be maintained that modern, industrialised society in principle does not have a sacred perception of nature. By presenting ethnological evidence concerning Christmas Trees (some remarks are made on the introduction and diffusion in the Netherlands) and open air communal Christmas stables for the holy family with the newborn Child (an increasing popular feature since the eighties) elements of communal competition, tourism, environment and history or museum sentiments are analyzed. By using the concept of 'cultural biography of landscape' we focus on different cultural diagnoses of landscape. Special attention is paid towards Iron Age-urnfields; mythical places about which local villagers told stories in the 19th and 20th century. In what way did they appropriate the distinct features of these prehistoric landscapes in their christian worldview and mental space? With regard to early modern times, the different confessional attitudes towards sacred trees, wells and mounts of both roman catholics and calvinists is analyzed. We have not elaborated on speculations about pre-christian substrate or questions of origin of customs like the Christmas Tree: they really do not have much relevance for ethnological research, they only reflect perceptions, preoccupations and an - implicit - need for continuity of the researcher.