Abstract
The twelve animals of Chinese zodiac symbolize a twelve-year cyclic calendar used among Buddhists in various regions of East and Southeast Asia. The Republic of Buryatia is one of the three Buddhist regions of Russia. The Buryats profess Tibetan Buddhism of Gelug school which spread through Mongolia in the 17th century. That is why the nomadic culture of Buryats is closely intertwined with Buddhist philosophy. For the Buryats an animal can be seen as not just a source of food, a helper, or a friend, but also as a sacred being. The twelve zodiac animals are endowed with a special sacred meaning for Buryats. The study analyzes the system of ideas about twelve zodiac animals in the media space of the republic of Buryatia. Specifically, we study the materials of the news portal Inform Polis Online for the last twelve years, from 2011 to 2023. In total, ninety-six publications were analyzed. As a result, we identified six thematic structures related to the animals of the lunar calendar. The material considers symbolic nature of zoomorphic images; visual representation of the images of zodiac animals in the urban landscape of Ulan-Ude, the capital of the republic; the specifics of integration of animal images into regional education and culture, etc. The analysis of the role of zoomorphic images and practices of their interpretation in the media space of Buryatia can enrich the debates on human-animal relationship from the point of view of Buryat culture where traditional nomadic views are merged with Buddhist philosophy.
Presenters
Galina DondukovaJunior Researcher, Department of Literary and Folklore Studies, Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russian Federation Tatiana Lenkhoboeva
Associate Professor, Department of Media Communication, East Siberian State University of Technology and Management, Buryatiya, Respublika, Russian Federation
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
Zodiac Animals, Buryatia, Buryat Buddhism, Zoomorphic Images, Media Space
