RITUAL AS A MECHANISM FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF CULTURAL VALUES

Abstract

Purpose. The article aims to examine ritual as a multilayered cultural phenomenon that combines symbolic activity, collective experience, and archetypal structures, as well as to reveal its role in the transmission and actualization of cultural values. Methodology. The study employs cultural and philosophical-symbolic approaches, drawing on the concepts of M. Eliade, E. Cassirer, S. Langer, and C. G. Jung. Methods of comparative cultural analysis and semiotic description are applied to uncover the polysemy of ritual and its functions within culture. Scientific novelty. Ritual is conceptualized as a multilayered symbolic form that integrates social, artistic, religious, and psychological dimensions. The study demonstrates the interrelation of Cassirer’s symbolic theory, Langer’s aesthetic philosophy, and Jung’s archetypal theory, which interpret ritual as a mediator between the individual and the collective, the rational and the irrational, in the transmission of cultural values.Conclusions. The analysis establishes that ritual represents one of the fundamental forms of cultural existence, ensuring the reproduction of values through symbolic actions and uniting different levels of cultural experience: the sacred (Eliade, 2001 ), the symbolic (Cassirer, 1955), the aesthetic (Langer, 1957), and the archetypal (Jung, 2017). Through ritual, cultural experience and collective meanings are transmitted, where symbolism not only represents but also actualizes the deep structures of cultural consciousness. Ritual performs a transformative function: it shapes cultural identity, links the present with the mythical past, and integrates the individual with the collective, the rational with the non-rational. Due to this multilayered nature, ritual appears not only as a social or religious act but also as a universal symbolic form that ensures cultural continuity and opens the possibility for both personal and communal transformation.