Spiritual and moral qualities of the Ural Cossacks in family and marriage relations (the 18th – early 20th centuries)

The subject of the study is the spiritual and moral qualities of the Ural Cossacks, most clearly manifested in family and marriage relations. On the basis of the analysis of family and marriage traditions of the Ural Cossacks it is possible to construct an image of a Cossack warrior, ready to desperately defend his Homeland. The study of historical aspects of the development of folk traditions becomes especially relevant in the conditions of the modern worldview crisis. Archival materials and a variety of local history literature (works of I.I. Zheleznov, N.A. Borodin, V.N. Vitevsky, V.G. Korolenko, A.V. Gnedenko, etc.) were used for the preparation of the article. Methodologically, the article is based on the cultural approach, which allows us to understand the reasons for the stability of Cossack traditions throughout the centuries. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that for the first time the spiritual and moral qualities of the Ural Cossacks, manifested in the family and domestic sphere, are considered as an indicator of the Ural Cossacks' attitude to military service. In the everyday culture of the Ural Cossacks in the 18th – early 20th centuries, under the influence of historical factors, such human qualities as responsibility, respect for elders, freedom-loving, collectivism, domesticity and avoidance of honour-defying sexual contacts became valuable. The importance of these qualities has not been lost until now, which is confirmed by the Decrees of the President of the Russian Federation in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The need of society and the state for real heroes, as the Ural Cossacks were considered to be, becomes especially acute when national threats increase. The article concludes on the role of spiritual and moral qualities of the Ural Cossacks in preserving their unique culture.

The Ural Cossacks, everyday culture, family and marriage relations, family, tradition, spiritual and moral qualities, values, identity, military service, Homeland