Tabula rasa, Christmas and New Year: the ritual of purification as a cultural mechanism Introduction: The festival as a metaphor of a clean slate The concept of tabula rasa ("clean slate"), coming from ancient philosophy and developed by John Locke, metaphorically describes the state of consciousness free from previous experience. Christmas and New Year, especially in their secular, modern interpretation, represent a complex cultural ritual, the purpose of which is to symbolically create a state of tabula rasa for the individual and society. This is not an instinctive tradition, but a highly organized mechanism of psychological and social "reset", allowing for the experience of renewal within strictly designated calendar periods. 1. Historical roots: from winter solstice to calendar boundary The connection of the festival with the idea of purification and the beginning of a new cycle dates back to pre-Christian traditions. Winter solstice festivals (Saturnalia in Rome, Yule among the Germanic peoples) were a time of symbolic chaos and subsequent renewal of the world. The world "died" at the darkest point of the year to be reborn. Rituals included: Purification by fire (burning of logs, bonfires). Exorcism of evil spirits (noise, masked figures). Abolition of social norms (masters and servants changed roles), allowing to "reset" accumulated social tensions. Christianity, placing Christmas in this same period, sublimated these archaic practices into spiritual purification through repentance (Advent). The secular New Year, finally separating from the religious context, inherited and exaggerated this function of "resetting" — purely calendar-based, accessible to all regardless of faith, tabula rasa. 2. Rituals of purification: creating a "clean slate" The sum of pre-New Year's and New Year's actions represents a sequential program for erasing the old and preparing for the new. A. Pre-festival phase (December): "Erasing" the old. General cleaning. This is not a domestic ... Read more