The role of «The Village Day» in preservation of historical memory of the Komi re-settlers in Western Siberia

The features of the holiday “The Village Day” in the settlements, founded by the Komi on the territory of Western Siberia in the 1840s, are identified. The focus is made on the celebrations dedicated to the 170th anniversary of the village Saranpaul’ of Berezovsky District of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug — Yugra (15 September, 2012), and of the village of Ivanovka of Yalutorovsk District of Tyumen Oblast (7 July, 2014). The basic elements of the holiday, its functions in relation to the territory and population are highlighted in the article. «The Village Day» in the Komi settlements is characterized by a series of meaningful symbolic actions. The population reconstructs plots of the historical legends about the first settlers and difficulties of development of the new territory, which is related to the ancestor worship and emphasizes labour rights to the developed territory. They de-monstrate family heirlooms and/or reconstructed genealogies which embody the idea of a clan. They use their mother tongue for congratulations, and elements of traditional clothes or other cultural attributes which have a high semiotic status in this situation and emphasize group identity