Sokolova A. Byzantine-knightly cultural phenomenon in the religious and creative traditions of Britain-England and Rus-Ukraine

The dissertation examines the historical interactions of Britain and England and Rus-Ukraine from the Byzantine-Christian period of existence of the Undivided Church until the XVII century, based on knightly-aristocratic principles of cultural relations of the nations. A specific feature of the allure of British paganism to Christian ideals and values is revealed by analogy with the adoption of Christianity by the Scythian-Slavs of the Crimea in the 1st century AD; such attraction laid the foundation for the cultural genetics of the Orthodox religion for subsequent times: from the religious movements of the XIX century in England, aimed at unification of Anglicanism and Orthodoxy, to the present manifestations of unification of higher Anglicanism and Orthodoxy in Great Britain. The study covers the stages of occurrence and strengthening of religious and cultural relations between Britain and Rus-Ukraine, in the center of which were the intensive contacts of the Rus and British-Celtic scholarly preachers. The dissertation emphasizes the influence of the spiritual art of dance in Britain and the Ukrainian East, as the heritage of Byzantium, identifying signs of the continuity of sacred ancient dance, which were traced in movements-gestures-poses of "dematerialization". The study traces the features of the continuity of the ancient West Orthodox traditions regarding the mysticism of the Druids, Slavic Magians, and Christian mysticism in the military actions of the Cossacks-characteristic. It is emphasized that the ancient pagan and Christian-mystical traditions of masquerade performances in Eastern and Western Orthodox customs, were associated with pre-Christmas and Christmas holidays, which led to a synthesis of festive rites of veneration of the winter solstice, the feast of Kolyada for the Slavs, the feast of Saturnalia for the English, and similar holidays among the Celts, which were directly related to the traditions of Christian Christmas. The sacred origins of the Christmas holidays have been determined by traditions of Christmas and Vechornytsi in Ukraine, and finally in the political-spiritual "theater" of Anti-Мasque and Masque in Britain-England.