House and ritual in the traditional culture of Mordva

This article is devoted the investigation of the traditional housing complex in the ritual culture of Mordovian people. In it is considered the semantic functions of the separate elements of dwelling and subsidiary houses and also sacred considerations connected with them. Also is given the analysis of the most important compound components of rites, those are carried out in the home and in the yard, is characterized the ritual functions of its main performers in different historical periods, is traced the tendencies of modification of ritual complexes in interrelation with development of its carrier - Mordovian ethnos.