Ideological and landscape-oriented roots of organizing ecovillages (ethnographic field evidence of 2019 from Omsk region)

Evidence from the ethnographic field study into the ecovillages of Omsk Region is presented. Research in ecovillages of “Severnaya Stolitsa,” Oberezhnoe, Imbiren, and Az-Grad continued in 2019. Settlements of family estates Imbiren and Oberezhnoe were founded by the followers of a new religious movement “The Ringing Cedars of Russia” or “Anastasia”; Az-Grad was founded on the basis of native Slavic neopaganism, while Severnaya Stolitsa was founded on the basis of a neo-Hindu new religious movement of Krishnaism-Vaishnavism. The evidence collected during the field season of 2019 is related to ideological and landscape-oriented principles for ecovillages' organization and functioning. The ideology of the “Anastasia” movement was described in the books of its founder Vladimir Megre. Field interviews have shown that these books were the source of the true meaning of life for the followers of “Anastasia”; they demonstrate the eternal value of land, which has been lost in the urban lifestyle. Ideological principles determine the basic criteria of life and behavior, which include the unconditional desire to settle on the land, give birth to children, build a house, and plant trees. The main goal of the residents in eco-communities is creation of family estates as the space of love, based on the principles of harmonious interaction with nature, which involves vegetarian diet and refusal of alcohol consumption and smoking. A part of the ideological complex is the mission of reviving rural lifestyle. An important factor for the ecovillage functioning is the choice of the best possible place. Soil productivity, water availability, remoteness from major highways and industrial facilities play an important role in choosing location. The residents consider creating the surrounding space and transforming the landscape as their main goal. Public buildings and open areas for educational, festive, and other events are the necessary elements of settlements' planigraphy. In 2019, the authors took part in celebrating the Earth Day in the Anastasian settlement of Oberezhnoe, and participated in the celebration of Maslenitsa and Oseniny in the ecovillage of Az-Grad. Information on some festive rituals is provided in this article.