The Cult of the Cross Mountains in the Three Rivers

Throughout history, mountain landscapes have participated in the formation of images of reality. Mountains are a constant of human existence; their image is a universal of consciousness. One of the expressions of this reality is religious and mythological ideas about mountains and practices associated with them. The article is devoted to the cult of mountains that exists among Orthodox believers in the Russian Three Rivers region. The Russian Three Rivers region is usually called the area of compact residence of Russians located in the People’s Republic of China. The article is based on field research materials (2015–2019, Northeast China). In the spiritual culture of the Russian population of the region, religious and mythological ideas about the holy mountains are preserved. In the sacred topography of Three Rivers, there are seven holy mountains. Orthodox crosses are installed on each holy mountain. Therefore, these mountains are also called “the Cross Mountains”. Modern Russian residents climb the Cross Mountains on some Orthodox holidays. A visit to the Cross Mountains is almost mandatory on the Ascension Day. This custom is deeply rooted in the culture of Russian residents as an important event in religious life along with Easter and Christmas. Believers often climb the Cross Mountains during illness, misfortune, or drought to pray for deliverance from trouble. The Chinese authorities do not interfere with the veneration of the Cross Mountains and the performance of sacred rites there. In Three Rivers, collective ritual actions on the Cross Mountains are consistently included for Russian and Chinese residents in religious syncretism, which combines the traditions of Russian and Chinese folk religion. The veneration of the Cross Mountains and the performance of rituals there is one of the foundations for Russians to preserve their ethno-cultural identity.