Meanings, index-signs and performativity on a christmas ritual

Abstract

Meanings, index-signs and performativity on a christmas ritual    In this article author examins an actual Christmas ritual action (C. Geertz, 1992; V. Turner, 1988) that happens in Gernika (Bizkaia), called Marijesiak, by the point of view of simbolic anthropology.     An analysis of meanings used on it, based on the theoretical aproach of performativity, allows taking out the dinamic and creative parts of the tradition, exposing the convenience of using simbols or index-signs in this kind of anthropological analysis.