THE PRIESTLY INSTITUTION IN THE VIDEVDAT AND ITS TRANSFORMATION IN THE BOYSUN ETHNOGRAPHIC CONTEXT.

Abstract

This article presents a comparative and functional analysis of the priestly institution described in the Vendidad, a key text of the Avesta within the Zoroastrian religious and philosophical system. The study employs a multidisciplinary approach, combining textual analysis of written sources with ethnographic evidence in order to identify structural continuity between ancient ritual systems and contemporary cultural practices. Ritual practices in the Boysun region are typologically compared with the priestly system, revealing aspects related to collectivity, functional division of labor, and ritual order. Particular attention is given to collective organization, functional division of ritual labor, and ceremonial order. The findings indicate that the Zoroastrian ritual system possessed a complex hierarchical structure, elements of which have been preserved in transformed forms within the ethnographic traditions of Central Asia.