At the beginning of the 1330s on of the most important travelogues describing the road through the then Mongolian Asia to China was written. Its author was Odoric of Pordenone (or of Friuli, of Udine, etc.), a Franciscan friar born near Pordenone. A large part of the travelogue is taken up by a story about four Franciscan missionaries and the alleged transfer of their bones by Odoric from the Indian city of Thana to one of the Franciscan settlements in southern China. This story occurs in almost all versions of Odoric´s travelogue, but it is missing in a few (except for a brief mention of the martyrdom of the four Franciscans). It seems that this passage, which incidentally, also considerably differs from the rest of the travelogue style, is a later addition, resulting from the influence of the emerging hagiographic tradition. My article presents the historical circumstances of the events that occured just prior to the arival of Odoric in Thana and their representation in the frescos in Udine. A constituent part of the article is a translation of a substantial part of this passage from Odoric´s travelogue, based on the Latin text of the unpublished manuscript XVII.E.2., held by the National Museum Library in Prague., Vladimír Liščák., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The current text deals with the Japanese Seven Gods of Fortune, the shichifukujin, deities of combinatory nature that are believed to bring luck, prosperity and longevity to those who venerate them. The primary emphasis of this article is to introduce the seven lucky gods as part of a New Year ritual in the mountain village of Shimofukuzawa in rural Japan, addressing, therefore, the issue of contemporary Japanese folk religion. I tis based upon an anthropological documentary recorded in a village where local traditions are being perpetuated by the performance of community rituals, during which all members of the village take part. The article is intended to provide an introductory text to the delineation of the ritual proper, which will be introduced under the name Fertility Rituals in Japan and their Symbolism: Fertility rituals under the protection of Dōsojin., Zuzana Kubovčáková., and Obsahuje seznam literatury