Women Studies

Women Studies

Sacred Exchanges: An Ethnographic Analysis of the Healing Function of Food in Votive Spread Rituals

Document Type : -

Author
Javad Maddahi Mashizi
Assistant Professor, Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman. Kerman, Iran
10.30465/ws.2026.53398.4528
Abstract
"This study employs interpretive ethnography to investigate the healing function of food embedded within the votive offering ritual (Nazr) practiced by women in Kerman. The primary goal is to delineate the transformation of food from a mere material object into an active, multidimensional agent for therapeutic exchange within this context. The methodology involved in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 12 women during the cooking and distribution phases of their offerings. Data analysis utilized a three-stage coding process culminating in thematic analysis.
Findings indicate that food in the Nazr context exceeds a nutritional role, becoming an object imbued with intention and hope. The performance of cooking and distribution acts as a form of cultural anxiety management, translating existential suffering into meaningful, structured action. This ritual simultaneously engages three dimensions of healing: physical, psycho-social, and spiritual. Furthermore, food semiotics show that specific dishes align with particular needs, from survival to restoration.
In conclusion, the food offering is presented as a symbolic and female-centered therapeutic system. The kitchen becomes a sacred space, and female culinary action serves to rebuild individual psychological coherence and reinforce social solidarity. Ultimately, this ritual is characterized as a form of cultural engineering for managing existential crises."
Keywords
Food Vow, Ethnography of Healing, Kerman Women&‌‌rsquo
s Rituals, Symbolic Healing, Cultural Management of Anxiety, Symbolic Therapeutic System
Subjects
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  • Receive Date 10 November 2025
  • Revise Date 17 January 2026
  • Accept Date 07 February 2026