The article examines the cultural manifestation of imitation and substitution through the lens of hobbyhorsing and religious rituals. The conceptual foundation of this work is the theory of substitution proposed by art historian Ernst Gombrich, as well as the development of his ideas by philosopher Kendall Walton. The established connection between children’s play and art in the intellectual work of these authors opens up the possibility of applying the theory of substitution to the understanding of religious ceremonies. From this perspective, the actions taking place during religious rituals can be interpreted not only as imitation in a broad sense, but also as the replacement of one form of representation with another. A key aspect of substitution in cultural contexts is the imagination of the participants, who are able to create a new independent semantic meaning for a ritual, game, or work of art. Conversely, for an outside observer, the significance of these actions may be lost, and may be perceived merely as pretense or “make-believe”. In conclusion, it is emphasized that imitation and substitution constitute necessary and naturally occurring foundations of cultural development, allowing for the comparison of religious and secular phenomena within the framework of the process of secularization.
hobbyhorsing; quadrobics; therianthropy; religion; culture; imitation; substitution; representation; ritual.