Keywords: traditional culture, ritual, sacrificial animal, age-related and gender functional, order of ritual food distribution, picture of the world, prayer

The article examines traditional Ossetian rite of sacrifice, rather widespread in nowadays. This rite is related to the main grounds of the traditional culture, picture of worldview of Ossets’ ancestors. Despite of prohibitive practices of the Russian and then the Soviet system the ancient rite never ceased its existence. It carries out for religious celebrations, family and community ceremonial life, in the course of all important events. At the same time the rite of sacrifice is become overgrown with completely wrong interpretations, falsifications, fantasias, perverting its initial meaning. The article attempts to reconstruct an initial layer of the rite, explain the origin of more recent strata and their senses, understand the phenomenon of its «longevity», and determine perspectives in developing society.