Winter Holidays in Ukraine Prepared Boyko Alina
Ukrainians are emotional, merry, melodious and energetic. They like to direct their intense positive vitality to the festive activities! As they say it is an idea made in heaven for Ukrainians to enjoy the life and celebrate any events. If you feel yourself as a “holiday analyst” you will notice some cultural regularity. Holidays in Ukraine assimilate and mix the old heathen traditions and Orthodox culture, Soviet holiday heritage and European innovations and international universalities. 20 years of independence also assist to extend the State calendar of the holidays in Ukraine. If you add the personal and family important events and professional dates which are highly respected – you will have 365 holiday days. It is possible to conclude that Ukraine is a country of holidays! Join us!
Let’s start with the first winter month – December is filled with many wonderful and magic, merry and bright (like the Christmas tree decorations) winter holidays in Ukraine.
St. Nicolas Day § December 19 is a day of St. Nicolas. By the way, in the Ukrainian language the words holiday (svyato) and saint (svyuatoy) have the common coot. With the blessing of the patron saint of all children and since this date the Ukrainians plunge into the amazing atmosphere of the gifts under the pillow (or under the Christmas tree) and surprises in the St. Nicolas red boots, greetings and merry chores, round dances and office parties.
They all smoothly flow into the Christmas holiday of December 25. Though most Ukrainians are Orthodox, Catholic Christmas is celebrated as a secular holiday lately. Probably a merry Christmas wave spreading all over Europe reaches our country too.
New Year § On January 1 it turns into the New Year in Ukraine. Champagne, Christmas tree in each apartment and in the main square of each city, Olivier salad (Russian salad) (echo of our Soviet past), smell of tangerines, merry celebration at home, at friends’ place, in the street; dances and songs till the morning – it is a short algorithm of Ukrainian celebration of the New Year.
Christmas § By tradition, each member of the family in the evening should be at home, and I can't be late for the holiday table, as it is considered, that will be all year wander. During the dinners get out of the table and talk loudly. The festive buffet must strike its diversity, but we must not forget that still continues the post, so the lovers of wine glasses will have to wait a little bit. The main dish on the table this evening is, of course, кутья. All through the holidays, right up to the Baptism, кутья should stand at the place of honor in the house. After dinner the children carried the lunch to his godfather, the adults were preparing for the evening Church service. Only girls, who always want to know about his fate, there was no peace. Gradually ends night and the magic Christmas night, during which you can not sleep, as you can «sleep through» all the happiness.
Svyatky § Christmastide lasts 12 merry days after Christmas and till Epiphany (January 19). People use to tell fortunes at that period. Though these echoes of heathenism are condemned by the church, this holiday entertainment is popular among the Ukrainian girls which are eager to know something about their future intended husband. The last day of Christmastide is Epiphany. On that day people should dip into the ice hole. This old rite is more and more popular among the Ukrainians. Many people do it – from ordinary people up to Presidents. If you are in Ukraine in January – welcome to the ice hole!
Old New year § Old New year - good holiday on January 14, If on Christmas eve (January 6) prepared a Rich kutia, the Melanki (January 13), the day which precedes Basil the Great, or the New year in the old style Generous. That is why this evening and called Generous. For dinner, as on the eve of the Nativity, sits the whole family. It is very important to wear on this day was thoroughly washed and clean. After dinner, we must go to the neighbours and ask forgiveness for the guilty, to the New year meet in peace and harmony. Evening on the eve of the Old New year gives the chance and the guys who have failed in the time of asking in marriage.
The baptism of the Lord-Holy § In accordance with the biblical story of Christ was baptized in waters of the Jordan river, this gave the second, the national, the name of the feast. On the eve, that is, January 18, the whole family, as before Christmas is going to the table. Drinks are served only Lenten dishes and preparing hungry, or, the Poor кутья. Why it's called, to explain difficult, perhaps because the whole day on the eve of the Baptism cannot eat anything, so how severe post. To Starve kutia have an interesting ceremony, which is called «the Exile of kutia» .
As it may be annoying, but it is the Baptism of completing a series of Christmas-new year holidays, because it is time work.
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