Religious holidays in Ukraine

The Feast of St. AndrewUkrainian people believe in

miracles, and that’s probably why the New Year’s cycle begins with the mysterious, even mystical St. Andrew. According to traditional beliefs it is on St. Andrew’s Eve that young girls can get a glimpse of their destiny. On this night they talk to each other about their dreams as they try to discover the name of their future spouse, the date of their wedding, the number of children they will have. Many different kinds of celebratory props are used: drinks, foods, fire, mirrors and so on. Even today, the most modern young Ukrainian woman will make a wish before she goes to sleep or get together with her girlfriends to tell one another about their dreams.

The Feast of St. NicholasWe celebrate this holiday on

December 19 .St. Nicholas, known as Mykolai in Ukraine and Santa Claus in many other countries, is considered the

patron saint of children.  On this day parents and relatives try to surprise

their kids by placing small gifts, toys, or books into symbolic shoes or

stockings or even under their pillows.  Every child who behaved good

during the year will receive a present from St. Nicolas on this day and those

children who behaved badly will receive a rod .Nowadays it has

become traditional to present gifts to every child.

Like most countries, Ukraine greets the New Year in hopes for a good year to come. It is a time when many Ukrainians decorate their New Year tree and buy presents to give to one another. Children in the Ukraine receive gifts from Did Moroz, which is a similar character to the modern day Santa Claus. Many people prepare dinners and arrange parties to celebrate the New Year. Traditionally, prior to midnight between New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, a presidential speech is broadcast nationally. New Year’s Eve is a special evening of fireworks, the scent of pine needles, bubbling champagne, and hopes for a prosperous future.

New Year's Day in Ukraine

ChristmasIn Ukraine, Christmas is celebrated on January 7. The evening before is known as Sviatvechir, or Holy Eve. On the Holy Evening all the family get together to

have the Christmas Supper. According to the religious tradition, it is necessary to

prepare 12 different meatless dishes because of 12 apostles; no one at the

table can eat till the first star appears in the sky. But, unlike in the English-

speaking countries, in Ukraine people do not exchange presents on that day. On

the Christmas Evening the religious people go to church; some of them

spend the whole night there — they pray and listen to Christmas religious songs

which glorify Christ’s birthday.

The Old New Year For many people, the Old New Year is a

simple family holiday that brings to an end the cycle of New Year’s

celebrations. January 13 is traditionally called Shchedriy Vechir or Bountiful Eve. On this day young people go around in

groups singing “shchedrivky,” which are the New Year’s equivalent of carols. As they go around to their neighbors and friends, they also wish them happiness and success in the New Year. Families

that remember their traditions can turn the “shchedrivky” into a mummer’s

play called “vertep,” with many different characters. The Vertep is a

distinctive phenomenon in the development of theater in Ukraine. By tradition, it is a live performance by people who act out the Birth of Christ

and other religious stories accompanied by a singing choir. Another very popular tradition on Shchedriy Vechir is fortune-telling. Many people like to know what the upcoming year has bring for them. This evening includes loud, gregarious festive fortune-telling in anticipation of

a successful year.

Orthodox Easter Day The date of Easter is usually

determined by the Church calendar and calculated according to the so-

called "Paskhalias" (the name for the "special tables".) Before and during

Easter Ukrainians buy or bake Easter cakes(Paskha ,buisquits with

raisins),and hand paint eggs widely known as Pysanka. It is a very

important holiday. On Easter night people go to their local church,

spending the entire night in Church services! Usually they take with them

Easter cakes, painted eggs, and bottles of wine. In the morning (about 5 am)

the service concludes with the clergyman sprinkling all food with

sacred water which is believed to give strong healing powers. At this time people return home to continue the

celebration with food and drink throughout the day. The traditional greeting on this day is: "Khrystos

Voskres!" (Christ is arisen) and the answer "Voyistynu Voskres!" (Truly arisen) followed with kisses and the exchanging of small gifts( usualy it can be hand paint eggs( Pysanki)) .

To the Christian Ascension Day (the 40th day after Easter) Ukrainians

added a pre-Christian tradition of going to the field to inspect the progress

of the wheat.

The Trinity is celebrated in summer, on the 50th day after Easter. Traditionally

people decorate their homes with green tree branches and fragrant

herbs

Another summer holiday is Ivan Kupala`s Day on July 7. During the day

everyone has to be at least immersed in water. This

was the last holiday before the harvest. The name

comes from the pagan god Kupala. This festival is famous because of the special rites and rituals,

which are observed during the celebration. Many Ukrainians celebrate

Kupala Night with bonfires that last throughout the night. Some people leap over the flames as it is believed that the act of

jumping over the bonfire cleanses people of illness

and bad luck. Some groups of people sing songs about

love, romance and marriage on Kupala Night.

It is also customary for some women to wear

traditional clothes with embroidery and a wreath of flowers on their head to

celebrate the summer night.

August 2, St. Illia`s Day, market the

beginning of autumn. “Until dinner it`s

summer, after dinner it`s autumn”, people said. On the 19th of

August, or on “Saviour Day”, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms and

honey were blessed.