LAST UPDATE | 25 Dec 2022
UKRAINIANS, WHO HAVE become refugees as a result of the most horrendous Russian aggression this year, may be somewhat surprised watching the preparations for Christmas in European countries. Something like cognitive dissonance happens in our heads for two reasons.
Firstly, for patriotic Ukrainians, the Christmas holiday this year will be a sombre one. Carefree fun against the backdrop of thousands of dead and millions left without light and heat would be, at the very least, strange.
Secondly, the traditions that exist in Europe are combined into one holiday – Christmas - but they are divided into two for many in the former-Soviet regions. For us, the New Year is another fully-fledged holiday of its own. Both are still competing to see which one will take centre stage in people’s minds.
Even seeing how European people give each other gifts for Christmas is unusual. We have all the festive gift ‘bacchanalia’ on the night of 31 December to 1 January – New Year. And then after the fireworks have died down (there won’t be any this year for obvious reasons), after drinking rivers of champagne and eating tons of Olivier salad (traditional New Year’s salad in the post-Soviet era), around 3 January, people come back to themselves and hold their breath until the Christmas miracle, which all these years for most Orthodox Christians fell on 6-7 January.
Ukraine has now switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian in 2022 in order to finally say goodbye to the post-Soviet legacy. But it takes time to rebuild fully. “We’ll celebrate Christmas with my husband and children on December 25, and on the 6th, we’ll go to celebrate according to the old style to our parents. It is more difficult for them to get used to the changes,” says Irina Vikhrova. “It turns out that we will celebrate Christmas twice.”
New Year’s Eve traditions
New Year in Ukraine is always a family holiday.
Until the outbreak of Russia’s war in Ukraine in 2014, society still held on to the traditions of the celebration of the Soviet era, absorbed from their parents. The table was full of dishes, the obligatory of which were the already mentioned Olivier salad, herring under a “fur coat”, meat jelly ([kholodets]) and champagne (photos 1,2).
It was necessary to have time to light sparklers, make a wish, and clink glasses to the sound of the Kremlin chimes (the clock on the Kremlin tower, which struck 12 times, the last blow marked the onset of the New Year. Later in Ukraine this image was replaced with an ordinary dial with arrows).
Then there was eating of everything cooked while watching the Little Blue Light, a pop music theatrical show of the Russian-Ukrainian stage. So much food is usually cooked that it lasts for several days: you can surrender to laziness and indulge in fun.
After 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea with impunity and occupied a significant part of the Donbas, Ukraine finally took a course towards Ukrainisation, not in words but in deeds. In particular, the broadcasting of Russian TV channels was turned off.
The songs of the Blue Light were replaced by reprises of the Ukrainian humorous show 95 Quarter – a team from which President Vladimir Zelenskyy is a native. All Ukrainians listen to his speech instead of the chimes, waiting for the moment of the cherished midnight.
Did Moroz – that’s what we call Santa Claus. He also has a granddaughter – the Snow Maiden (Sniguronka), who accompanies him everywhere and helps to give gifts to children, on the evening of 31 December.
However, in recent years, the conscious part of society has also abandoned this Soviet memory, replacing Santa Claus… no, not with Santa Claus, but with St Nicholas, who comes to our children on December 19, according to the Julian calendar.
The next few years will finally determine how Ukrainian mythology will develop: who and on what date will the Ukrainian children be rewarded. The main thing is that there are gifts, although in 2022, all Ukrainian children would gladly exchange all their gifts for peace in their country.
Even though the New Year is considered a family holiday, a significant part of the people in the pre-war period preferred to celebrate this holiday in restaurants, nightclubs and other places of entertainment.
Most of the city’s infrastructure (shops, cafes, restaurants) is open even on New Year’s Eve because this is an excellent opportunity for them to earn money.
Some Ukrainians loved to celebrate the New Year to the sound of live music near one of the main Christmas trees of the country: on Mykhaylivska, Sofiyska Square or Maidan Nezalezhnosti – the cradle of all Ukrainian revolutions in the name of freedom.
We were especially delighted when snow fell on December 31: we could play with snowballs, build snowmen and ride the kids on a sledge.
In peacetime, on New Year’s night, Ukraine did not sleep and had fun until about 5am. On this New Year’s night, we are also unlikely to sleep, but instead of having fun, everyone will be in anxious and tense expectation of missile attacks.
Christmas traditions
Calendar: For many years in a row, Orthodox, Greek Catholics and some other Christians of the Eastern rite celebrated Christmas in Ukraine on 7 January, according to the Julian calendar. And 25 December, according to the Gregorian calendar, was honoured by Latin Catholics and Protestants.
With the beginning of the war and after 2017, when Christmas on 25 December became a public holiday in Ukraine, the question of moving the celebration to 25 December was repeatedly raised so that all Christians of Ukraine would celebrate on the same day together with the majority of Christians in the world. Finally, in 2022, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine allowed Christmas to be celebrated on 25 December.
Fast: Forty days before Christmas, the Christmas fast begins – one of the longest of the year. Its purpose is to purify oneself physically and spiritually through repentance, prayer, and abstinence from sinful actions and thoughts. During the Christmas fast, you can eat vegetables, fruits, cereals, legumes, mushrooms, and fish on most days. This fast does not allow meat, eggs, cheese, dairy products, and butter.
According to Ukrainian folk traditions, before Christmas, it was necessary to clean the house and stock up with everything needed to survive the winter: firewood, cloth, flour, honey, etc. It was also required to decorate the icons with new or clean towels and potions.
Christmas Eve. The evening of 6 January (according to the Julian calendar) is called Holy Evening (Svyatvechir). The night from 6 to 7 January is Kolyada.
The Holy Supper is the central tradition of the Holy Evening. For dinner, 12 fasting dishes are cooked according to the number of months (or another version – the number of apostles). The main dish is “Rich Kutya”, boiled wheat or barley with honey and dried fruits.
Traditionally, dinner was served from shared bowls. But two bowls were always left empty: for dead and absent family members. The Holy Supper should begin with prayer. A Christmas candle is lit on the table, which symbolises the memory of the ancestors’ souls. The whole family should sit at the festive table, even the babies.
A well-known Christmas Eve custom is to invite lonely, homeless people to dinner. But now, unfortunately, you can only read about it in books. And only the war reawakened humanity in people when sharing became no less important than acquiring for oneself.
After dinner, carolling (kolyaduvannya) begins.
Kolyada was originally a pagan Slavic holiday in honour of the beginning of the new year. It was believed that on this night, the family ancestors’ spirits – the “grandfathers” (didy) – visit their living relatives. The image of “DIDUH” is connected with the Christmas attribute of grandfathers – a sheaf of wheat stalks, symbolising well-being and wealth and is a family talisman. Therefore, Diduh is placed in the most honourable place in the house – under the icons.
Carolling was usually performed by boys and men, as they symbolised “grandfathers”, but today women are also allowed to carol.
Christmas carollers carry a large star attached to a stick and covered with gilded paper. It symbolises the Star of Bethlehem, which indicates the birth of Jesus Christ. When visiting homes, carollers ask for permission to carol, and when the owners agree, they sing and act out humorous skits, for which the owners give sweets or money.
Divination: The prediction tradition on Christmas night is older than Christmas itself in Ukraine. Many believe that fortune-telling on this day is impossible. In contrast, others believe in the incredible power of the holiday and that fortune-telling on Christmas Eve will help to know the future.
Dreams from January 6 to 7 are also considered prophetic.
It is believed that prayers have incredible power on this holiday, and whoever is really in need will receive help from higher forces. People who attend the all-night prayer in the church return home in the morning, greeting each other with the phrase “Christ is born!” – “Praise Him!” they hear in response.
Celebration at war
It would seem that the Ukrainian nation, united by war and confrontation with a common enemy, cannot be divided by anything. However, the issue of installing a Christmas tree on the main square of the capital succeeded in this.
Should there be a Christmas tree? The question has polarised society. “This is inappropriate, in my opinion,” says Hanna Makarenko. “It will look like dancing on bones. In addition, this is a provocation of the enemy: Putin likes to terrorise Ukrainians precisely on holidays and anniversaries. By installing a Christmas tree, we expose people who will gather around it to danger. That’s why I’m against it, and so is my family.”
“If, as the mayor says, the Christmas tree will be installed at patrons’ expense, then I’m in favour. I’m a mother, and I know that children should have a childhood,” Oleksandra Arakelyan says.
However, those who support installing a Christmas tree emphasise that it should be energy efficient and that mass gatherings around it should be prohibited.
As a result, a compromise decision was made in the capital. The main Christmas tree of the country, which will be installed on Sofia Square in Kyiv, will be artificial. It will be 12 metres high, decorated with energy-saving garlands that will glow from a generator. Charging points for phones and other devices will be available near the generator. After the holidays, the generator will be handed over to the military.
The Christmas tree itself and its decorations will be provided by businesses and patrons. “1,000 toys – blue and yellow balls and 500 white pigeons. The Christmas tree top will be decorated with the Ukrainian coat of arms. The lower part will be decorated with stands with the flags of countries that have been helping the country cope with the challenges and consequences of the war.” said Kyiv Mayor, Vitaliy Klychko.
There will be no mass entertainment events, food courts, fairs, or attractions on Sofiyska Square this year.
Each city decides for itself the issue of installing a Christmas tree. For example, in Kharkiv, which is shelled almost every day, a Christmas tree will be installed… at the metro station, that is, in a bomb shelter so that people are safe on New Year’s Eve.
Christmas in Ireland
In the “camp” of Ukrainian refugees in Ireland, in comparison with the situation of Ukrainians in their homeland, a complete idyll reigns. Here we have light and warmth.
Volunteers ensured everyone had Christmas trees, New Year’s toys and gifts for children (thank them very much!). And yet, despite external well-being, this will be one of the strangest and most disturbing holidays in our life.
Unlike civilians, the military will celebrate the New Year on the front lines. So they can’t relax: the Russians could try to take Ukrainian soldiers by surprise, “congratulating” them with artillery fire or missile strikes. Therefore, all our prayers on Christmas night and all New Year’s toasts will be aimed at protecting them and bringing our victory closer.
Polina Bashkina is a Ukrainian writer and journalist. Her book 12 Months. A Year of Sense was published at the end of 2021. Previously, Polina worked in business and political PR and marketing. She headed the press service of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine worked in the Ukraine President’s Administration. (For those who decide to cook Ukrainian Kutya, here’s a recipe from one of Ukraine’s most popular chefs.)
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