New Year and Christmas

The ceremonies (traditions) are one of the main components of Culture of Ukraine.  They were always different for the originality and the fairy-tale reason. Nowadays some of them are followed. But they are followed in out of the way villages of Ukraine, where signs of civilization and modernization are lacking. Traditions of the Ukrainian people are mainly connected with holidays: New Year, Christmas.

I will tell you about the ceremonies of New Year and Christmas in Ukraine in this publication.

Special attention was paid to the supper at Christmas night, such as rich supper, the wide name of dishes accompanied to sufficiency and wealth of Ukrainian family. Festive supper was implied preparation of 12 dishes, 9 or 7 dishes, where Ukrainian carousing was the main. As the supper began from the peasant ceremonies (reading of prayer) but saved the feature of pagan culture of «fortune telling», calling.

It is considered that star’s night at Christmas in Ukraine – for a productive year.

New-year’s night in a culture of Ukraine is related to feminine fortunetelling for young man and married life.

There are distinctly existed elements of culture of ancestors in Christmas– New-year’s traditions of the Ukrainian culture, as well as other folks of Europe. It is accepted that souls of dead relatives take part in the sainted evening, which the owner invited to the table.

The important attribute of winter holidays in Ukraine was a straw which covered the floor, table and it is also symbolized wealth and sufficiency.

Translation from Russian: Pavlenko Tatiyna

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