Nikolaev Ukraine: Nikolaev Flowers Blog

As you know each country has its own customs, traditions, holidays and important days in its history.  Ukraine isn’t an exception.  The Ukrainians are just fond of celebrating holidays. They strictly observe the traditions of Orthodox and Soviet holidays and readily accept Western holidays like St. Valentine Day, Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day and so on.  Ukrainians are very hospitable and outgoing people. They love holidays because it’s a perfect time for meeting friends and getting present as well as receiving present. Today we are going to tell you about Ukrainian holidays that are always celebrated in Nikolaev Ukraine.

Here is the list of Ukrainian holidays:

•    New Year’s Day - January 1
•    Christmas Day - January 7
•    Old New Year’s Day - January 13
•    Men’s Day - February 23
•    Women’s Day - March 8
•    April Fools Day - April 1
•    Velykden’ (Easter) - movable
•    Labor Day - May 1 and 2
•    Victory Day - May 9
•    Trinity (Pentecost) – (49-th Day after Orthodox Easter)
•    Constitution Day - June 28
•    Independence Day - August 24
•    Day of Knowledge (September 1)
•    October Revolution - November 7
•    Halloween – October 31

All Ukrainian Holidays are described below.

New Year’s Day (December 31 - January 1)

New Year’s Day seems to be the most popular Ukrainian holiday. People who live in Nikolaev Ukraine believe that New Year’s Eve is the time when the old year with all its troubles leaves them forever and the New Year with all their hopes and expectations knocks at our doors. On this holiday Nikolaev people decorate Christmas trees, have New Year parties and exchange presents with their relatives and friends. The local channels show loved-by-all films and a few minutes before midnight, the annual festive address of the President to his nation is broadcasted. One usually spends this day or, to be more precise, evening (December 31st.) and night with his family or friends. This bright holiday is loved by people of different ages, but it is especially dear to children. They believe that Ded Moroz, or Santa Claus, comes this night and puts gifts under the New Year tree (Christmas Tree), of course if they haven’t been naughty in the old year. New Year is always celebrated with champagne, different food and Olivie salad.  This salad, consisting of small pieces of egg, ham, potato, carrot, pickle, onion, and mayonnaise, is popular in Ukraine year-round. But it is a requisite during the New Year celebration. New Year is no doubt the main family holiday of the year. There is a saying that a person will spend the year the way he has welcomed it, so Nikolaev people do their best to have fun on the New Year’s Day.

Christmas (January 7)

For the Ukrainian people Christmas is one of the most important family holidays of the whole year. Ukrainian Christmas festivities begin on January 6th. The Christmas Eve Supper or Sviata Vecheria (Holy Supper) that takes place on December 6th brings the family together to begin the holiday with many customs and traditions, which reach back to antiquity. The rituals of the Christmas Eve are dedicated to God, to the welfare of the family, and to the remembrance of the ancestors. With the appearance of the first star which is believed to be the Star of Bethlehem, the family gathers to begin supper. The table is covered with two tablecloths, one for the ancestors of the family, the second for the living members. In pagan times ancestors were considered to be benevolent spirits, who, when properly respected, brought good fortune to the living family members. The table always has one extra place-setting for the deceased family members, whose souls, according to belief, come on Christmas Eve and partake of the food. A kolach (Christmas bread) is placed in the center of the table. This bread is braided into a ring. A didukh (meaning grandfather) is a sheaf of wheat stalks or made of mixed grain stalks. It is placed under the icons in the house. In Ukraine, this is a very important Christmas tradition, because the stalks of grain symbolize all the ancestors of the family, and it is believed that their spirits reside in it during the holidays.

After the didukh is positioned in the place of honor, the father or head of the household places a bowl of kutia (boiled wheat mixed with poppy seeds and honey) next to it. Kutia is the most important food of the entire Christmas Eve Supper, and is also called God’s Food. A jug of uzvar (stewed fruits, which should contain twelve different fruits) and is called God’s Drink, is also served. The father then leads the family in prayer. After the prayer the father extends his best wishes to everyone with the greeting Khrystos Rozhdaietsia (Christ is being born), and the family sits down to a twelve-course meatless Christmas Eve Supper. There are twelve courses in the Supper, because according to the Christian tradition each course is dedicated to one of Christ’s Apostles. According to the ancient pagan belief, each course stood was for every full moon during the course of the year. The courses are meatless because there is a period of fasting required by the Church until Christmas Day.

The first course is always kutia. It is the main dish of the whole supper. Then comes borshch (beet soup) with vushka (boiled dumplings filled with chopped mushrooms and onions). This is followed by a variety of fish - baked, broiled, fried, cold in aspic, fish balls, marinated herring and so on. Then come varenyky (boiled dumplings filled with cabbage, potatoes, buckwheat grains, or prunes. There are also holubtsi (stuffed cabbage), and the supper ends with uzvar.

On Christmas people also sing Christmas carols. While many of the Ukrainian Christmas Eve customs are of a solemn nature, the custom of caroling is joyful and merry. Ukrainian Christmas songs or carols have their origins in antiquity, as do many other traditions practiced at Christmas time. There are two main groups of Christmas songs in Ukraine: the koliadky (meaning the first day of the month) and shchedrivky (which is a derivation from the word meaning generous).

So Orthodox Christmas is the day of Jesus Christ’s birth and it is widely celebrated all over Ukraine. People sing carols, cook a traditional Ukrainian Christmas dishes and all the family gathers together to eat it. Then people go to church to listen to the Christmas sermon.

Old New Year’s Day (January 13)

Old New Year’s Day is the strangest holiday of the Slavonic calendar. In fact, it is also connected with the conservatism of Slavonic people. After the 1917 Revolution, Russia and Ukraine switched to the western calendar. Before that time they have been 13 days behind the rest of the world. However, even though the official calendar was switched, many people did not want to change and others refused to celebrate New Year before Christmas. The celebrations are not of such an enormous scale as the ones of the New Year’s Day and it is not a day off.

Tatiana’s Day (January 25)

Tatiana’s Day is also famous as Students’ Day. The holiday originates to the 18th century. In 1775, on the day of Maiden Tatiana the Martyr Empress Elizabeth Petrovna signed the regulation about the foundation of Moscow University, which went down into history as the first Russian University. Tatiana’s Day became a holiday of all the Universities and students. Today, Tatiana’s Day is a kind and cheerful holiday, when students enjoy the freedom, youth and coming vacations. Those who have been students decades ago remember their old good days at universities.

St. Valentine’s Day (February 14)

Ukrainians have adopted some European and American holidays. St. Valentine’s Day is one of them. We bet you know that St. Valentine’s Day is the holiday of love and everyone who is in love. There is no point in describing Ukrainian St. Valentine’s Day as there is practically no difference from the Western holiday of the same name. Just don’t forget to prepare some special cards, flowers and gifts to your sweethearts when it comes to St. Valentine’s Day.

Men’s Day (February 23)

Men’s Day is a former Red Army Day. In the times of Soviet Union it was the holiday of all those who had ever served in the military. While the Soviet Union was rather a military state, about 90% of men were at some point connected to the Red Army, so later it became a holiday for men. It is not a public holiday in Ukraine, but most women make some presents to their male relatives and friends and do their best to please their husbands and boyfriends.

Women’s Day (March

This date was introduced in 1910 by the 2-nd International Conference of women-socialists at the proposal of Clara Tsetkin as a day of the international solidarity of women in their struggle economic, political and social equality. Nowadays this date has lost its political meaning and became just the day when we congratulate and thank our women for everything they do for us at home and at work, say our good wishes, give them flowers and presents. This is an occasion to display love, tenderness and gratitude to those who care for us most – to women. On this extremely popular holiday men are expected to do everything around the house and give their women the possibility to have at least one day off from all that cleaning and cooking. Men present chocolates, flowers and small gifts to their wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, female friends and colleagues.

Fool’s Day (April 1)

April Fools Day is also called Humor Day. This day Ukrainians play tricks on their friends and if they have a sense of humor then everybody have fun.

Easter

(the date is movable. It’s usually celebrated between March 22/April 4 and April 25/May 8).

Easter is the Day of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection. People celebrate this Holiday because He died on the Cross for our salvation. They go to churches to listen the ceremonies, gather at homes to pray and thank Jesus Christ for our salvation from eternal death into eternal life with Him in Heaven. The traditional Easter greeting is “The Lord has resurrected!” On Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning people put an Easter cake (Paskha), painted eggs, butter and cheese into a basket and go to church to bless the food. “Pisanka” (a painted Easter egg) is one of the most interesting sorts of Ukrainian decorative art.

Labor Day (May 1-2)

During the times of the Soviet Union Labor Day was one of the greatest holidays of the year - with colorful demonstrations and celebration of the workers. Today this holiday has lost its political background. People just stay at home and rest or go to have BBQ. On the 1st of May Ukrainians also celebrate the holiday of spring, nature awakening and beauty.

Victory Day (May 9)

Victory Day is national holiday which remembers the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II and honors 20 million Soviets (Ukrainians, Russians, and others) who died in the war. Victory Day is a very important holiday for all the Ukrainians, while you hardly find a family, which would not suffer from Nazis in the World War II. Large military parades are held, wreathes and flowers are put on graves of soldiers and those who died in war. Family and friends congratulate veterans who wear their uniforms and medals on this day.

Holy Trinity Day (movable)

It comes on the 50th day after Easter and celebrates the Descent of the Holy Spirit who poured himself out on the apostles. On this day people decorate their houses and apartments with greenery, which is a reminder of the new life. The wildflowers blessed on the festive church service are dried up and kept behind the icons, as they are believed to possess special spiritual powers.

Constitution Day (June 28)

It is quite obvious that this holiday commemorates Ukrainian Constitution that has been accepted in 1996. As this holiday is rather new there are no particular traditions of celebrating it. For example, the concerts of popular Ukrainian singers are held. Besides, on this day you are sure to hear the hymn of Ukraine, broadcasted on radio or TV or sung by people in the street.

Independence Day (August 24)

In 1991 Ukraine became independent from the USSR and was proclaimed a Sovereign State. The Independence Day is usually celebrated with festivals and military parades.

Day of Knowledge (September 1)

Day of Knowledge is the first day of the new school year in Ukraine. Nikolaev children go to schools; students go to universities and institutions, where on this day different celebrations are held. The most spectacular events are at elementary school. Well-dressed first-year children, bringing flowers for their first teacher, gather in the schoolyard or in the school to listen to the first bell ringing. A first-year child, usually a girl, is carried by a graduating student, usually a boy, and she rings a bell, thus, opening a new school year.

Day of October Revolution (November 7)

The October Revolution (also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution) is the second phase of the Russian Revolution, the first having been instigated by the events around the February Revolution. It was led by Vladimir Lenin and based upon the ideas of Karl Marx, and marked the first officially communist revolution of the twentieth century. Day of October Revolution was a great holiday in the USSR, since 2002 it became public, but you still can see some communist retired people marching with red flags and transparencies in Nikolaev streets.

Western Christmas (December 25)

This is the day when Catholics celebrate Christmas. In spite of the fact that most Ukrainians celebrate Christmas on January 7th we have great respect for this holiday. Especially those of us who have relatives and friends abroad.

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