CC BY
0CULTUROLOGY
THE PARTICULARITIES OF CELEBRATION OF GREATEST RELIGION HOLIDAYS IN UKRAINE
Moysey A.A.
Doctor of Historical Science, Professor High State Educational Establishment of Ukraine "Bukovinian State Medical University", Chernovtsi, Ukraine
Roman L.A.
PhD in Philology, Candidate High State Educational Establishment of Ukraine "Bukovinian State Medical University", Chernovtsi, Ukraine
Abstract
The article reveals interesting features of celebration of great religious holidays in Ukraine such as Christmas, Easter and Holy Trinity Day. Particularly illuminated Holy-evening, 12 ritual dishes, which are typical only for the holy supper, the mentioned carols, shchedrivki, the custom to sow on the New Year. Investigated the celebration of the great religious holiday as Easter, customary to paint Easter eggs, to bless Easter paska etc. Also highlighted interesting moments of celebrating og Holy Trinity Day.
Keywords: religion holidays, Christmas, Easter, Holy Trinity Day, celebrations.
The best way to know a nation, its character and history is to be acquainted with its customs and traditions. In Ukraine, all of them tightly connected within Christian holidays because Eastern Orthodox Christianity dominates among beliefs of Ukrainians [3]. There are supporters of both Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox churches. They mostly live in central and eastern Ukraine respectively. In western Ukraine, most people support Eastern Catholic or Greek Catholic religion, which unites Orthodox rites and Catholic rules.
Ukrainians are traditional nation. It is still very important for most people to follow religious customs and in a bit less extent national traditions. Otherwise, social judgement might affect person's reputation, social status and self-confidence. For example, it is almost unacceptable for family not to baptize their child and taking religious marriages in church are socially obligatory in rural areas.
As Ukrainian traditions are very old and some of them arose in prehistoric times and evolved through the centuries of Ukrainian history nowadays life of the Ukrainian folk as well as holiday's celebration is often accompany with interesting religion customs that have passed through the centuries. As a rule, Ukrainian youth, gladly takes over these traditions, maintaining spiritual continuity with their ancestors.
The aim of our investigation is to show the world of Ukrainian culture, describing the celebration of the most greatest Christian religion holidays - Christmas, Easter, Holy Trinity Day; Christmas carols ("koly-adki" and "shchedrivki"), delicious ritual food such as kutia (sweet grain pudding), Easter cake, even the exciting process of coloring Easter eggs.
Nowadays persistent efforts are made to revive folk customs. In the last few decades, people learned more about customs and traditions of their country. They sing special carols (shchedrivky), as a New Year's tradition. People sing vesnianky, when spring comes. Many of these customs and traditions have their deep meaning. They are aim at ensuring a good harvest and a life of plenty.
All Ukrainian customs tied to ancient beliefs, symbols and images. The New Year, particularly, the New Year's Eve, are connected with a rich repertoire of folk customs. Their primary purpose was to secure the family's health and happiness.
On the eve of January, the 7-th Ukrainians start celebrating Christmas. It is the day of Jesus Christ's birthday and it is widely celebrated all over Ukraine. Christmas is the most important and most interesting religion holiday in Ukraine. The Christmas Eve (Sviat-Vechir) is also connecting with many magical acts, which should bring wealth to the family. Among them are caroling, vertep and Did or didukh. Did or didukh is a sheaf of wheat and symbolizes dead family members who participate in the eve's celebration. The religious festival lasts for three days. The Christmas tree, which was adopt from Western Europe, is today an element of the New Year celebration in Ukraine. The Christmas theme has an important place in Ukrainian painting, particularly church painting, and in poetry, music, songs (carols) etc.
The «holy supper» on Christmas Eve is a meal of 12 symbolic meat and milk free dishes. These represent the 12 apostles and contain no meat or dairy, only grains, vegetables and fish [1; 5]. Common dishes include pickles, borsch, varenyky, sauerkraut and fried herring. The order of the dishes and even the dishes themselves are not uniform everywhere, for every region has its own tradition. In the Hutsul region, for example, the dishes were served in the following order: beans, fish, boiled potato dumplings (pyrohy or varenyky), cabbage rolls (holubtsi), kutia, potatoes mashed with garlic, stewed fruit and so on [1]. After the Holy Supper, young carolers leave their homes to travel door-to-door, greeting families with songs, like the famous Ukrainian Carol of the Bells, and collecting donations for churches and charities. From there, carolers meet with their families at church for a midnight mass [6]. The following day, a Feast of Jordan is celebrating in a similar style to the previous night; however, on this occasion, the fast will have finished and dishes may contain meat and dairy.
Epiphany (Bogoiavlennia) is a religious holiday on January 19 (the New Style) or on January 6 (the Old Style). It is often calling Vodokhryshche. The Eve of Epiphany is calling "the second Holy Eve" or "Hungry Kutia" [2: 3]. In Podillia it is also called Shchedryi Vechir (Generous Eve). It is a more simple meal than on Christmas Eve, but with kutia still as the main traditional dish. The principal ceremony of Epiphany is blessing the water. After the blessing, everyone present drinks the water and takes some home to be keeping there for a whole year.
There are few more of interesting ancient customs and hold the vibrant 'Malanka' celebrations on the "Old New Year". On this night, you will join crowds of young people walking around people's houses, caroling, playing pranks and acting out small Christmas-related plays. Some single young boys dress up in women's clothes and lead the troop around town as "Grandma Malanka". Some men choose roles of the Goat or the Grandpa. As locals will advise you - Old New Year's Eve is one of your last chances to enjoy winter holidays (m'yasnytsi) before 40 days of somber fasting for Lent arrives.
Also during the Christmas holidays, up to 14 January it is common for kids (and sometimes adults - in the villages) to go from one house to another wishing the owner of the house New Year wishes, new happiness, health, etc. All those wishes are usually saying in rhymes and with the spreading of seeds, such as wheat or other grains. This shows a wish of prosperity for the house. This practice is calling "Posivannya". Some token, usually food, drink, sweets, or money, is usually giving in return [2].
One more the greatest Ukrainian religious holiday is Easter. In Ukraine, Easter is calling «Velykden» (the Great Day). It 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 to sermons, gather at homes to pray and thank Jesus Christ for our salvation from eternal death into eternal life with Him in Heaven. The traditional greeting on Easter is: "Khrystos Voskres!" (Christ is arisen!) and the answer "Voyistynu Voskres!" (Truly arisen!).
The last Sunday before Easter (Palm Sunday) is calling Willow Sunday (Verbna nedilia). On this day, willow branches are blessing in the church. The week before Easter, the Great Week, is calling the Passion Week. In the evening of "Pure" Thursday, the passion (strasti) service is performing. After it, people return home with lighted candles. This is really one of the most beautiful traditions in Ukraine.
Probably the most famously recognized aspect of Ukrainian Easter, colorful pysanky are the crowning jewel of the season and are giving as presents to represent the gift of life. Eggs are designing using a beeswax stylus to make a dye-resistant coating. To create colorful designs, eggs several times, with additional designs being add with each additional layer of color. Once the design has been complete, the wax is melt off using a candle and the full creation is finally reveal.
The excitement of the returning spring season eventually inspired many ornate design patterns, turning pysanky creating into a true art. Friends and families come together every year to huddle together over
their eggs, laughing and gossiping about whom the new egg da Vinci is and whose designs would not pass through egg-making kindergarten.
The completed pysanky are placed in a wicker Easter basket along with Easter breads such as paska and babka, ham, sausage, horseradish, cheese and butter. These baskets then are taken to church to be blessed on Saturday and then eaten after service on Sunday. The baskets not only have religious significance, they also give family chefs a much-needed break from the kitchen, as they are prepared days in advance.
For kids (and kids at heart), when it comes time to eat the contents of the basket the boiled eggs take center stage. Everyone is given the chance to choose an egg for the traditional egg-smashing contest. Here, opponents and their eggs are pitted against each other in one-on-one "battles" where eggs are smashed against each other until the surface of one is cracked, revealing a loser. Rounds continue until a sole egg remains. Strategies can vary greatly, from smashing an opponent full on in hopes of cracking your own egg and getting to be the first person to eat, to false starts and exact hit angles to come out as a winner.
50 days after Easter Ukrainians are celebrate Holy Trinity Day (Svyata Triytsya) or "Green Sunday". This holiday is dedicated to the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles on the fiftieth day after the Resurrection of Christ (Easter). This event gave rise to Christianity. The meaning of the Holy Trinity is thus: God the Father laid the basis for the church in the Old Testament, the Son brought its meaning into words, and the Spirit acts within it. On this holiday people decorate their houses and apartments with an herb and assorted green branches.
This tradition comes from ancient Judaism, in which the Pentecost, the Feast of Harvest, was celebrating outside amongst flourishing Nature. On Holy Trinity Day, people go to a cemetery to visit the tombs of relatives and friends who have passed away. In this holiday has emerged the custom of leaving food on the burial tombs of loved ones though no one claims it is significance or relevance to Christianity. Holy Trinity Day is a very important religious holiday in Ukraine.
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