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Le Monde

26 Dec 2023

Young Ukrainians embrace Christmas traditions in response to Russian invasion

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/12/26/young-ukrainians-embrace-christmas-traditions-in-response-to-russian-invasion_6377597_4.html

Images Le Monde.fr — RAFAEL YAGHOBZADEH FOR LE MONDE

Young Ukrainians embrace Christmas traditions in response to Russian invasion

By Rafael Yaghobzadeh

Published today at 5:00 pm (Paris), updated at 5:30 pm

Subscribers only

In picturesIt's not a time for celebration, yet the ancestral rites and customs that accompany end-of-year celebrations in Ukraine have never been so present since the Russian invasion. It's a sign of defiance toward Moscow, championed by the new generation.

Images Le Monde.fr — Young Ukrainian women take part in Christmas celebrations in Pyrohiv, a suburb of Kyiv, on December 25, 2023. For the first time in modern Ukrainian history, Orthodox believers celebrated Christmas in sync with Catholics, but also with Greek, Romanian and Bulgarian Orthodox, on December 25 and not on January 7 of the civil calendar, as had been traditional until then, in defiance of Moscow. In Ukraine, customs of dress and song vary from region to region. Today, more than 400 amateur traditional singing groups are registered.

Images Le Monde.fr — Anton, 22, from Kharkiv, and his girlfriend, Oleksandra, 23, from Donetsk, at the National Museum of Ukrainian History in Kyiv on December 23, 2023. The couple bought two Christmas stars to organize koliadkas (Christmas choirs) and raise funds for a Ukrainian battalion. Oleksandra had grown up with koliadkas, unlike Anton, for whom this is a first. "We're trying to revive traditions: the stars symbolize the star announcing the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem," they explained.

Images Le Monde.fr — July Vitraniuk (right), 23, and her friend get ready for a concert in Kyiv on December 24, 2023. Vitraniuk began singing at the age of 6. Today she specializes in traditional Ukrainian singing. "I could dress like this every day, but it would still be strange," she said.

Images Le Monde.fr — An exhibition on Ukrainian holidays at the Ukrainian House convention center, in Kyiv, on December 22, 2023. This year, a number of exhibitions on Christmas traditions are being held in various locations around the capital.

Images Le Monde.fr — Hanneh, a 26-year-old humanitarian volunteer, holds a handmade Christmas star in downtown Kyiv on December 24, 2023. This is the first time she and her friends have organized a koliadka (Christmas choir). "Before the Russian invasion, koliadkas weren't very fashionable, but today it's become cool, you could say that nowadays traditions are part of pop culture," she explained.

Images Le Monde.fr — A group of young Ukrainians take part in a Christmas choir in a trendy Kyiv restaurant on December 24, 2023. Equipped with a QR code for bank transfers and a bag to collect cash, they sing in strategic locations to raise funds for a Ukrainian brigade. The idea came to them when they saw friends doing the same thing the previous year.

Images Le Monde.fr — A Ukrainian couple chooses a "vyshyvanka" – a traditional Ukrainian shirt that literally means "embroidery" – before Christmas at the trendy Etnodim store in Kyiv on December 23, 2023. These shirts are worn on religious holidays and other festive occasions.

Images Le Monde.fr — Ihor Didenchuk, 24, from Lutsk, with his girlfriend and a friend, in Kyiv on December 24, 2023. Didenchuk began playing the traditional flute at the age of 6. In 2021, he was selected with his group Go-A for the Eurovision Song Contest and has collaborated with the famous Ukrainian group Kalush. For several years now, he has been collecting and recording ancient Ukrainian songs in the country's villages for a project to preserve and pass on the oral heritage.

Images Le Monde.fr — A group of young Ukrainians sing carols at a Christmas fair in downtown Kyiv on December 24, 2023.

Images Le Monde.fr — A chef presents his guests with his reimagined Christmas menu, at Kastan, a trendy restaurant in Kyiv, on December 24, 2023. Traditionally, the "sviata vecheria" ("holy dinner") is made up of 12 dishes, the most emblematic of which is "kutia" (a dish based on cereals, berries and dried fruit).

Images Le Monde.fr — An exhibition on Ukrainian Christmas rites and traditions at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, in Kyiv, on December 22, 2023. All the symbols and attributes of Ukrainian culture are presented. "The new generation is discovering traditions that were forgotten, but not for everyone. It depends on the region you come from or your family upbringing," said Vita, 30.

Images Le Monde.fr — A "didukh"-making workshop at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, in Kyiv, on December 23, 2023. The "didukh," which means "spirit of the ancestors," is a traditional Christmas decoration made from ears of wheat, symbolizing fertility.

Images Le Monde.fr — A giant "didukh" in the shape of the Ukrainian coat of arms, made by a paratrooper from the 80th brigade, in Pyrohiv, a Kyiv suburb, on December 25, 2023.

Images Le Monde.fr — The National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine in Pyrohiv, outside Kyiv, organized Christmas celebrations on December 25, 2023. The popular 130-hectare site is home to over 300 traditional Ukrainian monuments.

Images Le Monde.fr — Andrei, 15, from Makariv (a town occupied by the Russian army at the start of the war), left his hometown the day after the Russian invasion to become a military cadet in Kyiv. On December 25, 2023, he took part for the first time in a koliadka (Christmas choir) in Pyrohiv, on the outskirts of Kyiv.

Images Le Monde.fr — The symbols of the war against Russia embroidered on a traditional Ukrainian shirt ("vyshyvanka") in a Kyiv tourist store. Since the Russian invasion, "vyshyvanka" has become a real craze.

Images Le Monde.fr — A group of young Ukrainians in a traditional church in Pyrohiv, on the outskirts of Kyiv, on December 25, 2023. For the first time in its history, Ukraine celebrates Christmas on December 25, according to the Julian calendar, instead of January 7.

Images Le Monde.fr — A nativity scene featuring traditional Ukrainian dolls ("motanka") as the Three Wise Men. Of pagan origin, these lucky talismans are very popular in Ukrainian culture.

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