December and January in Ukraine are winter holiday months, brimming with colorful costumes, memorable events, and abundant group singing. One of these holidays is Christmas, and its celebration traditions are interwoven with rites from pre-Christian times.
In almost all of the world’s Christian countries, Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December, coinciding with the winter solstice. In pre-Christian times, it was the day of the birth of the sun, the birth of the world. Thus, pre-Christian roots can be traced in modern Christian traditions.
In Ukraine, the celebration of Christmas Eve traditionally varies according to church jurisdiction. It used to be observed either on December 24th, as per the Gregorian Calendar, or on January 6th, according to the Julian Calendar – the latter having been imposed during the Soviet era. In a significant shift in 2023, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine adopted the Gregorian Calendar, officially setting the Christmas celebration dates to December 24th-25th. Nevertheless, religious freedom allows people to celebrate Christmas in line with their respective church’s traditions or personal beliefs.
Holy Evening
Olha Sakhno constructing Didukh
Christmas Eve is called Holy Evening [Ed. – Sviatyi Vecheria]. It is celebrated with family, in anticipation of the birth of God’s child. Christians believe that on this evening, the realms of the living and the dead converge.
Since ancient times, Christmas has been marked by performing rituals to ensure a good harvest and the well-being of the household in the coming year. A central tradition on Christmas Eve involves placing a Didukh in the home. This sheaf, made of ears of rye or wheat, is believed to bring prosperity and well-being. The completed Didukh is customarily positioned in a special corner known as the pokut — a sacred space in the house where icons are displayed and the most honored guests are accommodated.
Craftswoman Olha Sakhno primarily uses rye to construct the Didukh, valuing it as a symbol of life. However, she notes that other grain crops like oats or wheat can also be used. To enhance the Didukh’s base, she adorns it with additional herbs, including flax and immortelle.
Traditionally, on the third day of Christmas or afterwards, the grains are separated from the spikelets and sown into the soil, a ritual intended to ensure a bountiful and rich harvest. In some regions, the Didukh is ceremonially burned to symbolize the disposal of all the hardships experienced over the past year. Master Olha Sakhno explains the significance:
Ukrainian Christmas Eve rituals and traditional Christmas food
Traditional Christmas Eve food in Ukraine
When the first star appears in the sky, people sit down at a table. They have dinner only with fasting dishes because Christmas Eve is the last day of the Christmas (or Philippian) fast. The number of dishes can vary: three, seven, nine, twelve — depending on the region and the family’s wealth level.
In some regions, such as Boykivshchyna, after putting bread on the table and lighting a candle, the hostess places cloves of garlic on the four corners of the table to scare away evil forces.
The main dish served on Christmas Eve is Kutia. It is porridge made from boiled wheat, poppy seeds, nuts, and honey. When wheat grains are cleaned and washed, the porridge is put to boil. Then, you add crushed poppy seeds and nuts. Honey is the last ingredient added to the porridge. Sometimes, people also add raisins or other dried fruits.
Traditional Christmas Eve food in Ukraine
A traditional beverage served during Christmas in Ukraine is Uzvar, a drink made from dried fruits. Both kutia and uzvar are considered commemorative, as they symbolically welcome the souls of the deceased to join the living for dinner.
Bread also holds significant importance, with numerous regional variations in its preparation. For instance, in the village of Shershentsi, different types of bread are prepared on Christmas Eve, each serving a specific purpose. One such type is Pomana, a ritual bread made to honor deceased family members.
The foundation of Pomana is a dough braid formed into a circle. Two additional braids are placed across it in a crosswise manner, and the gaps are filled with spikelets made from four slender dough strands. In a traditional setting, two housewives stand beside a trough carved from willow, kneading the dough with their fists. After the dough has been set aside to rise for one and a half hours, it’s then used to create the ritual bread. These breads are subsequently carried to a furnace for baking.
Usually, on Christmas Eve, the owner’s godchildren come over with a Kalach. Kalach is also a dough braid, laid out in a circle. It usually has sweets and a candle inside.
On Christmas Eve in Ukraine, people also serve lean borshch with “ears”, a kind of dumplings made from water, dough and oil. The dough is divided into small pieces, rolled out, mixed with mushroom filling, and then thrown into the borshch.
Mushroom soup, lean cabbage rolls, fried or baked fish are also traditional dishes. And, of course, varenyky — a half-moon-shaped dough meal with filling. The filling can be different. Christmas-Eve dumplings are often made with cabbage or sweets — just add prunes or cherries as filling.
Caroling in Ukraine
Ukrainian folklorist Halyna Lukyanets during the preparation for Christmas caroling
Christmas carols have been a part of the holiday traditions since pre-Christian times and continue unabated to this day.
Carols are ritual songs. On Christmas Day, carolers go from house to house, singing about the birth of Christ and praising the owners and the whole family with carols. For this, carolers receive rewards from the owners, like sweets or money.
According to one theory, the word “carol” comes from the Latin word calendae, which means the first day of a month. At the beginning of the new year in ancient Rome, people sang songs wishing a rich harvest and prosperity. With the advent of Christianity, the ritual songs started glorifying Christ and the stories of the birth of the Son of God.
Thus, carols combine old ritual motifs about the creation of the world and Christian themes. New versions of carols also include folk motifs. According to the Ukrainian tradition, carols are sung separately for each member of the family, girls and boys, and even animals.
Folklorist Halyna Lukyanets travelled through the villages and towns of Slobozhanshchyna and Poltava region, writing down texts of ancient carols. She shares:
Carolers traditionally walk with a star mounted on a stick, symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem that heralded the birth of Christ and guided the three kings to the Son of God. The earliest records of caroling with a Christmas star can be traced back to the 17th century. Bearing the star is regarded as an honorable task, as the person carrying it is deemed the leader of the caroling group.
Christmas star procession in Lviv, Ukraine
Throughout the city, the star procession brings a kaleidoscope of bright colors to life with each step of its participants. They carry an array of spinning Christmas stars, each uniquely crafted. Large and small, ranging from octagonal to twenty-five-angled, adorned with tassels and bells, some styled like sunflowers or decorated with intricately carved scenes depicting the birth of Jesus Christ — no two stars are alike. This vibrant spectacle is further enhanced by the melodies of musicians playing various instruments and the harmonious singing of carols by the people.
Like most Christmas symbols, before the advent of Christianity, the star had a special meaning because it symbolized the Sun — the most important star for people, celebrating its arrival on the days of the winter solstice. Nowadays, stories related to the birth of Christ are often painted on the stars.
In addition, Lviv residents make traditional and thematic stars, which resonate with modern events. In 2021, a thank-you star appeared during the march for doctors who tirelessly saved people affected by the coronavirus.
Traditionally, Christmas stars are made of wood. The base of the star is strung on a stick. Craftsmen prepare two wooden circles connected by strips as a basis. The number of corners varies. An eight-angled star is most often found in Ukraine.
Caroling in the village of Kryvorivnia
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Happy Holidays, r/Ukraine!
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🇺🇦 HEROIAM SLAVA! 🇺🇦
by Ukrainer_UA
1 comment
A repeat post from last year, but with such beautiful pictures who could resist? 🙂
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