Ukrainian Traditions and Customs.

    Let us introduce you some information about Ukrainian Traditions and Customs. We hope that it will help you to know more about Ukrainian history. Because all our girls are from Ukraine, live in Ukraine, and they have another celebrations. We hope that it will help you to celebrate some holidays together and it will help you to feel the great Ukraine soul and character. 

    What are the traits of the Ukrainian character? First, there is kindness. There is also hospitality and friendliness. And still - respect to senior and died, love to children, nature and animal.  Ukrainians have a sense of humor, they are musical, artistic. They are wonderful craftsmen famous for their mastery in weaving, woodcarving and ceramics. But skill and draft to work on ground - it the greatest talent of the Ukrainian people. The life was subordinated to a rhythm of cultivating the soil.

     Holidays were celebrated during transition from one agricultural works to another’s. Easter, for example, is a spring holiday.

   In the spring - is a time, when plough and sowing of a field, time of awakening after cold and hungry winter. In pagan times Ukrainians trusted, that each year the gods die and are born again. An example pagan of customs is the custom to paint eggs. (Chicken eggs).

To the Christian Ascension Day (40-th day after Easter) Ukrainians have added a pre-Christian tradition of going to the field to inspect the progress of the wheat.

    In the summer, for 50-th day after Easter, celebrate Trinity. Traditionally people decorate their homes with green   tree branches and fragrant herbs. Another summer holiday - day is Ivan Kupala (July 7). Everyone should at least plunge into this day in water. It was last holiday before the tax of a crop.

The 2nd of August, St.Illia"s Day, was marked as a beginning of autumn. " Before dinner - summer, ambassador the dinner - autumn ", people said. August 19, on ''Savior Day'', was consecrated with vegetables, fruit, mushrooms and honey.

    In middle of October, usually played weddings.

   "Vertep", or doll theatre, - unique feature of Christmas holidays in Ukrainian. The young people were going together, changed clothes by the angels, kings, Herod, Devil, Death and even by animals. They went from houses in the house and sang songs about birth of the Christ, congratulated all on a holiday. These holidays now were kept in small cities. In the large cities these holidays were not kept. Each country has its own customs, traditions, holidays and significant days of its history. Speaking about holidays of Ukraine, it is necessary to tell about all a favorite holiday of New Year. The people hope, that in night on the eve of New Year old year with all troubles us forever, and the New Year with all hopes and expectations is knocked on a door. The people decorate New Year's tree, arrange New Year's parties and give gifts to the relatives and friends. December 31 till January 1 we mark New Year.

On the   7^th  of January Ukrainians start celebrating Christmas. It is birthday of Jesus the Christ, and it is widely celebrated on all Ukraine. The people sing Christmas hymns; prepare a traditional Ukrainian Christmas dish named "kutaj", which all the family eats together. Then people go in church to listen to the Christmas sermon.

Absolutely recently Ukrainians began to mark new holiday - St. Valentine’s Day. It is day of lovers, when we give the special cards and gifts beloved. This traditional holiday has come in Ukraine from the English countries.

The 8^th  of March - Women’s day. This date was entered in 1910 by 2 International Conference of the women - socialists on the offer Clara Tsetkin as a day of the international solidarity of the women in struggle for economic, social and political equality. Today this date has lost the political meaning and became simply day when we congratulate and we thank our women for everything, that they do for us home and at work, we wish them all good, we give flowers and gifts.

Easter celebrate on a lunar calendar. It is the Day of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection. The people mark this holiday; He has died on a cross for the sake of our rescue. They go in church to listen to the sermons; the houses are going together, that to pray and to thank Jesus Christ for our rescue from eternal death in eternal life with Him in Heaven.

The 1^st of May we celebrate the holiday of spring, awakening of a nature and beauty.

The 9^th of May we celebrate anniversary of a Victory above fascist Germany. The people go to a tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which was lost on war, protecting our country from the fascists, assigning flowers to monuments, and evening everyone go to look celebratory salute.

The 24^th of August we celebrate The Independence Day of Ukraine, which was proclaimed in 1991 under the decision of the Supreme Body of Ukraine the ambassador of military putsch of Moscow. We like our holidays also therefore. These days we celebrate with all family, relatives, friends and of course with beloved persons.

We hope that this information helped you to know more about Ukrainian character and traditions. There are a lot of special presents for each holiday. But you can always use flowers, chocolates, champagne, perfumes, and toys as a wonderful present! Present the minute of enjoyment on your beloved’s face! Let her feel you, your carry, your attention to her in spite of the long distance between you and your beloved!!!