Ukraine holidays are a bright and festive time for joy. Read on to experience the colorful tapestry of Ukrainian folk traditions and lesser-known holidays!
Beyond New Year and Christmas, January brings a range of joyful festivities. During this season of respite from fieldwork and household chores, these celebrations aim to uplift spirits and bring families together.
One lesser-known Christian holiday is Melanky Day, typically celebrated on January 13th and 14th. Many Ukrainians remain unaware of this holiday. This is because of a period in our history that lasted over 70 years when some traditions were prohibited. The different cultural influences also made it hard for the modern Ukrainian nation to fully reclaim its own old traditions.
While larger cities may have lost touch, rural areas in the central and western regions still hold these traditions dear.
Background of Ukraine holidays
Malanka (Melanka, Melanky, Malania) or “Melania’s Day” commemorates the name day of a Christian saint Melania the Younger which is celebrated on January, 13. It partly coincides with the day of another saint – Vasyl the Great whose name day usually falls on January, 14. That is why the day is traditionally called The Fiest of Melania and Vasyl. Vasyl the Great was a patron of shepherds and the dinner should be rich on this day. That is why the fest is often called Schedry Vechyr (Eng. – The Generous Evening). Many natives are not familiar with this, and a few other old Ukraine holidays.
Traditionally on the night of this festival, carolers went from house to house singing, spreading cheer and good wishes. They also played pranks and acted out small skits (similar to a nativity scene) together. They visited their relatives, neighbors and friends and greeted them on the day.
Folk Traditions during Ukraine Holidays
Modern celebrations united pre-Christian and Christian rites. Usual holiday traditions include cooking special dishes as well as dressing as animals and folk heroes Malanka and Vasyl. On this day, a young man also dresses like a lady Malanka and goes through the village accompanied by the young masked as beasts (often goats and bears) and some fairy-tale heroes. Sometimes there can be many other men dressed in women’s clothes which makes the parade funnier.
They sing festive carols and get treats (candies, sweet bread, fruits and money) for their talent. In the old times, dressing represented some important magical-religious functions, but later this ritual turned into a joyous masquerade. Curious people in funny masks often follow the procession to have fun watching the reaction of the young citizens seeing this event and singing songs together with them. To add a quick playful fact about this event: it is worth mentioning that the men disguised as Lady Malanka may kiss any people (men and women) passing by and that should not be considered offensive. This is surely an interesting one of the many interesting Ukraine holidays.
Festive Dishes
Traditional dishes of the day include krovianka (also called Malanka). This dish is a sausage made of porridge with pig lard and baked festive bread
representing the main idols of the day. Housewives also used to prepare many treats like pen cakes, dumplings, patties and sweets and honey cakes to welcome the guests coming to sing corals in the evening. As well as on Christmas Eve it is traditional to prepare kutia on Melanky Day. Schedra (generous) kutia is made with addition of butter, cream or milk.
Fortune telling
Fortune telling is one of the most important magic rituals on Melanky Day. It helps the girls not only to get to know their fortune but also to entertain themselves during the cold winter evenings.
The pre-Christian Slavs used to divine during all the holidays. After the baptism of Rus, fortune-telling and similar traditions tied to pagan gods became a sin, as Christianity stated that there was only one God.
Divinations
A vast number of different divinations reached our times. These ancient practices encompassed a wide range of predictions, from unveiling the physical attributes of a future husband to determining the timing and location of a wedding. Others delved into the prophetic insights into the future dynamics of married life. Let’s go through the most unusual of them all.
- A girl runs out onto the street and asks the first man she meets his name. This name is supposed to be her future husband’s name!
- Hutsul girls used to feed a cat with dumplings. Once done, the girl, whose dumpling the cat eats first, is predicted to get married earlier.
- Three small piles of grain poured near the gates in the evening represent the view of a future married life: if they are ruined in the morning, life will be stormy; if they remain the same, life will be calm and peaceful.
- Another divination implied going out to the yard in the night blindfolded and marking the ninth pole in a fence with a ribbon. In the morning the shape of the pole showed the life path – straight and smooth or rough and curly.
Some rites were performed by fortune tellers with the help of special items put under a pillow before going to sleep and the usual saying was “Come into my sleep my intended groom (bride) and show yourself”. The person whom a fortune-teller saw in a dream was about to be the future spouse.
Naturally, it’s important to note that such fortune-telling practices, like any others, are often approached with a lighthearted attitude by modern women, more for amusement than as a serious endeavor. 😉
Melanky Fest
Melanky Fest in Chernivtsi founded in 2011 is a unique holiday uniting Ukrainian, Bessarabian, Hutsul, Moldavian, and Romanian traditions in a bright, and joyous celebration. It’s an inclusive festival that gladly welcomes all interested tourists to take part in various theatrical traditions. They include some events called Peryberia.
Every year, the city comes alive with a vibrant carnival procession, featuring numerous costumed groups showcasing their acting talents and portraying fabulous characters. As the procession winds through the streets, participants aim to captivate the public with a medley of absurd, colorful, and occasionally shocking figures inspired by ancient and modern history, politics, and the arts. Melanky Fest in Chernivtsi attracts Ukrainian tourists as well as foreigners. It brings joy, solemnity and patriotism to the viewers and helps the folk to keep unique traditions started by their ancestors.
Greet a lady on a Ukraine Holiday
Familiarizing yourself with both the traditional holidays of your Ukrainian lady’s country can provide you with additional topics for delightful conversations. As a bonus, it is a good way to demonstrate your thoughtfulness. The whole of Ukraine celebrates the fest of an Old New Year on January, 14. So, for sure, you won’t make a mistake if you greet a Ukrainian lady on this day!
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Olga loves travelling and learning about different cultures. She enjoys taking photos, trying new foods, and spending time outdoors. A skilled writer, Olga is a language enthusiast as well. She enjoys meeting new people from around the world and trying out new recipes in her kitchen.
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