Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world.
Date of celebration
As of 2017, 25 December, Christmas Day by the Gregorian calendar, became an official government holiday in Ukraine. The Eastern Orthodox Churches predominantly follow the Julian calendar, and 7 January is also a public holiday in Ukraine.
So while many Western churches celebrate Christmas on December 25, following the Gregorian calendar, Eastern churches follow the Julian calendar, on which Christmas falls on January 7. The use of two different calendars means that the Western churches and Eastern churches celebrate Christmas around 13 days apart.
There are many traditions associated with Christmas, but the most important rituals that Ukrainians follow regularly are Christmas dinner and Christmas caroling. The Christmas celebration begins on Christmas Eve. Family members cook Christmas dinner consisting of 12 fasting dishes that symbolize 12 apostles.
The traditional Ukrainian Christmas greeting is 'Христос Родився' (Khrystos Rodyvsia - Christ is born) to which the response is 'Славімо Його' (Slavimo Yoho - Let us glorify Him). A more general seasonal greeting is 'Веселих Свят' ('Veselykh Svyat'), which literally means 'Happy Feasts”.
Christmas gifts in Ukraine
There are no gifts in Ukraine on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Gifts are given on St. Nicholas' Day, as they were in other countries like Germany at one time. However, this is not celebrated on December 6, but according to the Orthodox calendar on December 19.
Ukraine's Santa Claus is called Did Moroz (Father Frost) or Svyatyy Mykolay (Saint Nicholas).
There is usually a particular sequence of meals on Christmas Eve. First, Ukrainians eat Kutia, then borshch, holubtsi, dumplings, fried fish, cabbage, etc., and drink uzvar. As a rule, children bring dinner, for example, to godparents and grandparents.
"The reason that they're meatless is that the animals that were in the stable when Jesus was born paid homage to Jesus, and to pay respect back to them, we don't eat any animal products at all," Holowachuck said, adding that they also symbolize the 12 apostles.
Mid-December is when the Christmas atmosphere begins to fill Ukrainian cities, with all Christmas markets and festivals, decorations and magic lights. Christmas Eve (Holy Eve) is marked by traditional family gatherings in the evening in Ukraine – the so-called Sviata Vecheria ('Holy Dinner').
Ukrainian, the official language, belongs with Russian and Belarusian to the East Slavic branch of the Slavic language family. Ukrainian is closely related to Russian but also has distinct similarities to the Polish language.
As of 2022, according to a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), 85% of Ukrainians identified as Christians. 72% identified themselves with Eastern Orthodoxy, 9% to the Catholic Church (8% Eastern-rite, 1% Latin-rite) and 4% adherents of a Protestant Church or other Christian movement.
By celebrating on Dec. 25 instead of Jan. 7 — the date Christmas is observed by Russians and other Eastern Orthodox Christians — Kuvtun is making a small stand against a larger Russian cultural hegemony that many Ukrainians see as part of Russia's invasion. “The civilized world celebrates on the 25th of December.
In Germany, Poland, and Ukraine, finding a spider or a spider's web on a Christmas tree is considered good luck. Ukrainians also create small Christmas tree ornaments in the shape of a spider (known as pavuchky, literally "little spiders"), usually made of paper and wire.
The national dish of Ukraine is borscht, the well-known beet soup, of which many varieties exist. However, varenyky (boiled dumplings similar to pierogi) and a type of cabbage roll known as holubtsi are also national favourites, and are a common meal in traditional Ukrainian restaurants.
The most famous traditional Ukrainian dishes are borshch, varenyky, holubtsi, Chicken Kyiv, banosh, and syrnyky, and it surely is not an exhaustive list. Borshch (sometimes written as borsch, borsht, bortsch, or borshch) is a sour soup with distinctive red colour.
The typical greeting is a warm, firm handshake, maintaining direct eye contact, and repeating your name. When female friends meet, they kiss on the cheek three times, starting with the left and then alternating, while close male friends may pat each other on the back and hug.
Blowing one's nose in public is considered bad manners. It is impolite to yawn during conversations with others, or in public without covering your mouth. Throwing away food or wasting food is frowned upon, especially bread.
Have you ever wondered why some Ukrainian families place jeweled spiders on their Christmas tree? The tradition dates back centuries to a tale about a spider who, thankful for the warmth in the house provided by a poor family, spins beautiful Christmas decorations, saving Christmas and bringing good luck to the family.
On his day, December 19th, Svaty Mikolay lights the Christmas tree in Sofiyivska Square to open the New Year and Christmas holidays. What do these two figures do? Svaty Mikolay comes during the night on December 19th, bringing gifts to well-behaved children.
In Ukraine it's not Santa Claus or Father Frost who gives presents, it's Saint Nicolas. In some countries in Europe this day is celebrated through cultural and religious traditions on the 5th or 6th of December, in Western Ukraine St. Nicholas Day is on December 19.