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Sunday, January 06, 2008

Ukraine Celebrates Christmas, Part 1 (Updated)

The country that exported “Carol of the Bells” to Western civilization celebrates Christmas on January 7.



Christianity, imported to Ukraine in 988 A.D. and oppressed for most of the 20th century, has produced a Christmas tradition very different from that of Western civilization.


The rough equivalent of the West’s much-commercialized Christmas can be witnessed here on New Year’s Day, a counter-tradition cultivated by the atheist Soviet government. (Mind the purchasing power gap.)


Z Rizdvom Khrystovym! Merry Christmas! Enjoy this wonderful collection of Ukrainian Christmas carols and links:

http://www.brama.com/art/christmas.html http://www.worldofchristmas.net/christmas-world/ukraine.html http://www.houseofukraine.com/UKE_CAROL.HTML http://www.abheritage.ca/pasttopresent/settlement/ukrainian_settlement.html
http://www.msichicago.org/scrapbook/scrapbook_exhibits/catw2004/traditions/countries/ukraine.html http://www.infoukes.com/culture/traditions/christmas/ http://www.uazone.net/holidays/christmas.html

"Dobry Vechir Tobi" (Ukrainian Carol)



"Dobry Vechir Tobi" by Ruslana


"Shchedryk" ("Carol of the Bells") by a Ukrainian choir in San Francisco


"Nebo i Zemlya Nyni Torzhesvuyut"


Christmas in a Ukrainian village



"Tykha Nich" ("Silent Night")


Ukrainian Christmas Mass


Christmas Eve in the Ukrainian Diaspora


Vertep in a small Ukrainian village


Diaspora Ukrainians sing Christmas Carols


Ukrainian Caroling in Saskatoon


Ukrainian Christmas Carol accompanied by bandura


Another Ukrainian Carol


"Nadvori Rizdvo" by Bohdana Tkachuk and the ensemble Prolisok


"Narodyvsya Bog na Saniakh"


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's January 7th, 2008.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO TARAS AND ALL THE BEST IN 2008!

pumpernickel said...

Veseliiy Sviat i shchaslyvoho novoho roku. Khrystos Na Rodyvsya!

Taras said...

Dyakuyu! Thank you, guys:)!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your comment Tara, and for putting all these videos together. I'm always interested in how the holidays are celebrated in each country. Great blog!
--Steve

Taras said...

You are welcome, Steve! (Nestor the Chronicler is a cool nick;)

And my name is Taras, though:)