Ukrainians don’t kid around when it comes to celebration. When a month goes by without a major holiday, something isn’t right. Ukrainians need their party fix. Ukraine’s signature holidays meet at the intersection of ancient Christian and Ukrainian folk-ethnic customs — many of which have their roots in the pagan beliefs common in Ukraine before Byzantine Christianity was widely introduced in the 10th century. But today’s Ukraine is an incredibly diverse place, religiously and ethnically — Hasidic Jews also have some longstanding and uniquely Ukrainian holidays, and, of course, there are plenty of civic holidays for all of Ukraine’s ethnicities and religious groups to rally around. Here is a list of Ukrainian Chicago’s ten favorite Ukrainian holidays.
The legend of Kupalo is so ancient that historians and anthropologists can’t really decide when it came to be. Originally a pre-Christian fertility and cleansing ritual celebrated near the summer solstice, Kupalo exalted the uncontrollable forces of nature: floodwaters, the harvest, the tide, and the weather.
When Christianity was introduced to Rus’-Ukraine by Grand Prince Volodymyr in the 10th century, Kupalo and other pagan rituals were Christianized. Though Kupalo’s original emphases remained the same, it came to be associated with St. John the Baptist and Christian rites of purification. One of the hallmarks of Kupalo is an event when women throw fern and summer flower wreaths into large bodies of water. The person who dives in to retrieve a wreath is partnered with the woman who wove it. The couple has to complete tasks like jumping over a bonfire or spending a night in the forest to find a mythical fern flower for their budding relationship to blossom into marriage.
2. Independence Day
Independence day celebrates Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union on August 24th, 1991. While some Soviet-era holdovers have been associated with the holiday, like a large military parade in the center of Ukraine’s capital, it has come to mark the adoption of Ukrainian civic identity of all people living in Ukraine, and a common date that ethnic Ukrainians abroad can point to when their nation finally appeared on a map. Celebrations often include outdoor festivals and elaborate shows of contemporary Ukrainian music and dancing.
Pascha, or Easter as it’s known in the West, is the year’s defining celebration for Ukrainian Christians. Preceded by a strict 40-day period of fasting from all meat and dairy products, and several nights of reflection in church, the boisterous singing of “Christ is Risen” is when Ukrainians know it’s time to cut loose. Blessed butter, hams, sausages, cheeses, eggs, go straight from people’s Easter baskets onto their breakfast tables after coming home from an all-night vigil around sunrise.
The most recognizable element of Pascha is the pysanka, an intricately-painted egg steeped in Christian and pre-Christian symbolism. Another important element is the Paska, a cake-like sweetbread made with eggs, milk, and sometimes cheese, decorated with intricate braids and flowers made of dough or raisins.
There are also many folk songs and dances related to Pascha called Hayivky or Vesnianky (literally grove or spring songs). These are often performed by young people near churches or in cemeteries and are intended to introduce young couples to one another, in addition to expressing joy in the new life of spring and Christ’s Resurrection.
In the traditional Ukrainian observation of this Christian feast, homes, offices, churches, cars, and other spaces are adorned with greenery and aromatic herbs symbolizing the Holy Spirit. This custom is why Ukrainians refer to the feasting as Green Holidays. Fifty days after Pascha, and ten days following the conclusion of Paschal celebrations, Ukrainian Pentecost celebrates the beginning of summer. In a more Christian sense, it also celebrates unity among all languages and ethnicities as per the Biblical account in which Christ’s Apostles were told to preach the Good News to all nations.
On the days preceding Pentecost, Ukrainians 