Koliadka
Koliadka (, , , ) are traditional songs usually sung in Eastern Slavic, Central European and Eastern European countries during the Christmas holiday season. It is believed that everything sung about will come true. The history of koliadka Koliadka have been used since pre-Christian times in Kievan Rus'. Those songs were used with ritual purposes. First koliadkas described ancient people's ideas about creation, natural phenomenons and structure of the world. With the advent of Christianity content of koliadkas began to acquire the relevant religious meaning and features. Thus now koliadkas are mostly Christmas carols which describe the birth of Jesus Christ and biblical stories happened in connection with the event. However heathen roots are still there. In modern culture Serbians and Montenegrins sing koliadkas dedicated to Saint Nicholas in their churches. Slovaks, Czechs and sometimes Belarusians sing koliadkas not only on Saint Nicholas Day (which they celebrate on December 6), but on Saint Stephen Day (December 26) too. Ukrainians sing koliadkas and from the holiday of Saint Mykolay or Saint Nicholas Day (December 19) till the holiday of baptism of Jesus (January 19). There are other types of winter holidays ritual songs except koliadkas in Ukraine, named schedrivkas and zasivalkas.