Family Traditions

People have many family traditions. They usually celebrate such family holidays as: Birthdays of every person of the family, New Year’s Day, Nativity, Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Women’s Day, Mother’s Day, Saint Trinity Day and others.

New Year’s Day is a favourite holiday of every family. They decorate the New Year’s tree to this holiday. They usually decorate it with bright toys, candies and coloured lights. They get together on the 31-st of December. They usually have a big dinner. They see the New Year in at 12 o’clock p. m.. When the clock strikes twelve, everybody drinks champagne and says to each other: “Happy New Year!” Then they watch TV or go for a walk. They often go to the city New Year’s tree and have a good time there. Children and students usually have New Year’s parties at kindergartens, schools, colleges, Universities some days before this holiday. They sing and dance around the New Year’s tree and they are very happy.

Christmas is another great holiday which comes on the 7-th of January in Ukraine.

The party before Christmas is called Nativity. They prepare twelve dishes for this party.These dishes must be lenten. They usually serve such dishes as: fish, mushrooms, porridge, vareniks with cabbage and some others. Kutya is the main dish at Nativity. They make it of boiled wheat with honey, poppy and nuts. They boil compote from dried fruit. The family usuaally gather together at the holiday table. No one sitting at the table can eat till the first star appears in the sky. It symbolizes the beginning of Christmas holiday.

They celebrate Christmas on the 7-th of January in Ukraine. They go to the church on this day. They greet one another with the words: “Christ is born!” and they answer: “Glory to him!’ They sing carols at Christmas. The children greet the families on this holiday. They sing carols and wish health and good luck to the families. They celebrate Christmas for three days. They visit their friends and relatives at Christmas.

They call Saint Basil’s Day the Old New Year in Ukraine. They celebrate it on the 14-th of January. Little boys and not girls come to the people’s houses early in the morning. They seed the houses with rye and wheat. They wish health and good luck to the families.

They celebrate Epiphany on the 19-th of January in Ukraine. On this day they go to the church and bless water. Then they take the blessed water to their houses. The oldest man of the family (usually the grandfather or the father) sprinkles the house with the blessed water. They drink this water too. They say, the blessed water is never bad and they believe that it has a curative force. They keep the blessed water in the house for a year, till the next Epiphany.

They celebrate Willow Sunday on Sunday before Easter. They bless pussy-willow branches in the church. They tap one another with these branches repeating the wish: “Be as tall as the willow, as healthy as the water and as rich as the Earth. Not I am tapping, the willow is tapping. Easter is in a week!’

Easter is the greatest Christian holiday of the year. Easter is the feast of Christ resurrection. They celebrate Easter according to the Moon Calendar. They celebrate Easter for three days. They usually bake Easter cakes and paint Easter eggs for this holiday. Easter egg is the symbol of life. They usually go to the church in the evening before Easter or at Easter night. They take a basket to the church. They put Easter cake, Easter eggs, meat, sausage, horse-radish, salt and other food into the basket. Then they cover the basket with an embroidering napkin or towel. They put a candle into the Easter cake in the church and the priest blesses all the baskets with the blessed water. People can also take part in the matins and high mass in the church during which Easter cakes are blessed.

All the members of the family gather together at Easter breakfast in the morning. They eat blessed Easter egg together. They divide it among all the members of the family. Then they eat and drink what they want. They greet each other with the words: “Christ has risen!’ and they answer: “He has risen indeed!” They exchange Easter eggs on this holiday.