Calendar Festivals and Rites of Ukrainian People

Late autumn and winter afford moments of leisure to rural people thro­ughout Europe. This period is especially rich in traditions and rites.

November 21 is the day in many regions of Ukraine when "summer turns into winter," and many omens and forecasts are connected with this day. They reflect a peasant's desire to predict what the coming winter might be Eke and how it could affect next year's harvest. A characteristic omen for this day was the identity of the first guest to visit someone's home. There were good and bad omens. A female guest was a bad omen. On the other hand, a male guest would bring happiness and prosperity to the family .

The 12-day period between December 25 (Nativity), January 1 (New Year), and January 6 (Christmas) marked the high point of festivities. A great number of rituals and traditions connected with these dates in the church and secular calendars formed over the centuries. Each feast had specific features, yet, they all had much in common, namely, to protect people from evil forcers which were thought to be particularly dangerous during this period, to ensure happiness and prosperity for the family in the new year, and to reveal prospects for the future.

Ritual feasts can be divided into two groups: family and calendar festivals' Each feast has a meal as its integral part. The primary family rituals are con­nected with birth (confinement, baptism), marriage and death. In rituals con­nected with childbirth, meals were particularly important during visits to new mothers. Traditionally, only women could pay such visits. Usually, they bro­ught bread or cakes, eggs, honey, stewed fruit, thus, enriching with highly-calorie products the diet of a young mother still weak after confinement. Si­milar traditions of mutual assistance were characteristic of other festive events At a wedding, the young couple was presented not only with gifts but also with bread, flour, grain or grouts. At funerals, guests were supposed to bring bread. flour, com or grouts. These foodstuffs were regarded as possessing magic for­ces. At weddings, bread was used to greet the newlyweds with; it was blessed and was to guarantee them a happy married life.

Special wedding loafs ("Korovays") were a peculiar feature of Ukrainian marriage rites. This tradition was popular throughout Ukraine, as well as in neighboring regions of Russia, Belarus and Poland. The importance of marriage loafs in Ukrainian wedding rites was so great that the bridegroom whose wedding was conducted without them would later be called "Bezkorovainy" (without loaf).

These loafs were baked, as a rule, by the families of the newlyweds and were divided into two parts during the wedding ceremony. The loaf symboli­zed the unity of the young couple, the unity of the two families, the continu­ation of the kin, fertility, and the ascension of the couple to a higher social position. Everything connected with these loafs possessed also a magic signi­ficance.

No less important is the role of bread and grain in calendar rituals. The celebration of Nativity began with a holy evening. Since it was the last day of the Pylypivsky feast, people prepared lavish but Lenten dishes, which included twelve courses, including, fish and mushrooms, borsch, porridge, vareniks that were cabbage, fruit or curd dumplings. The meal was a sweet dish called kutya made from boiled wheat with honey, ground poppy seeds and nuts. A compote from dried pears, cherries, apples and plums was also served. Kutya was also served in some regions on New Year's Eve.

The New Year (Malanky) and the night and day of the New Year (Basil) were usually marked by lavish feasts, which symbolized future harvests and prosperity of the family.

QUESTIONS:

1. What is the main idea of the day of November 21?

2. What are the specific features of feasts between November 25 and January 6?

3. What groups can ritual feasts be divided into? Give characteristic to each

4. What is the peculiar feature of Ukrainian marriage rites?

5. What is the peculiar features of celebrating of calendar rituals?