Dance, food and festivals! Things you should know about the Ukrainian culture

Ukraine is a highly traditional country, with a wealthy talent and cultural legacy. The country and its people, who are known for their soft and very friendly and welcoming nature are going through a rough time since the Russian invasion.

From painting easter eggs, ice water dip and their traditional new year, there are certain customs and practices that play a central role in its culture.

Here are the things you should know about the culturally rich country

The ancient tradition of Easter in Ukrainian is of painting eggs and for those who don't know, it is called Pysanka. The eggs which are decorated with traditional Ukrainian folk designs using a wax-resist method, symbolize, “good will and good luck,'' and are gifted to family and friends at the festival. 

 

Christian holidays have always occupied a special place in Ukraine. Like many other countries, in Ukraine, the celebration is started from the birth of Jesus Christ to the old new year on January 13-14 and later on January 19, a day of Jesus Christ's baptism and is also very important for Ukrainians.

On this day, it is a tradition to take a dip in the ice cold water, it is believed that the water becomes holy and contains a power to heal you from any disease, locals also have faith that on this day it is impossible to fall ill from such bathing. 

Religion in Ukraine is diverse, with a majority of the population adhering to Christianity.  Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Eastern Catholicism and Roman Catholicism are the three most widely practiced religions. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is the largest in the country. Faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the second largest, practice Byzantine rites, but are united with the Roman Catholic Church.

Dance has been a vital part of the Ukrainian culture, which can be traced back to the third millennium BC. Traditional Ukrainian dance is one of the countries’ most recognized cultural worldwide, and people love an extremely energetic performance along with hand-embroidered costume and accompanying folk music.

The country has different types of dances like kalyna, pryvitannya and hopak 

Curruntly, there are number of different dance troupes in the European country that have kept this significant part of their heritage alive. 

Traditional Ukrainian clothing has won the hearts of the world’s most fashionable people!

The iconic embroidered shirt or blouse, the vyshyvanka, is the most recognizable part of the Ukrainian national costume. Apart from wearing it on a selective day,  It is a trendy piece for everyday life as well. Many Ukrainian brands have created their own version inspired by vyshyvanka.

Malanka is a Ukrainian and Belarusian folk holiday celebrated on 13 January, which is New Year's Eve in accordance with the Julian calendar. On the holiday people got dressed up in elaborate costumes and goes from house to house singing traditional songs.

Artisan textile arts is a  rich tradition of weaving and plays an important role in Ukrainian culture, especially in Ukrainian wedding traditions.

Ukrainian embroidery, weaving and lace-making are used in traditional folk dress and in traditional celebrations.