Jan 1 - New Year's Day
Probably the main holiday in the country, when most of the Ukrainians decorate the Christmas tree, buy presents, cook festive dinners and arrange special whole-night parties. Very often people continue to celebrate for the first week or two of January. Ukrainians believe, that a person will spend the year the way he had welcomed it, so they do their best to have good fun on the New Year's Day. As New Year is traditionally a family holiday, people spend it with their family or friends. They watch old Soviet films, drink champagne and listen to the annual festive address of the President to his nation. This holiday especially dear to children. They believe in Ded Moroz, or Santa Claus, who comes this night and bring them gifts.
Jan 7 - Orthodox Christmas
Many old Ukrainian customs, such as fortune telling, singing Christmas carols, cooking traditional dishes and going to church, are connected with the holiday of Christmas. Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar, adopted in Europe and North America. That’s why Ukrainians celebrate Christmas on January 7. For the long Soviet period this important religious holiday was ignored by the official calendar, but in 1990s it was resurrected.
On Christmas Eve (January 6th) members of families meet for Sviata Vecheria (Holy Supper), the traditional twelve dishes of which are dedicated to Christ's twelve apostles. The traditional meals are borsch, vushka, a variety of fish dishes, varenyky, holubtsi and many others. In the last few years a lot of lost traditions like Kolyadki have being revived.
Jan 14 - Old New Year's Day
Before the Great October Revolution of 1917 the Russian Empire lived 13 days behind the rest of the world. Upon the revolution Russia and Ukraine had switched to the western calendar, but for many conservative people it was unacceptable to celebrate New Year before Christmas. Their tradition to celebrate the date survived through decades but didn’t become an official holiday.
Jan 25 - Tatiana's Day
The holiday, originating from the 18th century, is more often referred to as the Students' Day. On January 25, 1775 Russian Empress Elizabeth signed the regulation about the foundation of Moscow University, the first University in the Russian Empire. In the second half of the 19th century January 25 became a holiday of all the Universities and students. In present days students of the post-soviet countries celebrate Tatiana's Day loudly. As a rule, free concerts and performances take place in Kyiv and other Ukrainian settlements.
Feb 14 - St. Valentine’s Day
In Ukraine, just like all around the world, on Valentine's Day lovers, friends and family members exchange Valentine Gifts as tokens of love. Couples also plan out romantic getaway or Valentine parties to celebrate 14th Feb romantically. The romantic holiday was the first one adopted from the West upon the collapse of the so called Iron Curtain. There are no essential differences in the ways of celebrating it between Ukraine and the Western countries.
Feb 23 - Former Soviet Army Day
One of the most honored soviet holidays devoted to all those who had ever served in the army. Nevertheless, for many decades Feb 23 has been celebrated as the men’s day, that’s why its traditions are still alive. The holiday isn’t marked with red in the official calendar, but Ukrainian women traditionally congratulate their male relatives and friends preparing some presents for them.
March 8 - Women’s Day
In Ukraine March 8 is celebrated as the holiday of women, spring and love. It is an official day off for both men and women, which was originally introduced by the Communists. At the time of establishing March 8 had been a political holiday. It originated as a day of fighting for women's rights, when on the 8th of March 1897 women (workers of sewing and shoe factories) gathered in New York demanding 10 hour working days, light and dry work places and equal salaries with men. In 1910 at the International Conference of Women Socialists in Copenhagen Clara Tsetkin proposed celebrating the International Women's day on March, 8 which sounded an appeal to all women of the world to join the struggle for equality. In several years upon the establishing the holiday lost its political content and became a cultural tradition. Nowadays on March 8 Ukrainian men congratulate their women by giving them flowers, presents and making the housework by themselves.
Apr 1 - Fool's Day
In the 16th-century France New Year`s Day was observed on April 1 and celebrated in much the same way as it is today - with parties into the late hours of the night. In 1562 Pope Gregory introduced a new calendar, and the new year fell on January 1. Some people, however, didn't believe the change in the date and continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1. Others played tricks on them and called them "April fools." They sent them on a "fool's errand" or tried to make them believe that something false was true. From that time on Humor Day people play tricks on their friends and have fun. Ukrainians love the holiday very much and even arrange special festivals, devoted to it. One of those takes place in Odessa – the capital of humor.
Orthodox Easter
The date of Easter, the major Orthodox religious holiday, is determined by the Church calendar and calculated according to the so-called "Paskhalias" (the special tables). It is usually celebrated in approximately two weeks after Catholic Easter and is devoted to Jesus Christ`s Resurrection upon his crucifiction on the cross. In the evening people go to churches, spending the entire night in Church services. Usually they bring Easter cakes, painted eggs and bottles of wine with them. In the morning (about 4 am) the service concludes with the clergyman sprinkling all food with sacred water which is believed to have strong healing power. At this time people return home to have a festive breakfast. The traditional greeting on this day is: "Khrystos Voskres!" (Christ is arisen) and the answer "Voyistynu Voskres!" (Truly arisen) followed with kisses and exchanging of gifts. On that day people visit relatives and friends with Easter baskets, filled with kulyches and pysankas.
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May 1 - Labor Day
The 1st of May has traditionally been celebrated as the holiday of spring. In the 19th century - at the age Industrialization - it became the International Day of Solidarity for workers of all countries. At the time groups of workers met and paid tribute to the memory of victims of oppression. In 1888 the American Federation of Labor established the May 1 as a day for the struggle of workers for the 8-hour working day. Strikes and Demonstrations were held worldwide. Later, in the former Soviet Union, this holiday was widely celebrated with huge parades and political speeches. Today people don’t organize any parades, they just stay home and enjoy their official day off.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 September 2010 09:00
May 9 Victory Day
This holiday of both joy and sorrow is devoted to all the victims and veterans of the World War II. As the Victory day is close to the May Day in time, the first week of May is usually the official week-off for the Ukrainians. May 9 is a very important holiday in Ukraine, as in the country you`d hardly found a family, who hadn’t suffer from Nazis in the World War II. On that day veterans of all Ukrainian localities traditionally gather to remember the Great Victory and those who perished. Every locality has a special place called "The Eternal Fire" for such gatherings. In Kyiv it is located near the famous WWII museum and the "Motherland" Statue and Monument.
Kyiv Day
The day of foundation of the Ukrainian capital is traditionally celebrated at the last weekend of May. During two days various performances of popular actors and musicians are held in the center of the city. Kyivers and crowds of people from other localities attend the celebration. They listen to the concerts, walk along decorated streets and have fun. At about 10 p.m. large-scaled fireworks at different points in Kyiv accomplish the celebration.
Holy Trinity Day
In the Orthodox tradition there are holidays that are considered to be Christian, but in fact have pagan roots. Some Orthodox holidays are interlinked with events in nature, such as changing of the seasons, and in the lives of ordinary people, such as marriage, birth, and death. The Feast of the Holy Trinity (or Holy Trinity Day) comes in fifty days upon the Easter and celebrates the Descent of the Holy Spirit, who poured himself out on the apostles. In Ukrainian tradition the holiday is celebrated through decoration. Villagers nail tree branches to their front porches and gates, transforming houses into fairy-tale-like wood dwellings. Indoors, the floors are covered with cut grass. In ancient years Holy Trinity Day coincided with a series of Slavic pagan holidays called Zeleniye Svyatki, or "Green Christmastide," which focussed on the worship of the "Spirits of Greenery." The birch tree was very important for one of these holidays, called Semik. That’s why birch tree branches are frequently used to decorate houses and churches not only in villages but all over the country. Celebrations and dances often were held in villages around birch tree groves. Nowadays on the Holy Trinity Day Ukrainians go to the cemetries to put birch branches to the graves of their passed over relatives.
Jun 28 - Constitution Day
The Constitution of Ukraine was adopted and ratified at the 5th session of the Verkhovna Rada of the second convocation on June 28, 1996. As you understand, the corresponding official holiday commemorates the date. Ukrainians have no particular traditions to celebrate it. In Kiev, for example, large-scaled concerts are arranged on Maidan Nezalezhnosty Square, and the streets of the city are usually decorated.
August 24 - Independence Day
Probably the major official holiday in Ukraine. In august 1991 the Ukrainian parliament adopted the Declaration of Independence, which declared Ukraine as an independent democratic state. The Independence Day is widely celebrated with festivals, military parades and concerts in all settlements of the country.
Sep 1 - Day of Knowledge
The first day of the new school year. Children go to schools; students go to universities and institutions, where on this day different celebrations are held. The most spectacular events are at elementary school. Well-dressed first-year children, bringing flowers for their first teacher, gather in the schoolyard or in the school to listen to the first bell ringing. A first-year child, usually a girl, is carried by a graduating student, usually a boy, and she rings a bell, thus, opening a new school year.
Nov 7 - October revolution
In 1917 the Great October revolution took place on that day. In 2002 the main soviet holiday was ceased to be national, but in Ukraine you still can see some communist pensioners and the members of the Communist party of Ukraine marching with red flags and transparencies in the center of Kyiv.
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