During the early Soviet period, all religious celebrations were discouraged under the official state policy of atheism. Rooted in Slavic folklore, Ded Moroz is accompanied by his beautiful granddaughter, Snegurka, the snowmaiden), who rides with him on a sleigh pulled by a trio of horses. It turns out that Ukrainians used to celebrate Christmas on December 25, just like the rest of Europeans," said Tetiana, a 25-year-old believer who said she would celebrate on Dec. In 2023, for the first time since 1917, Christmas Day in Ukraine was marked on just one day - December 25, the same date across almost all Christian faiths around the globe. There’s everything from Cromwell’s banning of carol singing, through traditional Ukrainian recipes, to Marxism so that it is a cornucopia of treasure for all readers.

Olha explained: “Christmas is a very important holiday for Ukrainians, it is considered the second biggest holiday in Ukraine after Easter. In a country where East and West meet, this is a fascinating and unmissable guide to capturing the spirit of one of the most important times of year and a powerful reminder of the strength of holding on to your culture and beliefs, even as others try to take everything from you. Traditionally, Orthodox Christmas in Ukraine has started on January 6 and lasted until January 19, which is known as the Feast of Epiphany. It was stated that the postponement of the celebration of the nativity of The Lord would entail a change in the dates of all fixed holidays to 13 days ago. The Legend of the Christmas Spider is an Eastern European folktale which explains one possible origin of tinsel on Christmas trees.The family comes together to have a dinner which usually includes 12 dishes (the number can vary from 7–17). In Ukraine carols or ‘koliadky’ are the symbols of Christmas, and many children sing these carols to friends, family and neighbours in exchange for sweet gifts and tips. Olha explained: “It is very common for children and young people to visit neighbours, relatives, and friends singing carols and giving the families best wishes. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously. Christmas Eve, known as Svyat Vechir or Sviata Vecheria, falls on January 6th and is commemorated by a day of fasting (light snacking is permitted) to represent Mary’s journey to Bethlehem.

Basil Divine Liturgy is held in parishes to mark the formal close of the Christmas Fast within the OCU and UGCC that began in November, which includes commemorations of the Holodomor of the 1930s, the liturgy follows a Christmas version of the Royal Hours. Everyone present is expected to try at least a small amount of the 12 dishes, and none of the dishes can contain any meat, animal fat, milk or milk products. In Ukraine, Christmas celebrations traditionally start on Christmas Eve, which is celebrated from December 24 to January 6, the date of the celebration of the baptism of Jesus, known in Ukraine as Vodokhreshche or Yordan, according to the Gregorian calendar and Revised Julian calendar by the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), the Catholic Church in Ukraine (including the Latin and Greek Catholics) and Ukrainian Protestants.The IRC has been providing integration support to refugees, under the RISE project , since January 2021. Hotjar sets this cookie to know whether a user is included in the data sampling defined by the site's daily session limit. It literally means ‘grandfather spirit’ and can represent people’s ancestors being with them in their memories.