UKRAINA LETTERS AND GREETINGS

Andrey Derkach, 10 –B, Lugansk school № 48, Ukraine

Lähetetty: 16. joulukuuta 2006 6:57
Vastaanottaja: Koulu Mankkaan
Aihe: Need of thoughts

Dear Helena, Iearn, Mankkaa School
This is Galina Belonogina from Ukraine, the city of Lugansk
Children of our school ? 48 wish to take part in the project.
My students of age 10 - 13 years (4 - 6 classes)
write the compositions that such Christmas,
what at us customs of celebrating of Christmas.

Merry Christmas!
Galina
Ukraine

Merry Christmas!

Andrey Derkach, 10 -B, Lugansk school ? 48, Ukraine
My father is an orthodox priest. I believe in God, that a man was created by God. We always celebrate on January, 7 of the Hristovo Christmas. Before Christmas will begin, my family observes a few weeks the protracted post. On our festive table in the evening on January, 6 before Christmas a mother puts 12 christmas dishes traditionally. An above all dish on table is kutya (boiled porridge from a wheat with a raisin and honey). During a holiday all walk to the friends and neighbours and sing a christmas carol. Here one of such singing:

Christmas Hristovo.
The angels arrived
it flied on the sky
loudly a song sang
all people exult
this day triumph
day Hristovo of Christmas!!!

Christmas
Ruban Katerina, 11 klass
School N 48, Lugansk, Ukraine

Christmas is the years most celebrated holiday. At is celebrated on December 25 th by Catholic Church and on January 7 th by Orthodox Church. There are a lot of traditions connected with Christmas bat the most important one is giving of presents. The beginning of custom of gift giving during Christmas started from the three wise men, with three gifts for the Christ child. Since then people hove made up different things to tell their children where their Christmas is a family holiday. Traditionally all relatives and friends give each other presents. So, before Christmas all the department stores and shops are crowed, everybody is choosing a present. They decorate their houses. Christmas trees are set up in hauses in the, streets chuvches. They are always decorate with fary lights, angels and small toys. He rmans are believed to be the first to use the Christmas tree in their celebrations and Martin Luther was the first to place a star on the top of the tree. This represents the star appeared over the stable in wich Christ was born. The first lighting of the Christmas season.

Christmas in Ukraine
Yabaraeva Ellya
Form 5-a

In Ukraine it is celebrated on 7 January. In Ukraine after the lent, people were allowed to eat fat food. Each family used pork to cook many various meat dishes for Christmas, usually, Ukrainian women cooked the following twelve dishes for Christmas Eve dinner: uzvar, boiled peas and beans, fried cabbage, fish, dumplings, potatoes, mushrooms, buckwheat porridge, stuffed cabbage with millet, pan-cakes with poppy-seeds and kutia.
There was also a tradition not to visit neighbors before lunch, especially it concerned women and girls.
If a woman was the first quest in a house people considered it to bring "bad luck" in the following year. Iat is why sometimes having noticed "unwanted" quests, people would lock up their doors, and if it was a boy or a man, the master would gladly greet him and treat.

Spitsyna Alina
Form 6-d
Christmas - it's a wonderful holiday. Its make people happy. People sent present for each other we celebrate Christmas. Ukrainian people celebrate this holiday on the 6th of January. On Christmas my mother prepared traditional Ukrainian Christmas food: pastries filled with nice and raisins, kootya - boiled whet filled with walnuts raising, poppy seeds and honey, and uzvar-staved wheat dried fruit. I and my friends go from house to hour and give people nice and people give us money. This money we spent for new year presents.
New Year is the best holiday in all year. We always celebrate this holiday we spent wit all our celatius. We also like to go ski. This look very interesting and we feel very happy, I like New Year holiday much!

Schulyzenko Julia
Form 6, School N 48,
Lugansk, Ukraine

The Hristovo Christmas is a great christian holiday. His history leaves by roots in deep antiquity. Slavs thought in the days of old, that frosts tread on Christmas. This holiday was celebrated in Ukraine from old times.
In Christmas sochelnik fires were burned, that contacted with the grant about the revival of the sun, about beginning of a new sun year. On the eve of Christmas for years and did a number of magic deystv. Similarly in sochelnik all family was going at table which a dish with kutey and honey was put on.
To the supper in Christmas sochelnik large significance was attached. A house usually was carefully taken away, table was covered by a clean table-cloth, if in solemn and strict silence.
Young people walked to the neighbours kolyadovat. A christmas carol sang, owners were congratulated upon Christmas, wished them of happiness. And owners, in same queue, odarivali them by gifts. Walking could proceed through the night.
In our time in Christmas sochelnik fires are not already burned. But similarly as well as in old times, a christmas carol sing. All congratulate each other upon a holiday. Similarly as in old times the girls guess in Christmas night on sugenogo.
In my family the Christmas is also celebrated. All family is going at large festive table: parents, grandmothers, grand-dads, cross and simply good friends. It is a very good and merry holiday with the great number of gifts. I very love Christmas and wait this holiday with large impatience

Hello, friends!
My name is Denis. I am from Ukraine. I live in Lugansk. I study English at school.
I want to tell you about winter holidays in Ukraine. The New Year's Day and the Christmas Day are most popular holidays in our country. In the first of January we celebrate the New Year's Day. In this day we decorate the New Year's tree. We dress a carnival costumes and sing the songs and dancing around the New Year's tree.
In the seventh of January we celebrate the Christmas Day. In a Christmas Eve we cooking a traditional Christmas dish - kutya - boiled rice with raising and honey.

I am very like winter holidays. I like frost and snow.
Happy New Year and Christmas!!1
Your friend Denis.

IEARN PROJECT "CHRISTMAS CARD EXCHANGE" Christmas on Ukraine	School N 48, Lugansk, Ukraine DECEMBER 2006
A didukh (meaning grandfather) is a sheaf of wheat stalks or made of mixed grain stalks. It is placed under the icons in the house. In Ukraine, this is a very important Christmas tradition, because the stalks of grain symbolize all the ancestors of the family, and it is believed that their spirits reside in it during the holidays. After the didukh is positioned in the place of honor, the father or head of the household places a bowl of kutia (boiled wheat mixed with poppy seeds and honey) next to it. Kutia is the most important food of the entire Christmas Eve Supper, and is also called God's Food. A jug of uzvar (stewed fruits, which should contain twelve different fruits) and is called God's Drink, is also served.
The rituals of the Christmas Eve are dedicated to God, to the welfare of the family, and to the remembrance of the ancestors. With the appearance of the first star which is believed to be the Star of Bethlehem, the family gathers to begin supper. The table is covered with two tablecloths, one for the ancestors of the family, the second for the living members. In pagan times ancestors were considered to be benevolent spirits, who, when properly respected, brought good fortune to the living family members. Under the table, as well as under the tablecloths some hay is spread to remember that Christ was born in a manger. The table always has one extra place-setting for the deceased family members, whose souls, according to belief, come on Christmas Eve and partake of the food. A kolach (Christmas bread) is placed in the center of the table. This bread is braided into a ring, and three such rings are placed one on top of the other, with a candle in the center of the top one. The three rings symbolize the Trinity and the circular form represents Eternity.	For the Ukrainian people Christmas is the most important family holiday of the whole year. It is celebrated solemnly, as well as merrily, according to ancient customs that have come down through the ages and are still observed today. Ukrainian Christmas customs are quite unique and deeply symbolic. Ukrainian Christmas festivities begin on Christmas Eve ([G]Dec.24; [J]Jan.6.) and end on the Feast of the Epiphany. The Christmas Eve Supper or Sviata Vecheria (Holy Supper) brings the family together to partake in special foods and begin the holiday with many customs and traditions, which reach back to antiquity.

Lähetetty: 16. joulukuuta 2006 22:37
Vastaanottaja: Koulu Mankkaan
Aihe: The world "Christmas",what does it mean in your culture.

Greetings! I am Katya Parhomenko the schoolgirl of 9 form,I have decided to participate in your project connected with Christmas and will share traditions which were kept till now in Ukraine.

One of most famous and most greatest holiday of festival calendar, which the year begins, is Christmas. It started at 12 o'clock after Saint Evening between 6 and 7 January.

In old times it was Koljada -the holiday of Sun birth. With taking Christianity it was recast to the birth of Christ. Since then, everywhere in clouds celebrate night god's service ,which run out in early morning .The first heraiders of Christ's birth were children. In early morning boys go to there friends and well-known people congratulate them with Christmas.

After church service, which run out at 4-5 o'clock, everybody went home to glorily Christ!
Later family sit down at the table to eat "Early Saint Supper".

In dinner-time children visit their parents or grandparents.They take three slice of bread, kutya, suet and wurst ,ardent drink...
Parents wait guests with impatiently, host meet wishes .Hostess,for one's turn, meet children on the threshold ,kissing and congratulate with holiday.

At last all family gather and sit down at the table to eat Saint Supper .Host burned candle and his mast to taste katya before his guests began to eat.

Family evening supper last till night. Nobody of guests and members of family doesn't remember vile stories, because this food intake mast to cleanse everybody and unify happiness and love.

P.S.With my sister,we always celebrate Christmas in masks,it is our tradition since the childhood, here it is one photo for example.

Advanced school 17
Unesko associated schools
project network.
Yours faithfully, Katya Parhomenko.

Ukraine, Cherkasy
e-mail: www.fml17.ck.ua

Hi! We are Ukrainian students from the eleventh form the Cherkasy's school number 17.
The word 'Christmas'…what does it mean in your culture
Christmas is going to our houses, everybody is prepearing to the holiday and has Christmas mood. Spirit of the holiday is in our countries. All of us wait for presents, for celebration of Christmas, so we cannot think about other people. Some of them are little children without parents, without money, without love from other side. They cannot normally celebrate Christmas because it is a family holiday, so we address you to help such children, to do some donation into children's house and etc. We think they have to have funny Christmas with presents as all people over the world.
Every year on the 7 of January all our family gather form different cities of Ukraine togather to celebrate Christmas. So as you see first of all Christmas is a family holiday. But we should not forget that Christmas means birthday of the Christ, so it's a religious holiday. The main peculiarities of Ukrainian Christmas are connected with religious customs. The fest table should consist of twelve dishes because Jesus Christ had twelve students. The main dish is kutia. We should eat it with appearing of the first star. So the majority of Ukrainian population celebrates Christmas according to religious traditions. But for teenagers it's a holiday for fun. On this day everybody congratulates each other with Christmas and gives presents. On New Year we present main, big and good gifts, so on Christmas we can give some small of them to do some pleasure for people dear for us. So we would like to congratulate you with Christmas, to wish you strong health, as much happiness as you need for wonderful life, love and peace on Earth!
Merry Christmas!
Form 11 F
Nataly Pokrovska
Kateryna Hloba

Hello ,

I wish everybody happines, health, love and good luck. Everything
will be all right. Marry Christmas!

Inna Sundulenko
a pupil of 11 form
Scholl #4
Lenina street, 16
Town Juzhnoukrainsk
Ukraine

Best regards,
school4 mailto:school4@ukrsat.mk.ua

Christmas in Ukraine
Christmas is one of the main religious holidays in Ukraine. According to the Orthodox calendar the date of Jesus Christ's birthday is celebrated on the 6th of January. Our people always prepare for Christmas. The huts and yards are cleaned, the walls are writing - washed, the clothes are washed and dried. The morning of the 6th of January starts with cooking from 7 to 14 Lenten fare dishes. Specific porridge kutya and drink uzvar are obligatory in every family (Kutya is made of wheat or rice with plenty of sugar or honey, nuts and raisins or sometimes poppy - seed. Uzvar is made of dried apples, pears, cherries and water with honey).
On the late night of the 6th and the early morning of the 7th of January young and children sing carol songs. The maskers dress themselves into the national costumes. When the maskers and carol - singers come to a homestead to ask for the feed for the by - gone they are usually generously gifted. The ceremony is accompanied with ritual singing, dancing and wishing happiness and wealth for the family.
Christmas is a great day for the celebration of Jesus' birthday.

Lähetetty: 14. joulukuuta 2006 13:15
Vastaanottaja: Koulu Mankkaan
Aihe: Christmas

Hello,
I am Natasha Soroko/
I am a teacher of Ukrainian and literature.
My students were interested by your project.
I send you a few works.
Thank you for an interesting theme very much.
--
Natasha Soroko.

I am Gleb Mendrul
I am from Ukraine

Kyiv school ? 181
From 8-a

Hello,Santa Claus!!!
Heppy New Year
and
Marry Christmas.

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND MARRY CHRISTMAS!

UKRAINE
KYIV
Boryspilska street
b.43 f.26
OLEG MOVCHAN
7 year

The first and seventh of January is New Year and Christmas. The people do not work on the first and seventh of January and the schoolchildren don't go to school. They celebrate this holiday in the streets and in their houses. They are happy and gay. We congratulate you with New Year.

Kovalenco Olena, nine year, street Poliska, house 20, flat 105, city Kyiv, 02093, Ukraine.

Hanaev Roma
Ukraine, Kyiv,
Borispolska,str.37 fl.61

The first and seventh of January is New Year and Christmas. It is a great holiday. The people do not work on the first and seventh of January and the schoolchildren don't go to school. They celebrate this holiday in the streets and in their houses. They are happy and gay. We sincere congratulate you with New Year and Christmas!!!

Lavrenuk Tanya, ten year, street Poliska,
house 1, flat 14, city Kyiv, 02093, Ukraine.

Vastaanottaja: Koulu Mankkaan
Aihe: Christmas in Ukraine

Hi, I am the teacher from Cherkasy, Ukraine.
Christmas is a religious holiday in our country. It is usually a peaceful and quiet
event. Many years ago it was not the national holiday
but many people celebrated it traditionally in their families on January 7
Four weeks before Christmas people keep the fast.
On Christmas eve on January,6 the family gather around the table and have holly supper.
SVIATA VECHERA OR "HOLY SUPPER" is
the central tradition of the beautiful Christmas Eve celebrations in
Ukrainian homes. When the children see the first Star in the eastern
evening sky, which symbolizes the trek of the Three Wise Men, the Sviata Vechera may begin. On this day the fast is especially severe. There
are usually 12 dishes on the table (pies with berries, cabbage, beans
and mushrooms, "borshch" - something like vegetable soup by special
 recipe, fried fish ) and "kutya"(traditional Ukrainian
dish). First "kutya" is eaten as this is an obligatory symbol of Christmas in Ukraine. Then everybody should try all of 12 dishes,
washed down by "uzvar" (compote with dried fruit). The plates after
lenten fare are washed carefully as then they are filled with
sausages, fried and stewed meat, pork and other traditional Ukrainian
food.  AT THE END OF THE SVIATA VECHERA the family often
sings Kolyadky, Ukrainian Christmas Carols. In many communities the old Ukrainian tradition of carolling is carried on by groups of children
or young people and members of organizations and churches calling
>at homes and collecting donations. For Ukrainians Christmas is the holiday of love. Love, brought by
Christmas on the Earth, obliges us to internal ressurection, to renew
 the people, family, nation, state, universe. Christmas  appeals to us
 to respect everithing around us. We should strive to regenerate our
hearts and souls in love and forgiveness.  Lyuda Erdman,  First City Gymnasium, Cherkasy, Ukraine

I am in seven’s form . I have many subjects . : Mathe, Fithik , Informatik , Russian , Ukrainian  ect . know , then in Finland is cold . We are southern , then You and now we hadn’t winter .
We have grape near the school and birds eat it. We celebrate New Year on night from 31 to 1 January  and Christmas from 6 to 7 January . 
Merry Christmas , Finland !!!

Best wishes from students from 7-th  class Gymnasium #2,  Chernivtsy, Ukraine

Best wishes from Tetyana Sporynina and Elena Starikova, computing teachers,

Gymnasium #2,  Chernivtsy, Ukraine   :-)
Tetyana Sporynina

My name is Denis. I am from Ukraine. I live in Lugansk. I study English at school.

I want to tell you about winter holidays in Ukraine. The New Year’s Day and the Christmas Day are most popular holidays in our country.
In the first of January we celebrate the New Year’s Day. In this day we decorate the New Year’s tree.
We dress a carnival costumes and sing the songs and dancing around the New Year’s tree.
In the seventh of January we celebrate the Christmas Day.
In a Christmas Eve we cooking a traditional Christmas dish – kutya - boiled rice with raising and honey. I am very like winter holidays. I like frost and snow.                   

Happy New Year and Christmas!!
Your friend Denis.    Schulyzenko Julia
Form 6, School N 48,
Lugansk

Best wishes from Tetyana Sporynina and Elena Starikova, computing teachers,
Gymnasium #2,  Chernivtsy, Ukraine  

Hello, my dear Finnish friends!!!Of course it is well known, that each holiday has its own traditions of celebration. But not all the holidays people of different countries celebrate in the same way. For example, Christmas. It is a thing, that couldn’t be compared with anything . As I am a citizen of Ukraine, I want to to tell you a really interesting story about Christmas.  Firstly, it is necessary to say, that Christmas is a very specific holiday with a great number of traditions. It is one of the oldest holidays. From the early times people liked and respected it, and for this reason it was accompanied by the old folk customs. The evening before Christmas is unusual. There are in full of the festive atmosphere and the presentment of the holiday. This evening is called “ The Saint Evening”.

   People say that how you will spend this holiday, in such manner you would pass the future pass the future year. That’s why among Ukranian people appeared such a custom, as to wish only the happiness on the eve of “ Saint Evening “ . Ukranians are a  singing nation, and wish the happiness in the form of the song. In such a way appeared the traditional Christmas songs – “kolyadky”.

   During the early times, boys and girls visited their relatives and familiars for greet them with the beginning of the holiday. Young people sang “kolyadky” for the masters. It were a little songs, in which in general, wished a lot of health, happiness and prosperity. Earlier, in “kolyadky” certainly wished a rich harvest. For all this the mater and house-wife handed something tasty to the boys and girls.

  Times changed, but the holiday of Christmas is popular even nowadays. We can see a lot of children, that try to visit every house and bring there a part of the holiday.  Another tradition is to festive dinner. Of course, the table must be composed with 12 dishes, but according to the Christmas Lent. But the main dish is a “kutya”. Oh, it is very unusual dish. The main ingredient of it it is a sauce. Also you can add there some wheaten much, raisins and honey. For everybody in necessary to eat three spoons of this dish, if you want to be happy and healthy during the next year.   So, as you see the traditions of celebration of this holiday are very different, but I like the way we spend Christmas. It is the main holiday for me, and I think for You as well I may think that it was rather interesting for you to read my letter and I hope I am not mistaken.                                                                                       I wish you good luck and merry holidays!!!!!!.Student of the 10-A

How are things? How are you feeling before the most felicitous happening in everyone’s life? What does the Christmas mean to you?
Please, do not become anxious about my wantonly indicated message!
I am pleased a lot at the fact that the process of wondering each other is going on
and I hope I will attaché a bit of happiness of mine to your notoriously superb countryside within my letter to increase the power of the process.

I am known in the second Chernivtsi gymnasium, Ukraine, as Ann Manulyak (or, better to say, Suzanne – that’s my nickname).
Together with my classmates (I study in the 10-A grade) and other pretty graduates and students of the gymnasium I would like to congratulate you with the Christmas coming.

Solid weeks have to pass on by, until we will get an opportunity to celebrate a well-known holiday.
Anyway, I am ready to wait, for I realize that it is also a part of the Christmas furtiveness, and I guess, so you do.
At that point I ought to present two tiny presents to you.
One is compiled from four parts and is invented, created and completely done by the newers of the 5^th grade.
Here these pictures are, involved into our correspondence as an unimitative and inimitable expressions of love between various representatives of the human race.

And the second gift is from me, secretly. These are the lines of the song sung on occasion of the Christmas Eve by our school
rock-band where I participate as a vocalist. People call us “Karma” or “Zagublenyi Socks”.
The song is titled “Santa In The Junge”:

Walk away to save your face
Walk away to find your place
Walk away and wait until
I will tell you my last will
Santa in the jungle hidden and crossed
I have to fight and jump-do
To make my Christmas lost
(Lost in the spherical lights of two hearts, Lifebreak is divided into two nights – Christmas, and New Year)

Santa in he Jungle Santa
in the Jungle
Santa in the Jungle
Santa in a hole

How are you, Helena and students How are things? Thank you for your gratifying mail.
We would like to share with you some information about winter holidays in Ukraine.
The celebration had just begun on December,13. This is St.Andrews day. Among teenagers this day is known for foretelling.
Girls ask each other to write any possible boys' name on a piece of paper and in the late evening put them under their beds.
In the morning, 13, a girl takes out one piece and reads a name written on it. That is going to be a probable name of her future boyfriend (or husband).
On December, 19, we celebrate St.Nicolas name. There is a cute tradition invented by my friends.
When a week is left we are telephoning each other and talk to the adressat as if we talk to the St.Nicolas.
On a holiday friends achieve an opportunity to amaze us with tiny presents about which we had talked to them.
The relationship between all of us becomes so sightable!

As to the New Year and Christmas we guess it is celebrated in a similar way in all contries.
We wish you good luck on your holiday.

Let the Christmas star always shine in your heart! God bless you.  

Best regards, the tenth-A-grade students:
Hanna Vecher  (Fozzy) and Ann Manulyak (Suzanne);