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[http://kyivweekly.com.ua/accent/green%20publishing/] ÔÎÒÎÐÅÏÎÐÒÀÆ Equine Ukraine Rider of the Century Anky van Grunsven leads her Ukrainian trainee Inna Lohutenkova for success Home Accents # business in brief economy news editorial green publishing news government and society companies and markets world about us Pulse of Week # N-th kilometer topic of the issue world finance & markets in person society metropolis politics rules of the game pro&contra interview Art of Living # lifestyle personal finances travelling hi-tech real estate ukrainicum city appetite auto culture health sports style tourism Photoreportage Archive issues #15(425) 14.04 #14(424) 07.04 #13(423) 31.03 #12(422) 25.03 #11(421) 18.03 #10(420) 10.03 #9(419) 03.03 #8(418) 25.02 #7(417) 18.02 #6(416) 11.02 #5(415) 04.02 #4(414) 27.01 #3(413) 21.01 #1-2(412) 17.01 #49-50(411) 22.12 #48(410) 17.12 #47(409) 10.12 #46(408) 06.12 #45(407) 29.11 #44(406) 19.11 #43(405) 15.11 #42(404) 08.11 #41(403) 01.11 #40(402) 22.10 #39(401) 18.10 #38(400) 08.10 #37(399) 01.10 #36(398) 27.09 #35(397) 16.09 #34(396) 09.09 #33(395) 02.09 #31-32(394) 01.09 #29-30(393) 28.07 #28(392) 22.07 #27(391) 16.07 #26(390) 07.07 #25(389) 01.07 #24(388) 23.06 #23(387) 16.06 #22(386) 09.06 #21(385) 02.06 #20(384) 26.05 #19(383) 19.05 #18(382) 13.05 #16-17(381) 29.04 #15(380) 21.04 #14(379) 14.04 #13(378) 07.04 #12(377) 01.04 #11(376) 25.03 #10(375) 17.03 #9(374) 10.03 #8(373) 04.03 #7(372) 24.02 #6(371) 17.02 #5(370) 10.02 #4(369) 03.02 #3(368) 29.01 #2(367) 21.01 #1() 14.01 #49-50(365) 23.12 #48(364) 16.12 #47(363) 10.12 #46(362) 03.12 #45(361) 26.11 #44(360) 19.11 #43(359) 12.11 #42(358) 05.11 #41(357) 30.10 #40(356) 22.10 #39(355) 16.10 #38(354) 09.10 #37(353) 02.10 #36(352) 25.09 #35(351) 18.09 #34(350) 11.09 #32-33(349) 04.09 #31(348) 28.08 #29-30(347) 31.07 #28(346) 23.07 #27(345) 16.07 #26(344) 09.07 #25(343) 02.07 #24(342) 25.06 #23(341) 18.06 #22(340) 11.06 #21(339) 04.06 Paper's archive #15 prev next Two weeks of Christmas in Trembita land 20.01.10 | MILA TISHAEVA (Photo & Text) Christmas is the most coveted holiday of the year for the residents of mountain villages in the region of Verkhovyna (south-western Ukraine). This holiday, where Christian traditions are intertwined with pagan rituals, lasts longer in this alpine region longer than anywhere in Ukraine Among the many Ukrainian villages scattered throughout the mountains, the village Kryvorivnya in the Verkhovyna County, Ivano Frankivsk Oblast, is perhaps the heart of Hutsul traditions. Hutsuls are an ethno-cultural group of Ukrainian highlanders that inhabit the Carpathians. In the XIX century, Kryvorivnya was a place of pilgrimage of Ukrainian literati, including illustrious writers Ivan Franko, Lesya Ukrainka and Mykhailo Kotsyubynskiy. Later on, the village came to prominence as one of the most persistent strongholds of Ukrainian opposition to Soviet power. The tradition of Christmas carolling in the village has been religiously observed for centuries. Every year the residents of the village gather in the church on Christmas day. Festively dressed young women and men anxiously await the end of the church service after which carollers gather near the church and one by one kiss the cross held by Father Ivan. Then the hatchets fly into the air, the sound of trembitas, a local form of alpine horn, resound throughout the village and the church choir going around the village from house to house singing traditional Christmas carols in hoarse voices with the words Hoi-dai-bozhe, or «may God bless you». Over a period of two weeks right up until Epiphany from the early morning until late evening, the carollers visit every of the eight hundred houses in the village singing the same Christmas carols over and over again. The village is aptly named Kryvorivnya (crooked plain) as the rugged mountainous landscape poses a challenge to an unaccustomed city slicker as the distance between some of the houses is basically a climbing expedition with a high level complexity. The honcho of the choir named «bereza» (birch tree) must keep watch over his subordinates for their moral temper as tradition calls for maintaining spiritual and physical purity while carolling. From the moment the carollers kiss the cross in church they are not allowed to drink alcohol, flirt with young women or demonstrate indecent behaviour. They can return home to their wives only after the end of the carolling season on Epiphany. Not everybody is accepted to the group of carollers as this is a highly honorable status in Kryvorivnya. As the carollers approach a home the sound of the trembita is resonant. The host and hostess of the house (in this region they are called ‘gazda’ and ‘gazdynya’) invite the carollers into their home for a festive dinner. First the carollers pray and then sing carols. With warlike cries the hutsuls rhythmically throw hatchets in the air and dance in a circle. All this accompanied by the sounds of violins, bells and a trembita create an almost mystical atmosphere that instil pride in Ukrainian traditions. Then the hutsuls move on to the next home where a candle flame awaits them just as they have for hundreds of years for as long as hutsuls have inhabited Verkhovyna. 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