3. KIEV, Ukraine - Ukrainians all over the world
celebrated their New Year on the night of January
13-14 - the Old New Year. January 14 is popular in
Ukrainian culture for meeting and greeting relatives
and friends, and visiting the graves of dead
members of the family and, of course, visiting
churches.
The tradition to celebrate Old New Year is
associated with the divergence of two calendars: the
Julian calendar "old style" and Gregorian - calendar
"new style."
Basil evening is popular for eating the best and most delicious
food that is prepared at home: pies, sausage, meat, pancakes,
and drinking beer, wine, and vodka.
4. Then they all sit at the table, and the oldest of the
women begins to stir the porridge in the pot, saying
some ritual words. Then they all get up from the
table, and the porridge is put into the oven with a
bow. Cooked porridge fetches from the oven and is
carefully considered. If the pot is full of nourishing
porridge and crumbly, then you can expect a happy
year and a rich harvest, and the next morning the
porridge is eaten. If you get a cracked pot, it does
not promise anything good to the household, and
this mess should not be eaten, but instead thrown
into the hole for a chance to change destiny.
5. Children go from door to door and sing Christmas carols in
exchange for candies and chocolates. This is very similar to the
American Halloween trick-or-treat tradition, though the Ukrainian
children do not dress in costumes for Old New Year’s.
6. Carol of bells, it’s very popular song and good song with interasting
words.
Song translated only in English. Ukrainian children sing that song in
Ukrainian language.
Ще́дрик, щедри́к, ще́дрівочка,
При́летіла ла́стівочка,
Ста́ла собі́ ще́бетати,
Го́сподаря ви́кликати:
«Вийди, вийди, господарю,
Подивися на кошару, -
Там овечки покотились,
А ягнички народились.
В тебе товар весь хороший,
Будеш мати мірку грошей,
Хоч не гроші, то полова,
В тебе жінка чорноброва.»
Щедрик, щедрик, щедрівочка,
Прилетіла ластівочка.
7. Carol of bells
Hark how the bells,
Sweet silver bells, All seem to say,
Throw cares away Christmas is here,
Bringing good cheer, To young and old,
Meek and the bold. Ding-dong ding-dong
That is their song
With joyful ring,
All caroling.
One seems to hear
Words of good cheer From everywhere
Filling the air.
Oh how they pound,
Raising the sound,O'er hill and dale,
Telling their tale.
Gaily they ring While people sing
Songs of good cheer, Christmas is here.
Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas,Me
rry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas!
On on they send, On without end,
Their joyful tone To every home.
Ding-dong ding-dong
