Happenings in Ukraine

I don't know if I should be publishing this article because recently several bloggers have been reprimanded for printing information derogatory to the Ukrainian Government.   In this blog I believe that there is nothing said against the Ukrainian Government and it's relations to the Ukrainian people.  In my future posts I will try to keep a positive outlook on the happenings in Ukraine. That being said I hope that this post may influence the world to be more sympathetic towards Ukraine and it's cause.

These days there is every indication that Ukraine is being dragged into a feud.  Or at least the actions of the Russian government seem to indicate that they are trying to provoke Ukraine into something of the sort.
This began with Russia's Prime Minister V. Putin declaring that Ukraine's ten million plus sacrifices during W.W.II did nothing to turn the tide against Naziism and Hitlers march to conquer Eastern Europe.  He stated on public television that the Russian people could have stopped Hitler alone and Ukraine's contribution added nothing to his defeat. (Ukrainian journalists claim that the question was staged)
In early December a Ukrainian library in Moscow was raided for alleged "Nationalism" and "Extremism".  Russian government agents forced their way into the library, confiscated books and closing the library.
Again on the 22nd of December they returned to once again conduct a search for more "Extremist" material. This time they removed several more books and a computer hard drive containing the list of patrons names and a list of their withdrawls.  The Librarian reported that her staff wittnessed an agent trying to place books, which he brought with him, onto library shelves. When confronted he threw the books in a pile with other confiscated materal and supposedly were taken away as evidence.  January 15th once again saw a repeat of the raid but this time the librarian was physically abused and she was taken to hospital with bruses and injuries to her head.  More that 50 books were confiscated including a book containing the history of the life of Biship Slipy, a bishop in the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Lviv  .
A Lviv based internet news site zik.com.ua reported that on December 22 the Russian Consol Yevgenij Guzeyev to Lviv showed his disrespect for Ukraine and it's people. In an interview he challenged the existence of a Ukrainian nation as well as a Ukrainian church and a Ukrainian culture.

During his New Years address Bishop Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church stated that the Orthodox Church of Moscow has tried to persuade churches loyal to the Ukrainian patriarch to convert  to the Moscow patriarch. Television interviews with parishioners in eastern Ukraine have confirmed these alligations.  He believes that the Moscow based church is trying to undermine the Ukrainian church and completely integrate all of Ukraine's Orthodoxchurches into Moscow's cluches.
Interestingly, there are reports that the Ukrainian government has granted tax freedom to the Orthodox church loyal to Moscow which was not granted to any other denomination.

Winter? time in Ukraine 2011

Just outside Kolomaya



 Well we are finally done with the winter holiday season. Today is "Jordan" or the day that water is blessed to protect the faithful from all kinds of misfortune. Throughout Ukraine priests are blessing water in ponds and rivers with the faithful gathering nearby to partake in the event.  Because of the weather these past few weeks there may be a danger of the ice shattering and the people falling through so I suspect that in many areas they have not ventured onto the ice.



 Although we are only just finishing with winter holidays, the weather outside looks nothing like winter.  This past two weeks we have had plus temperatures every day and virtually all the snow and ice are gone.  Yesterday and the day before (Jan. 17,18) the temps rose to above +10C and on the sunny side of the house, the thermometer showed (but in a shaded area) the temp. rose to  around 20C.

This year has been a very mild winter throughout  most of Ukraine.   News camera's were showing  almond trees blooming at end of  December in Crimea and today in Mykolaiv a news report showed some trees were are already budding out.

can't resist the temptation to get a good photo

The forcast is for a cooling off, with day-time hovering around 0C and night-time not much below 5-7C.

and we are getting closer to the end of winter.

Old New Years

 Just a few photo's from today's "Malanka" celebrations in the central square under the Christmas tree. 
Temperature all week has been around +3 overnight and +5 during the day. Most of the snow had melted and the forcast is for sunny and warmer for next week. 
I'm not missing the cold Sask winter, not one bit.

Сію сію Посіваю. З Новим Роком вас вітаю.

 Сію сію Посіваю. З Новим Щастям, З Новим Роком вас вітаю.



Today people are wishing one another a Happy old New Years.  Last night was 'Malanka' and the eve of the New Year according to the 'Julian' calender which most Ukrainians accept and recognize when celebrating religous holidays.  The youth, dress in costumes go from house to house with well wishes and earning some exra money in the process. 

 The Malanka groups will also stop cars on some of the quieter streets and demand that their well wishes be heard.  The ask if they can give their well wishes and begin by singing out of key and continue with this humorous parody of a "schedrik" or new years song until they are monetarily satisfied and only then will they allow the car to proceed.  

  

The week following "Risdvo" is generally accepted as a week of rejoicing with caroling and visiting.  It begins with groups of carolers going from house to house bringing news of Christ's birth.  In downtown Kolomaya a stage  is set up near the Christmas Tree to be used for various performances including carollers from many of the surrounding villages.  During these days groups of youth somewhat boisterously, roam the streets dressing in costumes depicting the nativity scene, carrying stars and other decorations, and vocalizing their version of the carols. 

The week begins with "Vertep" and ends with "Malanka" with simply some of the costumes changing, but they all bring the same message of joy and well wishing.  Early in the morning of the 14th. which is concidered New Year day, young boys and some girls go to the houses of friends and families, where they sow seeds of grain and wish the homeowner prosperity, health and happiness in the new year. 

Merry Christmas 2011

Яскрава зірочка сіяє, Свята вечеря наступає.

Кутя, вареники, грибочки,квасоля, риба, огірочки.

Нехай лунає в хаті сміх!

З Різдвом Христовим
Taras and Yaroslava

З Різдвом Христовим Вас усіх!

A shining star glistens, proclaiming Svjata Vechir.

Kytja, vareneke, mushrooms, beans, fish and pickles.

Let sounds of laughter be heard in your home.

And the birth of the Christ child be with you all.

Хай завжди Вам щастя ллється, хай в сім"ї добро ведеться,
Хай здоров"я з Вами буде, хай Господь Вас не  не забуде.

Хай смачна кутя удасться, хай в сім"ї панує щастья.

Щоб весело і багато провели Різдвяні свята.

Щоб весела коляда мир вам в хату принесла

Let good fortune alway be with you, and let your family forever be praised,

Let good health be with you, and God's blessing not pass you bye.

Let the Kutja be delicous, and virtue rule in your family .

Let Joy and bounty carry you through the holidays.

And joyous Koljada bring peace to you and all your family.

Skiing in the Carpathian Mountains

from part way up one of the lifts





Throughout the holiday season a great deal of emphasis is placed on winter sports as a enjoyable pastime.  National news reports show people enjoying themselves on the slopes, skiing and snowboarding in the Ukrainian Carpathian Mt's.  Every year during the holiday period additional train coaches are added from central Ukraine to the Carpathians to accommodate the influx of travelers.  



accommodations

  Because Kolomaya is situated along the northern edge of the Carpathians it has become a natural tourist gateway to many  mountain  resorts and only 80 kms from a hidden jewel called "Bykovel". 

This resort is celebrating it's 10th season as a popular ski destination and attracting enthusiasts from throughout Ukaine and beyond.  According to their internet site if all goes according to their plans they hope to become one of Europe's premier ski resort.  At last count there are 14 lifts as well as several bunny slopes for the novices.  Due to an overall increase in tourism and anticipation of better times, there is an increase in the construction of hotels throughout the Carpathians and many locals are beginning to convert their homes into "Bed and Breakfast lodges".

accommodations

 Recently, representatives from the Olympic committee met with President Yanykovych and encouraged Ukraine in moving forward with their interest in staging the 2022 winter Olympics in western Ukraine. according to the official government opinion, if the government invested one billion USD into construction each year,  everything would be ready to host the 2022 winter olympics. At present Lviv is seen as the logical location as the hub for the games, with the skiing events taking place at Bukovel.



main complex below with new parking facility



New Years Eve.

Well here it is Jan.01 2011 and we survived the New Years bash.  Just as I used to bring in the new year in Canada we spent the evening with family and friends.  In the early evening we enjoyed a meal with our daughter Christina and her husband Vitally along with some friends.  

In Ukraine most celebrations are centred around a lavish meal which is often the focus of the celebration and can last for several hours.  The custom here is to exchange gifts on New Years eve and not on Christmas as in Canada.  Because Christmas is celebrated on the 6th of January in Ukraine, the people greet one another with the saying  "Happy New Years and a Merry Christmas" unlike Canada where the saying is the reverse.    Another favorite pastime on New Years eve is to watch musical concerts on TV including reruns from past New Years Eve parties.  Virtually every TV channel carries these concerts which go on until the early morning hours and often continue on into the next  day, so tough luck if you don't like musical concerts.   

Around midnight we joined the citizens of  Kolomaya in their celebrations around the decorated evergreen in the central square.  Here, the pop of champaigne corks could be heard while people sang seasonal songs, with enthusiasm.  At the approach of midnight Kolomaya lit up with blasts of fireworks and sounds which can only be described as the blitz over London during WWII.  I  can only guess but if one were to count the number of  fireworks set off on this night it would rival some of the larger cities of the world.  If one could be on top of a high building in the centre of the city on this night, begining around 11:30 and lasting throughout the night, one would see fireworks set off by local citizens from back yards and gardens from all quarters of the city . The night sky is lit up for hours,with bursts of lights flashing every few minutes and the blasts sounding like a war zone battlefield.  We finally got cold and returned home where we warmed up, watched more TV musical reruns and than finally said good night.  Malanka or the old New Years occurs on January 13-14th and will be a subject for another blog.
2011 is the year of the rabbit in Chinese cultue thus the rabbit ears.