|
New Year's is considered to be a family holiday and is celebrated
at home with family members and near and dear friends. It is
even greeted in restaurants, in the country, in the forest,
even alongside firtrees. There exists the popular belief that
however one greets the New Year that is the way one will live
the New Year. For this reason people meet the New Year with
a hearty meal and lots of champagne. They are convinced that
they will live out the New Year with abundance and wealth.
Obligatory to the holiday celebrations is the firtree. As soon
as you bring a beautiful tree into your house, there is a puff
of pine needles and freshness--it is clear that the New Year
is fast approaching. The house or flat is immediately set in
order, floors are washed, and carpets are cleaned. The day before,
it is the rule to array the fir tree, to decorate apartment
with fir or pine branches with cones, garlands, snowflakes,
and the ribbons of paper streamers. Snowflakes, cut from white
paper, are glued onto windows. The snow man, the firtree, and
winter hares are drawn with watercolors. Hanging from fir tree
are toys cut from fine glass: many-colored balls, figurines
of animals and fairy-tale personages, beads, "gold"
and "silver" streamers. Under the firtree are placed
the toys delivered by Grandfather Frost and the Snow-Maiden.
The kindly Grandfather Frost and his granddaughter Snow-Maiden,
with her long light brown plait of hair, visit good little ukraine
children at New Year's. Often during the festivities, with theatrical
performances in schools, theatres, and circuses, one can meet
Winter, Baby New Year, and many fairy-tale personages like the
scary Baba Yaga (the witch in ukraine folk tales). On the evenings
before New Year's, young children sing and dance in a ring around
the tree, telling rhymes and singing. The elder children go
to kolyadovat, that is, they go from house to house, apartment
to apartment, to perform the ancient Christmas rite of the glorification
of the holiday through the singing of songs. They wish happiness,
health, and good luck, and in return, they are given nuts, apples,
cookies, sweetmeats, and a small coin.
On New Year's Eve, the holiday table is laid. New Year's supper
usually begins at ten or eleven o'clock in the evening, and
it will last for three hours so there is time to "see off"
the old year At exactly five minutes to midnight, the Ukraine
President delivers his address to the ukraine people. And exactly
at midnight, the chimes strike twelve times. People hold their
breath and wish for what they most want to see happen during
the approaching year. Then they fill their glasses with sparkling
champagne and raise them and they wish one another happiness
throughout the New Year. Outside, on the street, many-colored
fireworks are ignited. Shouts of "Hurrah-ah-ah!" and
other joyful cries are heard. There are mutual congratulations
in person and by telephone. General joy reigns! Each person
trusts that the New Year will bring him happiness and good luck
and that all his projected plans will be realized.
If the streets are full of snow, in a few hours, having tasted
delicious food excitedly and joyfully, the people leave their
houses and walk the streets and head for the nearest hill or
square and there go tobogganing and behaving like little children.
For the duration of the New Year's festivities, there is no
school. School boys and girls build snow men and toboggan down
icy slides. Level fields near the houses are flooded and a skating
rink is made ready. At the town skating rinks, one can whirl
on skates to the music and play hockey. Or one can take the
family out of the city to a hill to ski down it. In villages,
children skate on the ice of frozen rivers or ponds. They also
go skiing over the fields and across the glades. With fresh
freezing air, deep silence, and chunky snow under one's feet---it
is wonderful!
I love this holiday
I would to ask, do you have a conferences in Italy of Kiwanis
Clubs?
|
