The Project "Portal Through the Centuries: Bohuslav Carols"
16.10.2022 – 30.01.2023
“Portal Through the Centuries: Bohuslav Carols” is a pilot project for the Centre for the Study of Local History and Ethnography, created in cooperation with the NGO “Around Us. UA” and the Museum of the History of Bohuslav Region. Its main goal is to study, preserve, recreate, and promote the local Christmas and New Year traditions through the involvement of residents.
The project included three main components:
– research of traditions;
– dissemination of information about traditions through educational and entertainment events;
– recreating the tradition of carolling itself.
Research
The project team carried out 11 expeditions to 9 villages and the city of Bohuslav, as well as held two advisory meetings with ethnographers that explored the Kyiv and Middle Naddniprianshchyna region on local winter holiday traditions. The expeditions primarily showed how Ukrainian traditions were banned, erased from the memory of Ukrainians, and exterminated. However, we managed to find people who, despite all odds, have preserved their traditions, folk songs, and customs, and recorded them on video. Then we shared it through social media and events, and published a brochure “Bohuslav Koliada” (or “Bohuslav Carols”).
Educational Events
Five educational events for children and adults engaged more than 500 residents for learning about local traditions at events held live and we gained more than 420,000 online social media engagements. It was essential for us to make these events not only educational, but also interactive, enjoyable, and festive. Thus, at the School of Carols, we had a fascinating lecture part with the expedition video reports, interactive tasks and fashion shows, a workshop on learning carols and shawl tying, tasting local cuisine with dishes prepared according to the recipes we discovered during the expeditions, and many other activities.
10 December: “School of Carols: Christmas gatherings”;
17 December: “School of Carols: from Roman to Jordan” (from the day of St. Roman to the day of John the Baptist);
18 December: a Christmas nativity and workshops at the Centre for the Restoration of Traditions;
23 December: a workshop on Didukh making;
25 December: opening and tour of the Christmas Miracle nativity display.
Carolling
The project participants carefully prepared for carolling: they recreated the material elements of the celebration, developed images, selected authentic clothing, and set up a Christmas setting near the Museum of the History of Bohuslav Region, as well as rehearsed with a folklorist.
Moreover, we supported the formation of another carolling group, the so-called “theatrical carollers” – a group of youth who created their own carol-singing group.
Therefore, two types of carolling were recreated – Christmas and Malanka:
- 25 and 26 December: Christmas carolling;
- 7 January: Christmas carolling;
- 13–15 January: Shchedrivka carolling, Malanka carolling.
We believe that today, in the context of the armed and informational resistance to the russian invasion, the significance of researching, preserving and promoting Ukrainian traditional culture, awakening the natural interest of Ukrainians in exploring and restoring their traditions, cherishing family heritage and contributing to the identification of ourselves as Ukrainians is of utmost importance.
