Bringing Ukrainian Christmas carols to liberated Kharkiv Oblast

The video above contains English subtitles. 

UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST — For a third year already, carolers from a civil organization “Sad Vertepiv” bring Christmas songs to people in villages of Kharkiv Oblast that have been freed from Russian occupation. They say this tradition isn’t simply to sing songs or to bring a “holiday spirit” to people—it’s about hope, support, and faith that even in the most difficult times, Christmas can warm one’s heart. 

Gwara joined carolers from on their journey in Kharkiv Oblast to listen to them sing—and to find out what people living in Kharkiv Oblast think of the carols, what stories are hidden behind their grateful smiles, and what else, beyond carrying hope, motivates singers from “Sad Vertepiv”.

Carolers from the organization say they don’t do much promotion for their carols, don’t want rewards, and that each of their songs is a “thank you” to all who persevered through Russia’s war, — a show of hope that life on deoccupied territories would be restored.

Carolers sing koliadky (carols), and the ritual of singing is called “koliada” in Ukrainian. Although now people sing carols on Christmas Eve, the tradition actually predates Christianity on Ukrainian territories. People used to perform carols on the winter solstice, singing songs to bring good fortune and health in the coming year. 

Interestingly enough, one of the most popular Christmas songs in the world, Carol of the Bells, was based on the Ukrainian song, Shchedryk, written by Mykola Leontovych in 1914. 

(Little note about the name, “Sad vertepiv”: “Sad” is a “garden” from Ukrainian, and “verteps” are small, mobile puppet theaters—artists perform plays with plots of nativity scenes or other miracle stories.)

Read more

• “Dali: I will get my life back.” Kharkiv remembers poet, soldier Maksym Kryvtsov 1 year after he was killed in a combat mission in Russia’s war