Marriage and Family

Young couples usually marry in their early twenties. A marriage is legal only if performed in a “Wedding Palace,” but most couples today also have a religious ceremony. Wedding parties in urban areas tend to be elaborate but do not involve much tradition. On the other hand, weddings in rural areas are big events that usually last for three days. Most weddings include the traditional trio music of the violin, tambourine, and dulcimer.

The average family has two children. Both parents usually work outside the home. Child care is expensive and in short supply; however, many elderly parents live with their adult children and often assume responsibility for child care during the day. Women do most household chores.

It is common for parents to support children until they reach adulthood and even after they are married. In turn, children expect to care for aging parents when it becomes necessary. It is also common for those who have settled in the city to send their children to stay with their grandparents in the country for several weeks during the summer.

Most families in urban areas live in small one- or two-bedroom apartments. State-owned apartments are the most affordable; private rented accommodations are expensive. Few people own their apartments. Homes in towns and cities have such utilities as electricity, gas, and water, while houses in rural areas are much simpler.

Eating

Vegetables, breads, dairy products, and starchy foods are basic staples. The most popular Ukrainian dishes are made of cereal grains and flour pastes. Common grains include buckwheat, oats, and millet. Rice is imported. Popular dishes include varenyky (dumplings), holubtsi (cabbage leaves stuffed with ground meat and rice), and kasha (porridge, prepared in a variety of ways). Kasha is served with either meat or poultry. Pork and beef are the most common meats. Soup is considered an essential part of a meal. The most popular, borsch, varies according to locality and season and typically contains cabbage, beets, potatoes, and carrots; meat may also be added. It can be served hot or cold, often with sour cream.

Ukrainians eat fruits such as apples, pears, plums, strawberries, and melons. Fresh produce is expensive and difficult to obtain during the winter, so in summer and autumn people make preserves for the winter months.

People eat a light snidanok (breakfast) in the morning before leaving for school or work. Obid is eaten in the mid-afternoon and usually includes soup followed by meat or fish. Working people usually bring food from home or go to canteens (cafés) for obid. The third meal, vechera, is eaten at 6 or 7 pm and is usually the meal that family members eat together. People usually only eat out on special occasions.

Socializing

When meeting informally, men and women usually wave the hand and give a verbal greeting such as Pryvit (“Hi”) or Dobryj den’ (“Good day”). Dobryj den’ is also appropriate in formal situations, in which case people often shake hands. Men wait for women to extend a hand before offering to shake it. In official situations titles are used, including Pan (“Mr.”), Pani (“Mrs.”), Panna (“Miss”), or Panove (“Sirs” or “Gentlemen”), as well as professional titles.

Relatives and close friends often hug and kiss cheeks when greeting. They address each other by first name. A respectful form of address is to use the first name followed by the patronymic, which is the father’s given name, and a gender-specific (for son or daughter) suffix.

Because of the Ukrainian tradition of hospitality, visitors, whether expected or not, are nearly always made welcome. Friends, neighbors, and relatives often visit. However, visits arranged in advance are preferred whenever possible. Guests invited for dinner will usually bring a gift of some kind: flowers, a cake, a bottle of liquor, or candy or toys for the children. Guests usually remove footwear when they enter a home, and they do not sit on the floor or put their feet on furniture.

Recreation

On weekends, many young people like to leave the city. Mountain climbing, hiking, camping, and skiing are popular activities. In the summer, people enjoy swimming, volleyball, soccer, and table tennis. Fishing and soccer are especially popular with men, and most people enjoy watching television and visiting friends.

Some people who live in urban areas own dachas, or country cottages, and spend a great deal of time there tending a garden, making preserves, and relaxing. People without dachas often have a small plot of land near the city on which they grow vegetables.

In cities people take advantage of the opportunities available for going to the theater or concerts, but in rural areas they are more likely to get together on weekends to play music, sing, and dance. Traditional instruments still played in Ukraine include the sopilka (flute), the volynka (horn pipe), and the national instrument, the bandura (stringed instrument).

Holidays and Celebrations

Celebrated on 25 December by Catholics and on 7 January by Orthodox Christians, Christmas is the most popular holiday. During the Christmas season, which also includes New Year’s, people decorate fir trees and have parties. Now that religion is no longer suppressed, other religious holidays are regaining prominence. Children enjoy koliadkie, a time when they go door to door and receive candy and cookies in exchange for songs and jokes. National holidays include International Women’s Day (8 March), Solidarity Day (1 May), Victory Day (9 May), and Independence Day (24 August). An old holiday (Soviet Army Day, 23 February) is unofficially celebrated as a sort of Men’s Day. On International Women’s Day, women receive flowers and gifts, household help from husbands, and a day off from work. Special attention is paid to mothers, and girls are congratulated as future women. Victory Day marks the end of World War II and is extremely important for most families.

Source: Encarta Interactive World Atlas

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