If you stay in Kyiv on Christmas day, and don’t know what to do, here are a couple of ideas.
First of all, you can have a walk to the Christmas tree, if you have not
done it yet. This year it is set up not on Maidan, or Independence Square, as
usual, but on Sofiyivska Square. After tragic events during the EuroMaidan
revolution last winter, city authorities decided to find a new place for celebrating
season holidays. And it turned out to be a very good idea.
This year’s Christmas tree looks modest in contrast to previous trees, which had been a tool for pumping money out of the city budget. This time, we have a real tree from the Carpathian Mountains, not a
sophisticated combination of metal construction and several dozens pine
trees.
If last year’s Christmas tree, a metal frame plastered by revolution
posters and flags, became a world-wide symbol of civil uprising, this year the holiday
tree is an embodiment of family comfort and warmth. It is decorated with simple
lights, toy houses and white plastic pigeons that symbolize everything a nation in a war on Christmas and New Year’s Eve may wish – peace in our houses.
Pigeons, also a symbol of Holy Spirit, send your thoughts to what is the most
important in life.
Knitted bells and angels or other handmade souvenirs that could be bought
at the Christmas market nearby would be a good memory of this day.
As you warm yourself up with hot tea, coffee or mulled wine from the Christmas market, you can examine a monument to Ukraine’s Hetman (military leader) Bohdan
Khmelnytskiy. A statue of this Cossack leader on a horse with a club in his hand
pointing to the north-east is supposed to refer to an amicable agreement between
Cossack in Ukraine and the Russian empire, signed in 1654. After Russia annexed
Crimea and orchestrated military aggression in the east of Ukraine, this statue
now seems to show direction where the enemy is.
Putting sad thoughts aside, one may notice that St. Sophia’s cathedral,
the square is named after, resembles a fairy palace of a Snow Queen in this
holiday background. In fact it is the oldest building in Kyiv, the masterpiece
of the 11th century architecture with marvelous mosaics which is
worth visiting – especially on Christmas. It is open daily from 10 a.m. till 6
p.m., on Friday and Saturday till 7 p.m. (ticket office closes 30 minutes
earlier). Ticket to the cathedral can be purchased for Hr 55, but if you just want to walk around the
museum’s territory, it’s Hr 20.
Andriyivskiy Descent can lead you from the upper town with its Christmas
tree down to Podil district with its multiple cafes and restaurants. Besides
eateries, center for refugees from Crimea and Donbas launched by volunteers is
also located in this neighborhood. It is can be found at 9/11 Frolivska
Street. One may feel that Christmas is the right day to drop in and find out what
help they need. It works daily from 1 p.m. till 6 p.m. Details can be found by
cell phone +38 (050) 964-4513.
Kontraktova Square on Podil is a place of another holiday festival
called Fairy-tale winter. It offers hay and willow sculptures of the characters of Ukrainian
traditional fairy-tales, festive traditional dishes and drinks. It is
open from 3 p.m. until 6
p.m. through Jan. 8.
A concert in Kyiv’s Philharmonic at 2 Volodymyrskiy Descent could be a
good option for the evening. On Dec. 25 there is a concert by the National Academic
Orchestra of Ukraine and a vocal duo of Lesya and Halya Telnyuk. The show of
classical music and modern compositions starts at 7 p.m. Tickets can be bought on-line for Hr 50-100.
Telnyuk
sisters are famous for their recent song “Come back alive” devoted to soldiers and
volunteers fighting in Ukraine’s east. It was recorded together with Kozak System band and anchors
of “1+1” TV Channel.
Kyiv Post staff writer Oksana Lyachynska can be
reached at [email protected].
