Thousands of Ukrainians braved sub-freezing temperatures this Orthodox Christmas to take part in celebrations around the capital. Temperatures fell below the forecast -18C degrees on Jan. 7, with Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center recording -18.6 at 8 am. The temperature rose by around 1.5 degrees, hovering around the -16.9 mark in the afternoon
The cold and snow did not deter hundreds of locals and visitors from heading to the city center, where Christmas decorations adorned St. Sophia Cathedral and St. Michael’s Monastery.
Other festivities, including caroling and traditional Christmas stalls, were also held at Spivoche Pole Park, Poshtova Square and Mamayeva Sloboda.
Ukraine is among several Eastern European countries to follow the Julian calendar, which sees the birth of Christ celebrated on Jan. 7 instead of Dec. 25.
International ethno-cultural project Folk Ukraine decked out St .Sophia Square with a giant Christmas tree, food stalls and a performance stage in the lead up to the holiday season, with a special line-up of events to mark Jan. 7.
For three years in a row the group has set up winter towns at St Michael’s Monastery and St. Sophia Square, where Christmas festivities kicked off at midday on Jan. 7.
Tanya Nikolaenko, a member of Folk Ukraine’s organizing committee, said more than a 1,500 people converged on the square for the didukh exhibition- a traditional Ukrainian Christmas symbol made of wheat- and caroling, led by Ukrainian folk groups.
She said while the temperature dropping below -16 degrees had an affect on the number of attendees, the weather did not hinder the celebrations.
“Today it’s about five degrees colder than the previous year, so that had a little bit of an impact on the crowd but nevertheless…this has not deterred the celebrations. They’re going to plan,” Nikolaenko said. “Obviously more people would have probably come if it was warmer.”
But the weather reportedly had deadly consequences elsewhere in Ukraine. The website joininfo.com reported that four people died of hypothermia amid forecasts of even colder temperatures dipping to -25C overnight on Jan. 7-8. “As of today, 51 cases of hypothermia and frostbite have been registered in health care facilities. Unfortunately, four people died from hypothermia. All victims were from Lviv region,” Linchevsky said, according to the news website. Authorities also reported that many roads are blocked because of heavy snowfall.
Meanwhile, in Kyiv, as the afternoon light faded, a group from Ternopil Tavern started to hand out Ukrainian Christmas dish “kutya,” a sweet wheat pudding. While the recipe varies across the regions, it traditionally involves cooking wheat with honey, nuts and raisins.
Alina Koval was among those doling out free cups of the smoky sweet pudding to the crowd. Koval said the fact that the dish had to be given and not sold played an important part in its tradition.“It’s the most important Christmas dish. It symbolises joy and abundance in the family,” she said. “Long ago, the master of the house would eat some kutya and then throw it to the ceiling and however much kutya is left, that’s how much the harvest will bring, and even life comforts.”
Family is another key part of of the Ukrainian Christmas tradition, with many spending the first half of the day celebrating around the dinner table with their loved ones before coming to St Sophia Square.
“We spend the day with our family and in the evening we have to come out, see the Christmas tree and meet some people,” said Ivan Levchenko, who has been coming to St Sophia Square daily during the festive season.
Today, however, he said he put on three pairs of pants and socks before braving the subzero temperature.
“The most important thing is to have your dearest around you, then you’ll be warm,” said Yulia Saulina, who also came to celebrate at St Sophia Square.
While the frost and snow did little to dampen the Christmas cheer in the capital, inclement weather caused blackouts across dozens of small towns and villages around the country.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported 71 settlements across seven regions, including Odessa, Lviv, Kherson and Kyiv, lost power from Jan. 6 to 7 as a result of snowy and windy conditions.
In a statement, the State Emergency Service said Oblenergo brigades were brought in to restore power.
