followed the Malanka celebration of the Romanian minority in the border region of Ukraine.
KRASNOJILSK Wild shouts ring out, swords and spears fly in the air, and youths swing around with huge wings on their backs. Such is the case with the Malanka festival, which is celebrated especially in the border region between Ukraine and Romania.
Although a nighttime curfew has been declared for almost the entire territory of Ukraine, it did not prevent the Romanian minority of Ukraine from celebrating Malanka in the village of Krasnojilsk in the Chernivtsi region on Monday.
– Nothing stops this tradition. Even the communists didn’t succeed in that, says someone who attended the party Iona.
Malanka is a New Year’s holiday celebrated on January 13 according to the old Ukrainian calendar. Ukraine moved the church calendar a year ago, but the villagers did not agree to move the date of the celebration.
The colorful celebration has pagan roots, and the history of its origin is not exactly known.
Malanka is especially celebrated in southwestern Ukraine, but it is gaining more and more popularity throughout the country as Ukrainian culture revives as a result of the Russian invasion.
Traditionally, only men have participated in the party in fancy dress, but nowadays women can also dress up in carnival costumes.
Those who attended the party Constantine and Ionan say that the war has affected the celebration, as many villagers are at the front.
– Now it’s war, and the celebration must not be excessive. However, it is really important for us to keep the tradition alive, says Konstantin.
According to another villager who remains anonymous, many men have also fled across the border.
In many villages, Malanka hunting has been stopped completely. Ukrainian public broadcasting company Suspilen by Krasnojilsk Malanka was staged in all its glory now for the first time during a full-scale Russian invasion.