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New year presents from Putin.
Should have been expected
One of the clearest examples of the russification of Ukraine can be seen in the Christmas tradition.
Historically, on the 19th of December St Nicholas (Svaty Mikolay) would place presents under pillows for good children and a twig if the child had been bad. He wore religious garb like a priest and was based on a real person. The earliest recorded examples of this tradition go back to the 15th Century.
During Soviet times, he was replaced with Did/Ded Moroz (Father Frost) an atheistic figure who left presents under the tree on the non-religious New Year’s Eve.
As Ukraine continues to regain its cultural identity and traditions, St Nicholas is making a comeback. Still, in some households, they get presents from both and it will be quite some time before the Soviet Father Frost fades from view.
Another interesting aspect is the decision in 2017 to move the date of Christmas to the 25th of December. The Orthodox calendar is based on the Julian calendar, thus Christmas would normally fall on the 7th of January like it does in Russia. The Ukrainian Orthodox church agreed to the change and allows Christmas to be celebrated on either day.
Thus, children might get presents on the 19th of December and/or 25th December and/or New…
