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University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Ukrainian Language

Supplementary materials for students in their first year of study of the Ukrainian language

Folk Traditions

Ukrainian culture is rich in many traditions: music, art, cuisine, etc.  It is almost impossible to give an overview in a short section.   But if you are looking for a well-rounded picture of Ukrainian folk traditions the material available at Folklore Ukraine will be very useful.  Along with the many images of traditional ceremonies and material culture there is a great deal of explanatory information .  The site is sponsored by the Unviersity of Alberta in Canada.

Another great resource for folk culture in Ukraine is the Slovenske Narodne Muzeum. A state funded scientific research and cultural education institution, the museum provides a high level of research, archives, and libraries detailing the culture of Ukraine.

Fairy Tales

"A fairy tale, not limited by logical laws, can tell about this world in a completely different way than is usual for us and bear in itself the wisdom that we can not express in everyday means." Kazky offers a selection of Ukrainian fairy tales, many folk tales are available in full text at this site. Almost all the texts are listed under the link for Книгарня .  Materials are freely available and in html format. Make sure to check out their artistic forward in the about me page. 

For those interested in purely folk literature fulltext of countless Ukrainian folktales is available at Українські народні казки.

Pysanka

Each Ukrainian Easter egg is a work of art. The tradition of painting eggs for Easter in each of the various regions of Ukraine has its special features. Different areas are characterized by different kinds of patterns, colors and painting technology. For example, Poltava has painted Easter eggs in white, yellow and green colors. In Chernihiv they use white, red and black, and the Carpathian Mountains make Easter eggs in yellow, orange, red and black colors. The youtube video below demonstrates the elaborate technique used to create these beautiful works of art.