Malanka - preparation for tomorrow!

---

---

It's New Year's Eve (eve) again!

Ok, so it's tomorrow. But can anyone really have too many New Years? We still have China and most of the far east to go! So I have been learning a Ukrainian carol (link below). It may sound familiar (I hope it sounds familiar) as there is a Christmas carol in English to the same tune, but this is the original song

On Ukrainian New Year's eve, carolers dress up and go from house to house acting out skits ("Vertep"), singing and following a cross carried by a bachelor wearing women's clothing around the village... in many ways it's like a pantomime... except that Malanka is the last of the Christmas season and the last opportunity for a party before lent begins. Young men often dress up in seemingly halloween inspired costumes (devils, police, racial/national stereotypes, old women) they go trick-or-... well mischief-ing. They play practical jokes on people.

Like almost all Christmas traditions, the tradition of Malanka is much older than Christianity in Ukraine. Malanka herself is a mythical figure a lot like Persephone/Proserpina from Greek/Roman. Some websites claim a link between Malanka and the Greek mythology due to their geographic and cultural links on the Black Sea some 2500 years ago. In the Ukrainian tale, the creator has four sons and a daughter, one of the sons was the Devil, and the daughter was Lada (mother earth). Lada had two children, a son called Moon and a daughter called Spring-May, but called Mylanka because she was sweet and loving. Mother Earth (much like Demeter) is in responsible for nature. But the evil Devil steals Mylanka away to the underworld whilst Moon is out hunting. Ukrainians celebrate when Mylanka/Malanka is released back into the world at the beginning of spring.

The celebration of Malanka actually appears to be regaining it's popularity - even appearing in Ukrainian towns and cities. And, why wouldn't it? Malanka is a musical trick-or-treating pantomime that comes to your home and entertains you. So I've learnt one of the songs they sing ready to sing it for my friends tomorrow night and demand sweets and bread.

I've also linked a Ukrainian Soviet film from 1947 (not even Russification could stop the Ukrainians celebrating this one). It shows the groups moving from one house to the next following stars and performing for people and receiving gifts. Going to church. Dancing and generally having a lovely time. Enjoy!



Me singing:

Film(10 minutes - very beautiful) :

&list=PLirFOKCNj-RGtIPQ_4-QbB12zNpbQTK27&index=12

---

Photos

Malanka
(sourced from Google)

malanka
(sourced from Google)