17 Things About Ukraine Culture You Need To Know

Ukraine is a highly traditional country that practices a lot of cultural customs that one needs to understand before traveling to the country!

During the Maslenista week, that is celebrated in the last week before Lent, pancakes are served every day for the entire week! The pancakes were considered a symbol of the sun and let go off the winters.

As far as greetings in Ukrainian culture is concerned, when female friends meet, they will kiss on the cheeks three times, starting from the left side and then alternating. When male friends meet, they greet each other with a pat on the back and a warm hug!

If you are invited to any Ukrainian friend's house, it is considered a polite gesture to bring a gift along - either a cake, a bottle of liquor or flowers!

Flowers should never be given to any Ukrainian in odd numbers! Also, yellow flowers should be avoided at any cost.

The Christmas festive table contains about 12 traditional dishes, like the Apostles. Relatives gather for the family holidays in Christmas, enjoy lavish dinner, sing Christmas songs, talk about all the good things that took place in the previous year and wish each other good health and happiness!

When you are invited for dinner by any Ukrainian family, you must keep in mind that Ukrainians are suspicious of people who don't drink! So, it is better to state a medical condition or something similar, to avoid falling into the suspicion zone.

Any bottle that is opened for dinner, shouldn't be left unfinished! Also, the glass isn't filled to their full capacity, instead only two-third part of it is filled.

A part of the traditional Ukrainian attire, the vyshyvanka which is an embroidered shirt, can be worn in daily life as well. Ukrainians love to show off their embroidery clothing, at any given chance!

Ukrainians love to have direct communication, and also they emphasize on passing on information in a direct, sensitive fashion!

Painting symbolic patterns on eggs on Easter is an age-old tradition in Ukraine. The krashenki (multicolored boiled eggs) and pysanka (painted eggs) are two main elements of Easter. Every pattern and color has a specific and deep-rooted meaning.

Ukrainians love parties, group gatherings and meeting friends! They are fun-loving and very welcoming. So, if you are new to the town, and are invited to a party, you will definitely leave the party with a group of friends!

A weird tradition that Ukrainians follow is to drink a glass of champagne with a burnt paper that has a wish written on it, on the New Year's eve, as soon as the clock strikes twelve! They believe that a swallowed wish surely comes true.

Song and dance form an important part of Ukrainian culture, with all the major cities of the country having their own opera or ballet companies! Street concerts and club performances are a common sight across the country.

Though now considered to be an innocent game, the traditional practice of bride buying at Ukraine weddings, once had significant implications! Nowadays the groom participates in competitions and comic assignments to prove his worth to the bride.

New Year is celebrated twice in the country - once on 1st January and then on 13th January (Old New Year)! When the Julian calendar was followed, in the times of Kievan Rus, the Old New Year was celebrated.

On the day of Baptism of Jesus, 19th of January, Ukrainians take part in the plunging into the ice hole tradition! It is considered that on this day, the water becomes holy and people will get healed of all diseases. But, note that the water on this day is particularly freezing.

The tradition of sharing food with dead relatives by visiting their graves and share their meals, in the Commemoration week following Easter is an age-old one!

Though the church doesn't approve of people coming to the graveyard and having meals, people still come out to the graveyard, spread some food on the grave, have a snack there and thus, spend some meal time with their dead relatives!