Winter – the season of the people’s most eagerly awaited holidays

Since ancient times, in preparation for them, housewives first made the “hungry” kutia, and then on Christmas Eve the rich kutia with its 12 dishes.

The most important family holiday of the people stays with us despite all technical achievements, because no gadget with its music can compete with a Ukrainian koliadka or shchedrivka, and no ultra-modern treat can rival Ukrainian varenyky. Today both young parents and teachers in schools and gymnasiums understand this well, because it is thanks to their educational work that old traditions are preserved.

Our Ukrainian communities take care of this too. What is more, our societies in Estonia try to share Ukrainian traditions with the local people and introduce the children and young people of their country of residence to their folk traditions and cuisine. For several years now, members of the Ukrainian society “Chervona Ruta” in Tapa Parish (Estonia), led by Tetiana Chuvpylo, have been teaching local Estonian young people the art of making Ukrainian varenyky: with cabbage, potato, cottage cheese…

Today another workshop took place at Tapa Kultuurikoda. Piret Võlli, the handicrafts teacher at the local Estonian gymnasium, once again organised such a lesson for her pupils – learning an interesting Ukrainian tradition. In this way Piret tries to show how important folk culture is in our lives and how often the traditions of different peoples intersect and complement each other…

Years will pass, but children who have once learned to make varenyky will never forget this art and, when the occasion arises, will tell and show it to their own children. Sincere thanks to everyone who spares no time or effort to share their experience and skills and, most importantly, to do a good deed – teaching children!