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FOTO DYKUN
Photos from and of Ukraine
By: Stefan Iwaskewycz

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Thursday, 29-Dec-2005 00:00

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More Wintery Photos from Pidhajtsi, Western Ukraine

Pidhajetski Koljadnyky (Pidhajtsi Carolers)

New Greek Catholic Church in Siltse

New Greek Catholic Church in Siltse

View all 6 photos...

About the photos:

Caroling is a tradition that is still alive and well in Western Ukraine. The "mummers" dress in costume and go house to house singing carols (many of which are based on pre-Xtian melodies and which incorporate pre-Xtian symbolism) and perform skits. They expect in return small donations, and perhaps some food and definitely a shot or two of some booze, usually horylka or slivjanka.

The photos of the Greek Catholic Church appear here, not because I personally am in favor of the beliefs of organized Xtian religion, but because my grandfather paid for the church as part of his practice of supporting an autonomous Ukrainian culture. That is, there is another church in Siltse that today is used by Orthodox believers; however, that church originally was Greek Catholic. The Soviet gov outlawed the Greek Catholic Church (viewed as uniquely Ukrainian, and therefore as "bourgeois nationalist") and allowed only the Russian Orthodox Church to legally operate. In 1991, the Greek Catholics of Western Ukraine demanded the return of their Churches, but in most places the Orthodox refused. There were bitter feuds over the Churches that included fights and some deaths. Thus, as a solution, people chose to build their own, new Greek Catholic Churches, and they petitioned the Ukrainian diaspora for assistance.

The rest of the photos are self-explanatory.

Most recent comments... (In posting order)

wonderful pictures, thanks!

taras shevchenko sticker on the bus makes it extraordinary, by the way, at least to someone from kyiv! very sweet - and reminds me a little of those crazy decorations they put up on their buses in india... and the ubiquitous mashallah/allah korusun on buses in turkey...

Thu 29-Dec-2005 20:10
Posted by:neeka

Thanks, as always, Neeka. . .the buses of Ukraine are one of the points I like to use while comparing Ukraine and Mexico to friends. There are lots of fascinating parallels (to my mind), which come up when I get together with my coworkers on the weekends to drink lots of tequila and beer. I work with about 10 Mexican guys who speak little English, and the comraderie and culture of these fellows from the Mexican countryside is so similar to that of male culture in rural Ukraine. There is the stupid machismo, but also the same kind of more down to earth sweetness of the less macho guys. There is the heavy drinking and smoking. There is the religious fervor for a religion that is a blend of pre-Xtian and folk beliefs and Catholicism that is so similar to western Ukraine; there is the social conservativism but also the constant breaking of all those social norms (as everywhere in the world, I guess) that makes both Mexico and Ukraine seem to me like they are societies that are, societally speaking, kind of where the US was in the 1950s or 60s, heading for an explosion of counterculture values. Mexican society and government is also plagued with corruption; when I show the guys pictures of Pidhajtsi, especially of roads and power transformers and other infrastructure, they all nod their heads and tell me that "todo es equal en Mexico (sorry if I butchered the spelling; I have learned Spanish on the job by working with Mexicans for 7 or more years)." They also are leaving the country in hoardes for work in a richer neighbor, where they will work the jobs no one wants and will be paid less than average. Mexico is country neighboring an 800 lb. guerilla to the North that is forever meddling with its internal affairs, much as Ukraine is (but fortunately, Ukraine has not yet entered into any Free-Trade Zone yet with its northern guerilla; the lessons of NAFTA should make Ukrainians quite weary of idea of a common economic space with Russia). What else? YOUNG marriages, holy cow! National pride, and a sense that the outside world does not really know the real culture of the country. There are just so many parallels--and of course major differences. Mexico City the capital has a population of some 30 million, the largest city in the world; Kyiv has what? 3-4million? Ok, but back to the buses: the buses in the countryside are old, and they inside are often decorated similarly, often involving images of the Virgin. Oh, so then there is the proliferation of images of the Virgin in both countries, as well as crosses dotting across villages. Of course, the buses and houses in Mexico tend to be more brightly painted and spicier, as the food, but that to my mind more and more has mostly to do with climate.

Ok, that's enough for now. Thanks for inspiring me to sketch out some thoughts that are always racing through my head.

Fri 30-Dec-2005 13:43
Posted by:Stefan ontorev@yahoo.com

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Wednesday, 28-Dec-2005 00:00

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Winter in Town of Pidhajtsi, State of Ternopil, Ukraine

Pidhajtsi from Koropets River Valley

Stare Misto from v. Sonjachna in Pidhajtsi

Sunrise from v. Sonjachna

View all 10 photos...

Thought that I would post some photos of Pidhajtsi in wintertime. . .enjoy.

Most recent comments... (In posting order)

A comment though.. Winter isn't supposed to look so gloomy

Thu 29-Dec-2005 02:05
Posted by:azli - [Link]

Thanks for the comment and welcome to the Fotopages site. I guess beauty and gloominess is in the eye of the beholder. I find some of the images rather beautiful and they make me VERY nostalgic for my ancestral hometown. It helps that I am an absolute lover of wintertime. Thanx again for commenting. . .

Thu 29-Dec-2005 06:29
Posted by:Stefan ontorev@yahoo.com

my parents came from the Ukraine and recently have been tracing some family roots. I have started to take a great interest in Ukraine. As i live rural and am in the farming bussness, any rural life from the current and past Ukraine interests me.
thanks for the photo's and hope there is more

Sun 26-Feb-2006 06:06
Posted by:Alvin

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