Themes by tag: culture

During the Christmas season a number of events are held in Lviv. On Christmas Eve, December 24, at 12:00, the main Lviv didukh (Christmas decoration) will be installed on Angel Square near the Garrison Church.

From December 25, 2024 to January 12, 2025 the “Great Carol” festival will take place. New this year is the Grand Christmas Tour. Lviv tour guides have prepared a special themed route through the central streets of the city for the holiday season. Residents and visitors are also invited to attend the “Christmas Prayer” performance on the northern side of Rynok Square.

Honoring those who gave their lives for Ukraine: this year a memorial carol will be sung at the Lychakiv cemetery. On the last Saturday of the month (December 28), families of Ukraine’s fallen defenders will gather to pay tribute to those who made it possible to celebrate Christmas at home through their ultimate sacrifice.

• culture
• Lviv

On December 23, Kyiv will host the festive event “Warmth of Hearts”: A Christmas Celebration of Faith and Hope” organized by the Command of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in cooperation with the Association of Families of Territorial Defenders of Ukrainian cities.

The purpose of the event is to create a special Christmas atmosphere for the children and relatives of servicemen, families of the missing, prisoners and those who gave their lives for Ukraine’s freedom, and to unite all Ukrainians in these difficult times. Organizers hope to remind Ukrainian society of the importance of kindness and support for one another.

Highlights of the event:

• A concert featuring well-known artists and amateur groups;
• A charity fair organized by the families of territorial defense servicemen from all over Ukraine;
• Interactive activities for children;
• Presentations of volunteer formations of territorial communities;
• A video recording of Christmas wishes near the “Dreams for Ukraine” themed Christmas tree;
• Recording of a Christmas video message for the servicemen of the Territorial Armed Forces.

For security reasons, the location of the event will be announced to registered participants two hours before the event begins.

• culture
• Kyiv

The United States recently hosted the debut of  “Through the Eyes of Children”, a powerful collection of children’s quotes published by HarperCollins Publishers, one of the world’s most renowned publishing houses.  

Originally published in February 2023 by the “Voices of Children” Charitable Foundation, the book aims to draw global attention to the hardships faced by children as a result of russia’s war against Ukraine. Within just three months of its release, HarperCollins Publishers expressed interest and secured the rights to publish the book in the U.S. and worldwide. 

The U.S. book tour took place from December 8 to 14, with events in three cities: New York, Washington, D.C., and New Haven. A signed copy of the book by Tania Vovk was also presented to Timothy Snyder, a Yale professor and a devoted friend of Ukraine. 

The centerpiece of the tour was the presentation of “War Through the Eyes of Ukrainian Children: An Evening of Stories, Discussion, and Reflection”, held on December 13 in New York at the Ukrainian Institute of America, with support from the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations. 

Among other things, the voices of Ukrainian children, with the support of Rebirth.Ukraine, resonated in the legendary Times Square. 

Journalists can access further details about the book launch in the United States, along with accompanying photos and videos.

• children
• culture
• Kyiv

The War Museum and the Kyiv Koliada community are inviting residents and visitors of Kyiv to partake in traditional Christmas Eve celebrations on December 22.  

Kyivska Koliada, a vibrant community of children and adults, is dedicated to preserving and sharing the rich traditions of caroling in a contemporary urban setting. Since its inception, the group has performed carols for Kyiv audiences twice annually—on December 25 and January 7. Following the Orthodox Church of Ukraine’s adoption of the New Julian calendar, Kyiv Koliada now brings Christmas cheer to Ukrainians on December 25, gathering at central squares and iconic landmarks in the city to proclaim the Savior’s birth.  

This year’s festivities will unfold on the Pechersk Hills, beneath the towering Motherland sculpture, where participants will perform carols and showcase traditional Christmas wreaths.  

Event attendance requires prior accreditation.

• culture
• Kyiv

The book “Workshop of Lies” examines how russian media, social networks and cultural diplomacy have become tools of manipulation on all continents. The publication aims to teach readers how to identify false information and think critically in the context of information warfare.

The authors, Viktor Berezenko and Dmytro Tsarenko, are political strategists and media consultants with 15 years of experience. Written in a popular-science style, the book marks their literary debut and is a culmination of their expertise in political strategy, media wars, and countering Kremlin disinformation. All royalties from book sales will be donated to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The book was launched at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Among the first recipients of “Workshop of Lies” were Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, Chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov, and soldiers of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In the spring of 2025, the English version of the book will be presented in Brussels, Berlin, Warsaw, London, Paris and Washington, while the Spanish edition will be launched in Madrid.

Journalists can arrange an online interview with Viktor Berezenko by prior arrangement.

• culture
• russian crimes

On December 13 the Media Center Ukraine will host the presentation of the art and historical project “Flowers of Victory”. The centerpiece of the project is a sculpture crafted from the remnants of an enemy infantry fighting vehicle destroyed in the Kyiv oblast, and ammunition fragments left behind by russian shelling of civilian targets. The sculpture depicts sunflowers growing through enemy equipment, symbolizing Ukraine’s triumph over the aggressor.

Participants:

– Kostiantyn Cherniavskyi, chairman of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine, Honored Artist of Ukraine; 

– Bohdan Mazur, author of the sculptural composition, winner of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine, member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine;

– Mamuka Mamulashvili, soldier, founder and commander of the Georgian National Legion;

– Oleksandr Kuklyshyn, project manager and head of the NGO “Green Stripe”.

During the event, journalists will have an opportunity to see metal fragments from russian missiles left after the attack on the Ohmatdyt National Children’s Hospital.

• culture
• russian crimes
• weapon
• Kyiv

On December 13, Kyiv will host an event marking the 50th anniversary of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War. (The event will be held as part of the Third Christmas Gatherings format).

This year, the War Museum is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Throughout its history, the institution has fulfilled an important social mission and remained at the center of Ukraine’s public and cultural life. Today, the Museum actively documents and highlights the ongoing russian-Ukrainian war, and its exhibitions and events have a strong resonance both in Ukraine and internationally.

In addition, the Museum has prepared the exhibition project “Past – Future”, which presents unique original drawings used for the construction of the Memorial Complex.

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

• culture
• Kyiv

Yuliia Dudysheva, a displaced resident from Crimea, has spent the past year and a half transforming the lives of fellow internally displaced persons by repairing and restoring homes. Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Yuliia lived and worked in the Chernihiv region, where she specialized in advertising and occasionally helped friends with home repairs. But after the region’s liberation in spring 2022, she decided to leave her job and embark on a new path.

In June 2023, Yuliia launched her efforts to renovate and decorate homes for those displaced by the war. Her first project was helping friends who allowed her to redecorate their dwelling. Word spread, and soon she met another family in need of assistance. Over the next 18 months, Yuliia established the initiative Comfort for IDPs, completing repairs and restorations on eight homes for families forced to flee due to the invasion. Her most recent project, in Ternopil, involved preparing a house for a family from Enerhodar, a city in the occupied Zaporizhia region.

Yuliia actively shares her renovation journey on social media, where her followers rally behind her mission. Many support the Comfort for IDPs project by contributing funds and materials for her work. Currently based in the Chernihiv region, Yuliia is planning her next renovation for displaced families.

Those wishing to connect with Yuliia Dudysheva can schedule a meeting with her, either online or in person.

• casualties
• culture
• reconstruction
• women
• Chernihiv

On December 8, Kyiv will host the graduation party of the 4th graduating class of NoviMY Inclusive Model School. This special evening will bring 15 incredible Ukrainian women closer to their dreams as they continue to break stereotypes and move forward.

The fashion show will include models with disabilities, as well as mothers of children with disabilities.

The modeling school, founded by Olga Akimova in 2021, was initially intended for women over the age of 40. The project also welcomed mothers of children with disabilities (participation was free for them), with the aim of giving these women, who devote themselves entirely to their children, an opportunity to express themselves. Younger women also joined the initiative, and later the school became an inclusive project. It now welcomes models with and without disabilities, who participate equally in all projects, fashion shows and performances.

The revamped project launched its first sessions in February 2022 in Kyiv and Lviv, but activities were paused due to the full-scale invasion. 

A year later, Olga decided to resume classes. Students at the school learn standard modeling skills, such as the basics of modeling, posing for photography, catwalk walking, and more. The school operates in Kyiv and Lviv, offering both online and offline classes.

The mission of this project is to bring Ukrainian society closer to a new tolerant, inclusive, European barrier-free space with equal opportunities for all through the art of modeling.

• culture
• women
• Kyiv

Ukraine’s National Guard unit, nicknamed “Peaky Blinders,” has received a unique gift from Steven Knight, the scriptwriter and producer of the popular TV series: 30 custom caps crafted by Garrison Tailors, the show’s official costume designer.  

At the onset of russia’s full-scale invasion, a group of volunteers armed themselves and took to the streets of Kharkiv, wearing civilian clothes as they defended their city. For Oleksandr, who now leads the unit, the scene was reminiscent of the gritty world depicted in Peaky Blinders. Inspired, the group adopted the name and began donning distinctive camouflage caps embroidered with their motto: “Find and Destroy.”  

In the nearly three years since the war began, what started as a group of civilians has evolved into a formidable combat unit within Ukraine’s National Guard. Hardened by intensive training and battlefield experience in the Kharkiv region, the unit now deploys drones to target enemy forces along the front line.  

Their story gained international attention in May 2024 when BBC journalists visited the unit to film a report. The soldiers, in a light-hearted yet heartfelt gesture, signed their caps and asked the journalists to deliver them to Cillian Murphy, who plays the iconic lead role in Peaky Blinders.  

Murphy kept one cap for himself, then signed the remaining ones and returned them to the unit. Shortly afterward, the soldiers received an unexpected message from Steven Knight. As a show of support, he arranged for Garrison Tailors to send 30 caps to the unit—a symbolic gesture linking the fictional Peaky Blinders with their real-life counterparts in Ukraine.  

For those wishing to connect with the “Peaky Blinders” unit, both online and in-person interactions are possible with prior coordination through the unit’s press officer.

• culture
• military