The Gypsies hit the ground with their grotesque maces, and the Bears start dancing and attacking each other, growling. The remains of this event can be observed during Masnytsia period, which is the last week before Great Lent when people cook and serve lots of thin pancakes. The Malanka participants joke that they collect this money for the village administration. Today, carnivals in Europe still exist and develop partially due to tourists’ attention and affection toward entertainment of this type. Next to perform are the Jews, Doctors, and Gypsy women with “babies,” while other supportive characters are rummaging around and doing small naughtiness. Malanka 2015 will be held on Saturday, Jan. 17 at the Cugnet Centre in Weyburn. The classic Malanka characters are always the same: any vataha (team of Malanka participants) is headed by Komendant (superintendent), the main organizer of the performance, who gathers people, negotiates with household owners, and stores away the money collected during the festivities. The Ukraine Canadian Congress Weyburn Branch will present the Ukraine celebration of New Year’s or Malanka on Saturday, Jan. 17. Secondly, the labels have been favored by the world’s celebrities and glossy magazines. The term “carnival” dates back to the ancient Roman festival called Saturnalia, which was dedicated to the end of the agricultural season. Malanka, named for St. Melania Day, is also known as ‘Shchedryi Vechir’ (Generous Evening). A person gets inside such a costume by lying down and wears it during the whole period of celebration. This event can serve as an example of preservation and development of our own traditions. As a response to the construction of desire and personality cults that govern our industry, the magazine steps away from the conventional profiles and editorials, focussing instead on raw work and anonymous, unfiltered testimonies. At least, that’s the first thought that might come to your mind when you see the border checkpoints at the entrances to the village. There are two types of Bears: winged ones and haystack-like ones. On the 13th and 14th of January, thousands of people in creative costumes come to the streets of their village with performances, songs, and dances, celebrating the Old New Year (New Year’s Eve according to the Julian calendar, still in use by the Orthodox Church after the calendar change in 1918). That’s our tradition to show something old, authentic, and not berkut (a police unit) and doctors. The name originates from Saint Melaniia, whose day falls on 13 January (31 December OS). Local people get offended when somebody calls Krasnoilsk Malanka a carnival. The Gregorian calendar commemorates Saint Melania, and locals celebrate the so-called "Old New Year." Malanka commemorates the feast day of St. Melania. “Nobody knows when Malanka had started.” That’s the answer from local people if you ask them when Krasnoilsk Malanka celebrations started. Ukrainian culture in specific being heavily appropriated, Laura and Deanna Fanning on navigating the politics of the fashion industry, "It's fiction but it could be reality": Sirui Ma on fashion photography, Masha Popova on her London Fashion Week debut, Billy Al Bengston, the 81-year old Muse of Hedi Slimane, CSM Fashion students are throwing a party and we have nothing to wear, Work In Progress: Jennifer Koch's FurtuneCookieLand. If you take a look at characters of Malanka, they likely depict the realities of the Romanian lifestyle dating back to the 17th to19th centuries. The Bear’s costume is made out of hay or straw harvested from the summer and stored especially for this occasion. For instance, the masks craftsman Ivan and his team perform a masquerade. Vogue Ukraine MALANKA Source: vogue.ua Published: January 2017. The biggest and the most famous Malanka in Bukovyna takes place in the village of Krasnoilsk, on the border with Romania. Carnivals anywhere in the world took place according to a special scenario based on old traditions that would turn it into a public event where anyone could become a participant of a performance demonstrated on the city streets. In the deep, dark coldness of winter people just have to get out and party! We do not oppose either Ukraine or Romania. Even so, the household inhabitants might come outside to the road and meet the carnival there. They are accompanied by the Gypsies in helmets with horns, smeared with soot and wrapped in animal skins. Find event and ticket information. Since a liter of glue is about 60 UAH, plus he needs paint, varnish, and some fabric for hats, it turns out he sells the masks for about at cost. The music speeds up, and the dancing gets more expressive until it hits the climax. — Ukraine is our country. Back in those times there were also Bears and Gypsies — they even had the special name “ursari” (“ursa” stands for bear in Latin and “urs” denotes a bear in Romanian). Teams will not visit a house only if somebody died in the family. Photo about ethnic, fashion, folk, bukovyna - 139306016 In pre-planned houses, they will stop for a while to take a rest and have a substantial meal so that fatigue doesn’t strike them down later on. On this night in Ukraine, carolers traditionally went from house to house playing pranks or acting out a small play (similar to “Vertep” — see above), with a bachelor dressed in women’s clothing leading the troop. For men, traditional dress also includes kozhukh, kontusz, żupan and sharovary. Usually, there are more Grandpas since Krasnoilsk Malanka is a male festival. A “bribe” to get into the village is voluntary. The issue of taking inspiration from traditional costumes is a big part of the fashion discourse, with Ukrainian culture in specific being heavily appropriated in the last years. Another important feature of a classic carnival is a humorous performance that is based mostly on parodying realities of the past or present life by using the creative masks and grotesque characters that can be recognized by abnormally large body parts, like eyes, bellies, mouths, and so on. I am Romanian. The Malanka participants act out making a small furrow in the yard of the household with a plough, imitating the first sowing of the New Year. 26.12.2017 Chernivtsi, Ukraine - Young models have repetition in dancing class before fashion show Editorial Stock Footage Young models have repetition in dancing class before fashion show. He has been creating masks for Malanka for over 15 years. People are slowly leaving, and many of them are heading toward the local grocery store to continue the celebration in an informal circle. The performance layout is like this: at first, the Komendant greets the hosts and asks their permission to enter their yard. I think we all should stop taking folklore elements and using them in fashion – Ukrainians, and foreigners. They speak mostly Ukrainian or Russian with visitors, while with each other they speak solely Romanian. The Malanka procession is “men’s business”, only men are involved and the exception is made only for children and teenagers: girls perform roles of queens during the main part of the festival and also often dress into Gypsy ladies walking their young Bears to visit each home on the morning of the 13th of January. The haystack-like Bears are numerous in Putnia, the second biggest district of Krasnoilsk. On this night in Ukraine, carolers traditionally went from house to house playing pranks or acting out a small play (similar to “Vertep”), with a bachelor dressed in women’s clothing leading the troop. Other characters include Koza (a goat), Zhyd (a Jew), and Likar (a doctor). The Bears in straw pants have a shot of horilka (Ukrainian strong alcoholic drink), excitedly talking with each other. On this day, people sing special songs called shchedrivky (songs that wish everyone to be bountiful in the new year), greeting the hosts of the house with the New Year and wishing them all the best for the future. I believe that some elements are just for museums and not for fashion and making money,” Nadiia states passionately. For a big part of the world, the holidays might be over, but for some religions, Christmas day and the New Year are celebrated this week and we located their most costume-heavy edition that we could possibly find: “Malanka”. But it’s only a prelude — the teams are getting together at six o’clock in the evening in different corners of the village Krasnoilsk. Use of materials is only permitted upon providing the source: Ukrainer.net. All team members wear different masks of village people and act out arable traditions. That is why this event is connected to the beginning or the end of the agricultural season and takes place between these two cycles of life. Apart from the traditional mace for this character, the Gypsies also use axes, sledgehammers, and swords to overmaster the Bears. 11.12. In this village, the Malanka celebration traditions have more in common with central European customs rather than with Ukrainian ones. Ivan Tarnovytskyi lives on a hill overlooking the main village street. The toughest times for Krasnoilsk Malanka started when Western Ukraine became part of the Soviet Union. The Bears were not so big and grotesque, and they wore cardboard bear masks instead of karakul hats. On the 13th of January, little children dressed as Gypsies and Bears, on their own or with their parents, walk from home to home performing their short acts. The Malanka tradition was preserved here despite the Soviet authorities ban of this celebration, and today thousands of tourists, not just from Ukraine but from all over the world, come to experience this tradition. It is a fact that in the 19th century Krasnoilsk Malanka somewhat differed. The beginning of spring in Slavic nations was connected with the bear’s awakening from winter hibernation. Eventbrite - UAST - Ukrainian American Society of Texas presents Ukrainian New Years Party! The closest analogs of Krasnoilsk Malanka can be found in Central Europe — Busójárás in Hungary, Kukeri in Bulgaria, Fasching in Germany, Kurentovanje in Slovenia, Zvončari in Croatia, to name a few. Then the host of the house gives treats to the team and some money. All the people that paid get a “ticket” that lets them go through this checkpoint. © 2020 Ukraїner. During the whole night the Malanka teams, counting up to a couple of hundred participants, will walk from house to house in their district, greeting and entertaining everyone. You will see. For the first time ever, readers are given a truthful insight into the process, dreams, fears, hardships, and struggles of today’s creatives. I was born in Ukraine. The haystack costume is made using a sheepskin coat and bunches of straw tied to it. The line between real and fictional gets erased, and you can’t always differentiate the cars with real police and doctors from costumed ones. It takes one liter of glue to make one mask. Malanka, also known as Schedryi Vechir ("Generous Eve") marks the end of the Christmas festivities, comprised of the 12 days of Christmas, and is often the last opportunity for revelry before the solemn period of Lent that leads up … The smell of cabbage rolls and perogies, music in the background and of course Ukrainiandancers will all be part of the celebration. On the 13th and the 14th of January, the village turns into one big festivity area where everyone is happy to welcome the New Year. “Malanka” is a Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian folk holiday which in some places takes place on New Year’s Eve, celebrated on the 13th of January, or on Christmas day, on the 7th of January. Malanka commemorates the feast day of St. Melania. Malanka consists of many masquerade happenings in various villages in the Western part of the country and it is held “to thank God for all the favours already received and ask for new ones for the next year,” as Masha Reva explains. Finally, all the districts have shown their Malanka performances — all the Bears have finished their dances and are lying down on the snow, exhausted. These costumes are national heritage and students need to be really careful with this kind of inspiration. Home > Photo Essays > Photo Essays 2015 > Ukrainian Traditional Holiday Malanka. The Gypsies from this district also stand out: they wear red pants and bandanas, with large maces that can be lifted only with both hands. Removable haystack-like costumes appeared much later and got popular only in a couple corners of Krasnoilsk. Another reason is that it is the most important celebration for everyone in the village — everyone is looking forward to it and cherishes the traditions. Of course, nobody kept the “promise”. Malanka is a Ukrainian folk holiday celebrated on January 13th, which is New Year's Eve in accordance with the Julian calendar. This animal has always been considered to be the king of nature in folk representations of nature, as well as a symbol of fertility, health, and strength. Since then, it has evolved into a fabulous milestone bash that takes place twice a year and treats participants to world-standard prêt-a-porter performances. The whole performance is accompanied by songs and uretura (a text with wishes pronounced in a solemn way). eEverything that is alive tends to change. One version tells the story of how Mylanka (from ‘myla’, meaning ‘loving’) is kidnapped by her evil uncle, where the land is cold and desolate until she is returned in spring. Malanka (Russian: Маланья Malanya or Ще́дрый ве́чер i.e. In the district Trazhany, the Bears have the longest wings, and almost every year they get longer: a decade ago their average length was three meters, but today they reach up to six meters. I can only wish the best for my country and I’m very pleased when my foreign friends are coming here and absorb our culture and it becomes dear to their hearts. And, thirdly, the affordable prices are a pleasant bonus. Ivan is not interested in turning mask making into a business. The Gypsy was an embodiment of humane power that is able to conquer the power of nature directing it in the necessary direction. Like many folklore traditions of this kind, the notion of sarcasm is a core element of the atmosphere with more characters getting added every year, representing politicians, policemen, and contemporary personas, aiming to comment on bigger topics like politics and corruption. However, the main clients of Ivan’s masks are the participants of his small Malanka team. It is a Romanian, Central European tradition that is observed in Ukraine. Malanka - New Year's Eve (G)Dec.31; (J)Jan.13. Lethbridge Troyanda Ukrainian Dance Club is hosting their 20th Anniversary Malanka on Saturday, January 24, 2015. When a local woman approaches and tries to get past the checkpoint, they demand five UAH from her, and when she refuses to pay they send her back. They resided in the Danube principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. Folklore Christmas costumes as documented by 3 creatives. According to stories, a couple of decades ago a devil was part of the Malanka team, however, this character disappeared with time in order not to upset local priests. “Last night there were battle actions here,” say the “border patrol officers”. The Malanka traditional holiday is more popular in the western regions of the country and is also known as the Old New Year celebrated on January 13 and 14 – St. This is one of the reasons why Krasnoilsk Malanka is a unique phenomenon in Ukraine. Local people call their original Malanka “pereberiya” (pereberiya comes from the Ukrainian word “pereberatys” meaning to change dress, to dress like somebody else), and these carnivals take place in the town of Vashkivtsi and in the villages Krasnoilsk, Horbove, Velykyi Kuchuriv, Boyan, Prypruttia, and … © 1 Granary The square becomes empty, and it’s hard to believe that just an hour ago the music and singing were whirling here and that you could hardly hear your own voice in this carnival craziness. Malanka commemorates the feast day of St. Melania. Malanka or Ukrainian New Year’s Eve is celebrated in various parts of Ukraine on January 13. Malanka commemorates the feast day of St. Melania. Any Malanka team traditionally consists of Kings and Queens performed by children who are dressed in white costumes decorated with beads. However, the appearance of new grotesque characters depicting modern life demonstrates that the Krasnoilsk carnival is developing and attaining new forms. As a reminder: Krasnoilsk is located eight kilometers away from the border with Romania, and until recently there was a real border checkpoint and a fight against smuggling. — In the Soviet Union police and even border control officers were catching the Bears and burnt down their costumes. Involved in the preparation of the material 13 volunteers, Project support: Fundacja Euromaidan-Warszawa. Dancing, singing, and round dances with fireworks take place. For instance, last year they demonstrated their traditions in the town of Suchava, performing under the flags of Ukraine, Romania, and the European Union. The event was officially banned, and police went after Malanka participants: they faced arrest for up to 15 days, or, at best, they had to sign a compulsory document stating they would not participate in Malanka ever. Photographer: Roman Pilipey 'Malanka'- or 'Old New Year Celebrations' is one of the most popular traditional festivals in Western Ukraine celebrated every year between the 13th and 14th of January, which is New Year's Eve in accordance with the old Julian calendar. During that time, people stopped working and went to the streets to celebrate the end of the year and the beginning of a new one. Men in masks with fake machine guns stop all types of transport, even carts, searching for “kontrabas” (contraband). “Malanka walks from house to house to chase evil spirits out. On the evening of January 13th, they will show up to celebrate Malanka with their own special performance. Sometimes teams from Romania are also invited. It forms a unique face and image of every nation and can attract thousands of tourists interested in new and unforgettable impressions. It’s easy to understand: most people associate a carnival with half-naked samba dancers in Brazil, however, a carnival is a very old and very important phenomenon in folk culture. The iconic embroidered shirt or blouse, the vyshyvanka, is the most recognizable part of Ukrainian national costume, and even has its own public celebration in May. Next, the Kings and Queens sing and round dance to the sounds of a trumpet. The outfit with wing-like shoulders is non-removable and is made out of hay rolled in ropes. The main characters of the celebration in Ukrainian tradition are Melania and Vasyl whose roles were carried out by a girl and a boy. The latest possible time of this tradition’s origin can be easily established since Krasnoilsk was founded in 1431. — I haven’t slept for almost a month. Its highest meaning is to reinstate the continuity and cyclical nature of life. Bukovyna is considered to be a region that preserved old customs of Christmas holidays celebration better than anywhere else in Ukraine. Malanka teams walk the village till the early morning. Then they take a break for a couple of hours to nap before the part of the celebration that involves the whole village and is the most popular with tourists. It replaces the Julian calendar, or as it is also called “the old style calendar”, in which Malanka was celebrated on the 31st of December and coincided with the New Year celebration. The peak of carnival popularity was in the Middle Ages and very commonly took place before Great Lent. Every year on the 15th of January, dozens of folk bands come to Chernivtsi to compete in the creativity of their Christmas performances. The Komendant pronounces the amount, and the Malanka team moves on. “The costumes were so heavy and tiring that some members of the family were following the costume wearers with water supplies,” Masha remembers. Besides, there is a very old tradition preserved in Krasnoilsk: making the first furrow, or as it’s called in Romanian “plugorash”. Even the classic characters of Malanka confirm it is becoming more grotesque from year to year: the Bears’ wings get longer, the Gypsies’ maces get heavier, and their characters acquire more modern features. In the center of the village, since the early morning a diverse team of characters was being bossy with everyone:the Police and Security Service Officers were detaining passers-by, making them carry heavy boxes and putting them in prison cells until they paid a ransom. Between 13 and 14 January, Ukrainian and Northern Moldovan communities celebrate the Malanka, a tradition that involves a merry troupe of mask-wearing men who knock on … A carnival does not know death. It’s frosty outside but the Malanka participants are so heated by their performances that many of them remove parts of their costumes. The “border officer” with a knife stops a bus with tourists and gets inside to “search” it, which ends up with everyone donating 10 to 20 UAH to get a permit to enter the village. In the morning of the 14th of January, Krasnoilsk resembles a battlefield. The costumes are made by locals and for locals,” Nadiia Shapoval explained. Noble people, Jewish-shop owners, peasants, and Gypsies are representatives of social groups that lived in royal Romania. Malanka consists of many masquerade happenings in various villages in the Western part of the country and it is held “to thank God for all the favours already received and ask for new ones for the next year,” as Masha Reva explains. In Ukraine, Malanka is much more than a party: it’s one of the oldest, happiest, most vibrant days of the year in local culture. Malanka commemorates the feast day of St. Melania. In Chernivtsi, the main city of Bukovyna, the folk ethnographic festival “Malanka Fest” has taken place since 2011. Melania or Malanka once used to be a popular female name, … At 1 p.m., the Parade of Malanka starts, the event attracting thousands of tourists each year. Ukrainian Traditional Holiday Malanka. In order to get an official day off at work on the day of Malanka, men would sign up to donate blood. Christmas isn’t the only celebration in Ukraine according to the old calendar. The married men that used to dress into the Bear keep participating in Malanka but put on masks of the Grandpa, Grandma, or the Jew. All the Bear costumes were made unremovable, and the men would be on a bean diet so that they didn’t need to use the toilet too often. With unprecedented honesty and depth, 1 Granary Issue 6 dives into the work and lives of fashion designers today. First of all, the designers offer exceptionally unique designs. “Traditionally, only men can wear costumes, which are prepared by the members of their families. The Best Street Style From Ukrainian Fashion Week Spring 2019. Men who aren’t fans of wearing women’s clothes for kicks can choose from the more masculine roles of the Goat, Grandpa, Jester. To perform as the Bear is a very honorable and tough, though self-imposed, role. Villagers in Krasnoilsk, western Ukraine, celebrate Malanka, the old New Year’s Eve. They sing carols so that the New Year starts joyfully,” local people explain, giving the meaning of the performances. On this day last year fashion design graduate Masha Reva, artist Ivan Grabko and stylist Nadia Shapoval travelled to Krasnoilsk in Ukraine and documented the Malanka goers and their folklore costumes. The fight lasts until the Gypsies calm them down with knives and axes. Local people call their original Malanka “pereberiya” (pereberiya comes from the Ukrainian word “pereberatys” meaning to change dress, to dress like somebody else), and these carnivals take place in the town of Vashkivtsi and in the villages Krasnoilsk, Horbove, Velykyi Kuchuriv, Boyan, Prypruttia, and Babyn. Malanka is over for Ivan usually around the 15th of January when he goes to Chernivtsi for Malanka Fest, a festival dedicated to Malanka and attended by teams from all over Bukovyna. Malanka is observed on the 13th of January according to the Gregorian calendar that came into use starting in 1918. Its look depends on the ethnographic region, even though a homemade shirt, made of homespun cloth, has always constituted the basis for both male and female wardrobes. One by one Malanka teams from all corners of the village enter the main street and give their New Year performance to everyone. Two Beasts sit a tourist with a camera on a chair and put shaving cream on him, creating a “barbershop” outdoors. In this case, any festivity is inappropriate. The groups go around the villages from door to door, singing songs and getting money, food, or Samogonka (a strong Ukrainian vodka) as a reward. The Doctors, wearing Arnold Schwarzenegger masks, tried to drag young people into their fake ambulances with the same aim of getting compensation for their “treatment”. During such feasts, the Malanka participants consume quite a lot of alcohol, but those who get too drunk and lose control are sent home at once. The brightest characters of the Malanka in Krasnoilsk are undoubtedly the Gypsy and the Bear. — We will act out how people used to scythe and collect hay. Malanka is a Ukrainian folk holiday celebrated on January 13th, which is New Year’s Eve in accordance with the Julian calendar. That is why during a mock battle between the Bear and the Gypsy during Krasnoilsk Malanka the Gypsy always wins. Ukrainian Fashion Week emerged in 1997 and established itself as the first professional fashion event in Eastern Europe. The “gangs” of Werewolves and Zombies were roaming back and forth, with one of them wearing a mask of Yeltsyn (the first Russian president) and carrying a briefcase. Once in a while, he sells a mask to an interested passerby for about 150 UAH. The Gypsies stand out here too: they wear black cut-off jackets with embroidery and fake karakul hats. Masha, on the other hand, feels differently: “I think if inspiration is sincere and doesn’t hurt other people, that’s absolutely fine. All these festivities have a common main character: the Bear or another similar big, hairy creature that is always performed by an unmarried man. That’s why they started to be made with white glue. Local residents dressed in costumes perform during celebrations for the Malanka holiday in the village of Krasnoilsk in the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine, January 14, 2016. In addition, they would carry knives during the celebration so that they could quickly cut open their costumes and flee the police.