Songs and children’s laughter can be heard since the early morning in Tytar’s estate next to Stavropegion Church founded in the name of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin. These kids came to visit St. Nicholas. The hostess welcomes kids and leads them to the room with a large stove, there she teaches them to dance, do the traditional round dancing and sing the song Who, who loves Nicholas?
At this time final preparations are under way in the next room: the musician Oleksandr Honcharenko in a couple of minutes will transform into St. Nicholas and his faithful Cossack is checking rods and is putting gifts into the chest.
“It is a very important function to be St. Nicholas,” said Honcharenko to The Day holding a lyre in his hands, later he will play “Shchedryk” to his little visitors. “The image has to be natural so that children could feel that it is all for real.” Therefore, he said, the organizers of the residence decided not to use any props: artificial wigs and beards a la Santa Claus or Father Frost. “We selected the costumes so that they would resemble the clothes of Ukrainian nobility of the 18th century and everything would be natural. We wanted the event to be really festive and in fairy tale spirit,” explained Honcharenko.
“In traditions of Ukrainian style of bringing up a child would necessarily receive something according to his work and good deeds, which are, in fact, also a result of hard work on self improvement. Children understand perfectly well that in order to receive a gift they have to show themselves from a good side,” says Honcharenko, who has been studying ethnopsychology of old Ukrainians for a number of years. In support of these young visitors recite poems by Taras Shevchenko and fables by Leonid Hlibov, sing songs, and dance. Remarkably, when Nicholas asks kids if they were obedient throughout the year, some children honestly tell that they slept it and didn’t get to school on time or scattered their toys all over the place. Those kids also receive a gift of honey cookie in a shape of a fish – symbol of the earliest Christians. The rods sometimes go to parents – they take them for educational purposes (of course as a joke). Honcharenko explains that St. Nicholas does not intend to punish anyone, he only wants to make a child realize the negative aspects of his behavior. Therefore, nobody beats anyone with a rod – it is just a reason to start thinking.
On the table, near the chest with gifts there are letters from children. Little kids ask Nicholas for presents in their shaky handwriting. “There are those who ask something for all children and not only for themselves. There are also those who ask something for Ukraine. Very often children ask for health and happiness – and it is good. Of course, there are enough pragmatic requests too, like a toy car, cell phone, etc. However, in comparison with previous years, this year children ask more for spiritual things,” told Honcharenko.
One of the girls received a gift and then again came up to Nicholas and quietly thanked him for being so kind and that thanks to him so many people around the world become obedient.
