Ukraine’s Generous Evening tradition to be added to UNESCO's World Heritage List

This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy.

"Together with the Generous Evening tradition, the National list already includes 88 elements of intangible cultural heritage. There are significantly fewer Ukrainian elements in the UNESCO World Heritage list so far. However, this work is ongoing, particularly regarding the inclusion of the caroling tradition in the global list. Preserving traditions in Ukraine has been an extraordinary challenge for many centuries because the imperial and Soviet authorities did everything to destroy the identity of nations. Today, one of the main tasks of the state is the maximum preservation of traditions that distinguished Ukrainians among others and became the basis for our identity," said Acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy Rostyslav Karandiyev.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Emine Dzhaparova, emphasized that creating a dossier for the National list is an important step towards including the caroling tradition in the UNESCO list.
The process of inclusion in the World Heritage list is divided into several stages. Firstly, by March 31, the state must submit this dossier to the Secretariat of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. By June, the Secretariat will evaluate this dossier. Until September, Ukraine will have the opportunity to make amendments, and around December, the dossier will be submitted to the Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Indeed, the process is not swift: from submitting the dossier to its consideration by the Committee, it can take up to two years," said Dzhaparova.

Co-founder of the NGO "Institute of Ukrainian Culture" and researcher of Ukrainian culture Marina Sobotyuk talked about the caroling traditions. She emphasized that this year, Ukraine celebrates Generous Eve for the first time on December 31. So, on January 1, Ukrainians will be able to celebrate Malanka and stage sowing rite.

"We prepared the dossier for a year. Of course, we studied what the Generous Eve tradition represents. It includes the 12 ritual dishes that bring the family together. It also includes caroling: singing carols, and the ritual of leading the goat. Ukrainians believed that the more carolers the family welcomed, the wealthier they would be," noted Marina Sobotyuk.

During the event, the youth ambassador for the element of intangible cultural heritage, "Traditions of Generous Eve in Ukraine," Jerry Heil, performed the carol "Oy Sivaya Ta Zozulenka."