Cultural Insight Of Ukraine

Almost everything foreigners associate with Russian culture- energetic Cossack dances, painted Easter eggs, colourful cross-stitch embroidery, even the famous borscht soup- is actually Ukrainian. Ukraine, by its sheer size and the richness of its cultural heritage, escaped being totally swamped by the Russians who annexed it. Despite the fact that the Tsars (and the Soviets, who followed them) tried their hardest to suppress Ukrainian cultural traditions, a revival began in the 19th century. Based largely on the propagation of the Ukrainian language, the Ukrainian renaissance was marked most by the writers it produced- Taras Shevchenko, Vasyl Stus, and others. But Ukrainian culture is not just about literature; it’s also about `full of beans’ folk music and vigorous dances. It’s about elaborately embroidered folk costumes and hand-painted ceramics. It’s about magnificent wooden churches, held together without a single nail and topped with golden onion  domes which sparkle in the winter sun. It’s about beautiful old frescoes and finely worked icons; and yes, it’s even about Chicken a la Kiev and creamy Paskha puddings.