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Solemnly marching through a fresh snow, an old man, dressed as a goat, leads a small procession. Behind him, a woman carries a canvas bag and a second man hoists a six-pointed star attached to a long stick with a light in its center towards the night sky. Followed by three other shrouded figures clasping musical instruments to their thick coats, the leader knocks on the first door. When the door is cast open, warmth rushing into the frigid night, the leader asks, “May we sing you a song of Christmas?”
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Kiev has a history of being split in half physically as well as metaphorically. Located on both the right and left banks of the Dneiper River, the future location of the city was once prophesied by St. Andrew around 60 A.D. when the spectacular location of the hilly shores of the river captured his attention. Seven bridges knit the city of Kiev together these days but the bridges themselves have a history all their own.
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Common to every culture, the fairy tale is a lynchpin of the human condition. At their mother’s knee, children have learned history and behavior through metaphor for centuries. Ukraine is a country wrought with persecution by conquerors hence the values of overcoming adversity through cleverness and ingenuity has given strength to the weak The quest for redemption and revenge can be found in the pages of old tales too. Because life was often difficult, children were expected to work from an early age and were confronted with adult problems and challenges too soon. Folk tales softened the blow of life’s harsher experiences.
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Revolutions past may have been born in print but in the 21st century, shifts in government and politics occur with a huge boost from cyberspace. Despite of lack of access to the Ukrainian mass media, supporters driving the Orange Revolution skillfully used the Internet to recruit volunteers, raise funds, organize campaigns, report breaking news, and garner the sympathy of the global democratic community. Internet use in Ukraine skyrocketed has skyrocketed fivefold or more since 1999 and use alone between 2000 and 2001 jumped an astounding 30 to 40 percent.
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Thousands of miles away from the Egyptian pyramids, a recent discovery calls into question the long-established belief that Egypt’s archaeological mecca is the oldest of its kind in the world. Unearthing the remains of a pyramid like structure near the eastern Ukrainian city of Lugansk, archaeologists are debating the discovery that predates those in Egypt by 300 years.
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Gravity defying acrobats. Dancing bears. Juggling clowns. Little has changed since circus performers spun their talents for Egyptian pharaohs and Roman emperors and like hundreds of countries around the world, a Ukrainian’s love for the circus still endures. Travel to any city with a population greater than 500,000 and a resident circus may be found.
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Ukrainians hedge their bets in many areas including religion. With a history wrought with political turbulence and violence the notion that Ukrainians hold on to old folktale beliefs as well as their Orthodox religion is not surprising. Ukraine as a country has a history of peasantry and amongst these agrarian communities paganism is the ancient polytheistic religion of East Slavic tribes.
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Stamp collectors around the world know the value of the little paper square affixed to packages and letters. Stamps connect people living a great distance together, honor and remember a country’s leaders and accomplishments and sometimes can unlock secrets to a culture. The simple act of securing a stamp to a piece of mail is a record of history.
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