COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE CELEBRATION OF MAJOR CHRISTIAN HOLIDAYS BY GERMAN COLONISTS AND UKRAINIAN POPULATION (LATE XVIII – EARLY XX CENTURY)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24919/2519-058x.3.101061Keywords:
the Germans, colonists, the Ukrainians, traditional holidays, Christianity, ProtestantismAbstract
This study covers the period from the XVIII century to the early XX century. The lower boundary corresponds to the time of the resettlement of German colonists to the territory of Ukraine. The upper boundary corresponds to the start of mass emigration of colonists to American countries. Territorial boundaries of the research cover the territory of modern Ukraine.
At the time of establishment of colonies in Ukraine Germans as well as Ukrainians had already formed a cultural array, so all the facts of the relations were initially due to economic feasibility. However, having moved German colonists got trapped in the environment which was vital to adapt to and settle down in, which led to the expansion of relations with the surrounding population, not only in the aspect of economy but also culturally. It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the relations in any aspect from the Ukrainian side were solely based on economic feasibility and benefit.
The purpose of this study is to highlight the facts of the relations of German colonists with the Ukrainian population during the celebration of major Christian holidays.
In connection with this purpose the following tasks have been assigned:
- To research how the German colonists and Ukrainian population celebrated the major Christian holidays;
- To identify similarities while celebrating Christian holidays;
- To identify the distinctive features during the celebration of religious holidays;
- To study out and research the facts of the relations and the main driving forces of these relations during the celebration of religious holidays by Ukrainians and the colonists;
This study is based on the research and exploration of culture and household of Ukrainians and German colonists that were made after Ukraine gained independence. The materials of the contemporary researchers of the colonists and the memoirs of the colonists themselves, which were published after the emigration of Germans abroad, have also been used in this study.
This study deals with the issue of the interaction between the German colonists and Ukrainian population in the cultural aspect, namely how German immigrants perceived traditional Ukrainian holidays. An attempt has been made in order to identify similar and distinctive features in celebrating major religious holidays such as New Year, Maslyana/Pancake Week (among the colonists of Kimersy), Easter, Whit Sunday, Christmas. German colonists were Protestant Christians, Ukrainians were Orthodox Christians. Thus, overall, religious holidays were common. This contributed to the proper understanding and respect for traditions and celebration of Christian holidays. The calendars of the celebration and the rituals were different. It was concluded that the study of this issue is an important task for scientists in order to understand the inter-ethnic relations existing between the colonists and Ukrainians better, because having researched a number of sources, we can conclude that the colonists were not such a closed community, as it is stated by most of the contemporary scientists. German colonists actively engaged with Ukrainian not only in the aspect of economy but also communicated in the area of culture.References
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