With ancient carols, banjos, savory food, and fortifying drinks, Leopolitans will gather in a forest to celebrate Christmas.
From 7-8 January, the city’s main Christmas celebration will take place in Shevchenkivskyi Hai («Grove»), a forested park with ancient Ukrainian houses and churches The organisers invite visitors to carol with Lviv’s best musicians amid winter beauty and the authenticity of this Lviv’s skansen, or folk park. The admission will cost 100 UAH, and this money will go for the restoration of the objects in the Folk Museum in Shevchenkivskyi Hai. Below is the list of events that will take place at this location:
Read more: Lviv Live Music Events for 4-10 January: Christmas Shows, Dreamland Christmas Fest, Jazz, and Bach
Shevchenkivskyi Hai Schedule (you can take a taxi, drive, bike, or walk to this point):
Friday 7 January, Christmas Day, 14.00 – 16.30. Churchyard showpiece from the village of Kryvka:
- Carol with a group of stars
- Artistic nativity scenes in the Christmas shop
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Exclusive tour «Ukrainian Christmas» (by appointment https://cutt.ly/jUQDzv9, the number of participants is limited, so hurry to apply)
Saturday 8 January, Second Day of Christmas, 14.00 – 16.30. Churchyard showpiece from the village of Kryvka:
- Artistic nativity scenes in the Christmas shop
- Carol with «Dudarik» chapel
-
Exclusive tour «Ukrainian Christmas» (by appointment https://cutt.ly/jUQDzv9, the number of participants is limited, so hurry to apply)
Saturday 8 January, 16.30 – 19.00, an exhibit with a house from the village of Verbivets.
Folk dances and a joint carol with the best musicians of Lviv:
Dancing with ДРИҐ band
Lemko Bluegrass Band
Solomiya Chubai with her musician friends
Vasyl Karvatsky
«Kurbasy« Band
MANU DJ
Leader Pavlo Gots
In addition, Christmas interiors, holiday photo areas, «live» shopka (nativity scene), authentic cuisine from «Boyko hospitality», herbal tea for carols are waiting for the guests of the holiday.
After the Grove events, some of the musicians above will play the Winter Dreamland Festival at Ennio Events Square. See our Lviv Live Music List for details.
The full program for the Christmas period in Lviv:
List of key events in Halytskyi district
Installation of Christmas didukh
January 6, 12.00 Stefana Yavorskoho Square
Carol with Ulyana Horbachevska
January 7, 19.00 Stefana Yavorskoho Square
For Christmas to the Grove
January 7-8 12.00 20.00 Museum of Folk Architecture and Life named after
Festival «Great Carol»
January 7-19 Church of the Holy Eucharist (Muzeina Square)
Christmas star flash mob
January 8 13.00. Start on the Muzeina Square
Walking along the route of Muzeina Square – st. Stavropihiyska – Rynok Square -
st. Pamvy Beryndy – Svobody Avenue – square in front of the Lviv National Opera
Carol with band «Kurbasy« on Malaniuka Square
January 9 16.00 Malaniuka Square
Nativity scene «Golden Tabernacle»
January 9, 16, 12.00, 14.00. Lviv Academic Theater «And people,
Concert «Rejoice, World!»
January 12, 7 p.m. Lviv National Philharmonic named after Myroslav Skoryk
New Year’s Eve at the Casino de Paris theatre
January 13, Lviv Academic Youth Theater of Les Kurbas
Performance «Christmas extravaganza» (Lviv Academic Spiritual Theater «Resurrection«)
January 15, 17.00 Courtyard of the Ratusha (City Hall)
Carol-Tribute. Ensemble of classical music named after B. Lyatoshynskyi
January 16, 7 p.m. Lviv National Philharmonic named after Myroslav Skoryk
Gala concert of the festival «Great Carol»
January 23 Church of the Holy Eucharist (Muzeina Square)
List of key events in Sykhiv district
Lviv Musicians «Big Christmas Concert»
January 9, 18.00. Cultural and educational centre named after O. Dovzhenko
Christmas Joy Festival
January 15, 16.00. Cultural and educational centre named after O. Dovzhenko
List of key events in Lychakivskyi district
Nativity scene competition
January 7, the village of Lysynychi
Citywide holiday «Warm Christmas»
January 7-8, Vynnyky
Traditional nativity scene competition and mass carolling «The universe, have fun!»
January 7 13.00 People’s House in the village of Lysynychi
Christmas carol «Let’s sing together» (Nativity scene, carols, vinshuvannia – Christmas poetical greetings)
January 14 People’s House of a village Pidbirtsi
The annual festival of resettlement carols «Carol of the unforgettable land»
January 14-15, Vynnyky
Epiphany at the Source
January 19, Lysynuchi
Feast of the Baptism of Jordan
January 19, Vynnyky
List of key events in Frankivsk district
Festive workshop from «Family fest»
January 4-5 Lviv Film Center (Volodymyra-Velykoho street, 14a)
Christmas holiday program
January 9 Square in front of the V. Symonenka Lyceum
Social holiday «Caroling together»
January 14 Branch Library №18 (Sensoteka) in Stryiskyi Park
Festive workshop from «Family fest»
January 15-16 Lviv Film Center (Volodymyra-Velykoho street, 14a)
Jordan Bath
January 19 Lake in the Nut Grove Park (near Lviv Film Center)
List of key events in Shevchenkivskyi district
Exhibition of drawings by young artists «Christmas motifs»
January 4 People’s House in the village of Hryada
Theatrical performance «Nativity scene from house to house»
January 7, the village of Hryada
Watching a cartoon about Christmas
January 9 People’s House of the village of Hryada
Holiday «Farewell to the carol»
January 13, Hrybovychi
Christmas festival «Carol sounds...!»
January 14, 14:00, Dublyany (area near the town’s Christmas tree)
«Melanka party»
January 15 People’s House of the village of Hryada
Christmas Festival «Holiday»
January 15, Bryukhovychi
Christmas action near the Christmas tree «Let the whole earth will hear how Ukraine is carolling», nativity scene, mass carol
January 16 People’s House in the village of Zashkiv
Folklore program «We sing generously»
January 16 SPILNO Library (Mykolaychuka Street, 1)
Christmas Star Carolling
January 30 People’s House of the village of Hryada
List of key activities in the Zaliznychnyi District
Christmas holiday «Great Levandivska Carol»
January 16 Levandivka People’s House
Participation in the church carol
during January, Rudne
Nativity scene «From village to village there is a carol»
January 6-9, Ryasne-Ruske
Big carol with the participation of the folk song and dance ensemble «Lemkovyna»
January 23 Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Rudne
Reference:
Most Ukrainians, whether Orthodox or Greek Catholic, celebrate Christmas Day 7 January, which kicks off a season of festivities. This is according to the old, Julian calendar of Julius Caesar. In 1582, the western world, at the behest of Pope Gregory XIII, moved the calendar ahead by two weeks. Eventually, after centuries, the whole world joined for civic purposes, but those in eastern Christianity have kept their original dates for religious holidays.
In Lviv, most people are Greek Catholic, which means they have the rituals and calendar of the east, of Constantinople, like the Orthodox but they are in communion with Rome. It is also popular here to celebrate 25 December as a holiday: both because there is an active minority of Polish and Ukrainian Roman Catholics and because it’s a chance for another holiday.
Vitalii Holich
You can read a Ukrainian language version of this story here.
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