One of the things I’m starting to realize about Ukrainians is that they LOVE celebrating.
Almost every day here is an unofficial holiday of sorts, and because Ukrainians loosely follow both the Gregorian and Julian calendars, some holidays are celebrated twice.
And, if it’s not a holiday? Ukrainians will find some other reason to celebrate.
My school, Gymnasium No. 2, recently held a dedication ceremony for its new sports field.
Another thing I’ve quickly learned? A celebration is NOT a celebration in Ukraine UNLESS there is dancing and music. (Please see: the recent fifth grade ceremony.) Ukrainians LOVE to dance. In the U.S., we’d probably have a ribbon cutting, a few speeches and then a ceremonial pitch/ toss/ kick for something like this, right?
In Ukraine, there are choreographed dance routines.
Dancing aside, the dedication of the school’s new sports field was a big deal in the city of Khmelnytskyi. School was released early so that every student could crowd around the field for the ceremony.
The local media showed up, and several high-profile local politicians arrived to give speeches. All of Gymnasium No. 2’s student athletes paraded around the field, and then after the ceremonies were finished, the school’s soccer team broke the field in with a game.
All of the students really seemed to love watching and participating in the ceremony. Between all the student athletes in the parade and the students who had a part in the dancing and flag waving, I think just about every Gymnasium No. 2 student had a role in this celebration.
Pretty neat, huh?
This post was originally published Jan. 21, 2021. Its timestamp has been updated to better reflect the timeline of my Peace Corps service.
