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Folklore Lunch: Malanka in Ukraine: a Ukraīner exploration of regional variations

Presented by Dariia Titarova, from the

January 12, 2024 | 12pm MST | 

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Malanka brings together entire communities in a street carnival with masks and fancy costumes to celebrate the arrival of the new year. The Ukrainian holiday has deep pre-Christian roots.

The history of Malanka celebrations in Ukraine is about the persistence of the tradition, which was not eliminated despite all the attempts of the Soviet regime, about its reinterpretation, and revival. In 2021-2022, the ’s team traveled to different regions of Ukraine to tell the story of hand-crafted masks and the most bizarre bear costumes in Bukovyna, exciting battles between Malanka characters in Halychyna, contemporary festive parades in the Carpathians, and the resurrected ritual of walking a goat in Poltavshchyna.

You can watch  the here.

Dariia Titarova is a volunteer and author of texts for , a Ukrainian community and organization that has been researching Ukraine and the Ukrainian context since 2016. Since 2019, Dariia has written long reads for Ukraїner multimedia stories and texts to books such as “”, “”, and “”. The volunteering community inspired her to explore her own motherland, its culture, people, and local initiatives. Dariia's special focus is on national minorities in Ukraine and the traditional customs and winter holidays, namely Christmas and Malanka.

Top image: Malanka in Beleluia, Halychyna. Photo by Artem Galkin. Bottom: Dariia Titarova. Photos provided by author.

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Folklore Lunch Series  |