This year some volunteers of SVIT have joined the traditional for ECC “Bakhmat” ethno-cultural trip to a village of Zvanivka, located in Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine. The special thing about this village is, that half of its residents are ‘native’ for Donetsk region, and half of them are coming from somewhere what is Poland now. After 2nd World War, when USSR and Poland were fixing countries’ territories, some Ukrainian land was given to Poland and the other way around – of course without people. They were moved elsewhere, as complete villages. In Zvanivka ‘native’ and ‘western’ Ukrainians peacefully coexist already for about 50 years. And every Christmas, on January 7th, there is traditional Ukrainian Christmas performance called “Vertep” – bringing good news about the birth of Jesus Christ to each family in the village. Mostly children and young people from the village get dressed as angels, the Three Wise Men, soldiers and other actors of the well-known Bible story, and so they are ready for Vertep. The order and lyrics of the performance they all know as they are same for decades and maybe centuries already. Our group has joined Vertep of this year as well and even tried to assist the locals with bringing the good news – singing traditional songs and getting some nuts, sweats and drinks as thank you from the grateful hosts for the Vertep.

Happy New Year at the Orphanage

Talk About Volunteering in Moldova, and in the Workshop