STUDENT REFLECTIONS

Malanka celebrations: then and now

by Olena Welhasch

"Five, four, three, two, one. Happy New Year!" exclaimed the youth of Toronto two weekends ago at Plast's Malanka zabava. I found myself counting down to the New Year, again.

Balloons and confetti bombarded the festive assemblage, who had been partaking in as much waltzing and polka-ing as the overcrowded dance floor allowed. An observer unaware of the occasion would marvel at the fact that these Ukrainian Canadians (and Americans) were celebrating New Year's Eve almost two weeks after it had been officially observed.

I had traveled to Toronto on a whim, as a last thrill before I resumed classes at Penn State University. I couldn't have chosen a better way to end my semester break. The general friendliness and universal acceptance of "Ukie friends" never cease to amaze or delight me. It's uncanny how even when I haven't seen a friend in years, relationships that flourished at various summer camps withstand the test of time and resume as though we'd only missed a few days.

Another unbelievable aspect of our friendship encompasses our mutual understanding of our cultural traditions. This seemingly tardy celebration of New Year's Eve is one of the many customs that reflect ancient pagan rituals that survived even after Ukraine's Christianization. Ukraine, A Concise Encyclopedia describes Malanka as "a cheerful festival for young people." That it was and still is.

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A motley crew of characters often comprising men dressed as an old couple (Malanka and Vasyl), a goat, a gypsy, a Jew, and/or a policeman, as well as many other characters and musicians, would parade the streets of Ukrainian villages on New Year's Eve. The feast of Malanka - known as Schedryi Vechir (Generous Eve) in eastern and central Ukraine - was originally a pagan agrarian ritual. Now it is the feast of St. Melaniia - hence the term Malanka - and falls on January 13, New Year's Eve according to the Julian calendar. The feast of St. Vasyl is on New Year's Day. The evening has traditionally been marked by playful merriment. Households echoed with schedrivky, songs that are very similar to koliadky (Christmas carols) in melody and structure.

The menu for the family dinner is very similar to that of Sviata Vecheria (though not meatless), consisting of kutia, meat or cheese varenyky, buckwheat pancakes and sausages. The meal was often interrupted by the young entourage of characters parading through the town. The actors entered the house singing, often carrying a plow, performing the rite of "first furrow" in imitation of plowing and sometimes sprinkling cows with holy water - one of the few Christian customs that have distinguished the feast of Malanka from its former pagan rituals. The person playing Malanka would ask permission to enter the house, promising to put the household in order.

The families also participated in the game playing. The father would hide from his children, waiting to be found, in the belief that his hiding would ensure a good harvest.

Young girls participated in a multitude of games that were to foretell of their future husbands. One tradition included the throwing of shoes: when the shoe lands, the man at whom it points will be the man whom the show-thrower marries. Unmarried women also embarked upon the festive streets in pursuit of this information. A girl would ask for the name of the first man she encountered, and that would be the name of her future husband.

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It's pleasing to note that the magic of the ages-old Malanka, although very different in today's practice, still affects Ukrainian youth, even beyond Ukraine's boundaries.

Sources: Oleksa Woropay, "Zvychaii Nashoho Narodu," Vol. 1, (Munich: Ukrainske Vydavnytstvo, 1958); Encyclopedia of Ukraine, Vol. 3, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press Inc., 1993); Ukraine: A Concise Encyclopedia, (Toronto: University of Toronto, 1963).

Olenka Welhash, 19, of Berkeley Heights, N.J., is a student majoring in English at Penn State University.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 25, 1998, No. 4, Vol. LXVI

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