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OUR ENGLISH COLUMN E A S T E R I N U K R A I N E The approaching Easter turns our thoughts to far off villages of Ukraine. Lent was beginning for all. Usually at this time intent preparations were in progress. The spring works in the garden and the fields were already start ed, still every homekeeper was cleaning the house, inside as well as outside, and getting ready the festive attire. The women profici ent in the art of writing designs on eggs, were producing the East er eggs (pysanki) since it used to be fitting to find them in every home. On Holy Saturday every one rus'bed to silent church to welcome the first pealing of the bells that sent out the joyous message that Christ is risen. However, this belongs to the past. Many a year has since elaps ed when the people of Ukraine had not been interfered with their religious rites cultivated for many ages. Since the bolshevik і have seized the Russian government and then invaded Ukraine, came an end to peaceful observing of Easter. This does not mean that these ceremonies have fallen into oblivion. Oh, no ! Th-ey were alive and still survive in the conscious ness of the people and one cannot imagine a holiday in Ukraine without these rites'. Tihe •bolshevik government’s attitude toward the observance of religious ceremo nies varied over the period of its domination. At first it had been tolerant, then hostile, and finally again tolerant. This was the rea son w h y the people desired still more ardently to celebrate the holidays, and when it appeared in evitable, observed them in secret. In our recollections reappear these- Easter morning services in which great masses' o-f people used to participate, during the first years of -bolshevik occupation. Old and young used to rush to these services. But the people had al ready perceived the approaching dagger of bolshevik repression. Then the masses- of Ukrainian people, who filled the churches and the churchyards, prayed to God to save Ukraine from bolshe vik slavery and grant them free dom. And then came the 1920-ies, the THE UKRAINIAN EASTER EGG The drawing shows a pattern from the Carpathian regions of Ukraine. As is seen, the whole surface of the egg is covered with an ornament. The colors are so arranged that the Easter egg is an interesting aesthetic complete thing. True, the production of Easter eggs is similar throughout Uk raine, still each region possesses its own peculiarities. Usually the patterns on the eggs conform to embroideries on the fabrics. Some of the Eaister eggs motives are found in the Ukrainian ceramics which similarly adorns the round surface. years of anti-religious campaigns and of severe persecution of reli gion and religious people. The youthful godless groups used to invade the churchyards in order to ridicule and deride all Easter rites. Then all religious sentiment disappeared and only the feeling of painful insult remained. In the 1930-ies, the years of the severest persecution of the Uk rainian people by the bolshevik regime, observance of holidays had to assume quite a different aspect. Only very few churches remained in Ukraine and thus large districts were deprived of all church services during the Eastertide. Even o-f those living near the remaining church, not many could afford to go to church since all employed by the govern ment, and there are no other em ployees in Soviet Union, were not permitted to attend services in the church. This prohibition per tained likewise to school pupils, to students and workers on the collective farms. Hence the people were welcoming tihe Easter at that time only with their silent prayers, and they could not even think of any Easter eggs or cakes for those were the years of want and starvation. During World War II the bol shevik government reintroduced a relative tolerance of religion, and the church system in Soviet Union was seemingly revived. Of course, the clergy were not free to minister in the churches, but were under strict control of sec ret police. Yet even these condi tions were not satisfactory to bol sheviks, and they have recently rehashed their old anti-religious campaign. The periodical “Party Life” complained that the clergy gained their influence on the youth. The newspaper “Komso- molskaya Pravda” avers that the observance of holidays in USSR was the cause that the hay was UKRAINIAN WOMAN
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