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VASYL’ GRENDZHA DONSKYJ AND HIS CHRISTMAS PLAY OF 1936 Vasyl’ Grendzha-Donskyj is a “Verkhovynets” — a mountain dweller of the Ukrainian section of the Carpa thian montains. Of the three groups of people who lived in these areas (the Boykos, the Hutsuls and the Lemkos) VASYL’ GRENDZHA DONSKYJ’s family belonged to the Bojko group. He was born in 1897 in the village of Volovo (today Mizhirja) located on the right bank of the Tissa River, about 60 kilometers West of Uzhorod. He was the son of a farmer-lumberjack and shepherd. At the age of 24, he became famous for his first collec tion of poems, Flowers With Thorns. All his life he was involved with all-consuming literary projects, especially for children of the Ukrainian community of Presov. For thirty- five years (1939-1974), Bratislava was his home and he is buried there in the famous Udolje Cemetery. What is surprisingly spectacular about the poet’s work is the fact that in an area so distant from Kyiv/, an area which for centuries had been cut off politically and geogra phically from Ukraine, an area remote in the Eastern Carpa thian Mountains, where the Ukrainian language was not formally taught, and where foreign influences were so intense, Vasyl’ Grendzha-Donskyj, was able to write in Ukrainian and was recognized in Ukraine as one of its great poets and writers. To this day, Ukrainian teachers value the power of stage performances. This tradition can be traced to the Brotherhood Schoola where children had to recite, perform and sing on stage. On one hand, memorization was essen tial, as books were a luxury. On the other hand, it helped children to gain poise and confidence in the proper use of their language and in the knowledge and understanding of their identity. At Christmas time in particular, children took their singing and their performences to the streets. Dressed in costumes, they would visit homes performing a semi religious, semi-secular play called Vertep. A puppet show, also Vertep, developed from this custom. The stage for this second Vertep was a double deck house, the top floor of which was reserved for the religious events of the Christ mas season, while the bottom floor was reserved for secu lar events witnessed in the life of a Ukrainian village. Many scholars agree that the origins of Ukrainian theater in general can be traced to the tradition of the Vertep. Vasyl’ Grendzha-Donskyj’s inspiration stems from the Vertep. When in 1936 he wrote his first play for children, it was the winter seasaon that inspired him. His career as a children’s playwright begins with “Saint Nicholas” and “Christmas Eve.” The Winter Season inspired Vasyl’ Grendzha-Donskyj’s four plays. The first two, Snihova Baba (Mrs. Frosty or the Snow Woman) and Sviatyj Otets Nikolaj (Saint Father Nicholas), echo the folk songs and the rhymes that reflect the joys of children at play. These two plays are essentially entertaining. The next two plays, however, constitute per haps the greatest legacy Vasyl’ Grendzha-Donskyj left not only for children, but also for ethnographers and folklorists. They echo the Ukrainian Christmas spirit. Sviatyj Vetchir (Christmas Eve) and Sviatyj Vetchir Na Verkhovyni (Christ mas Eve on the Mountain Plateau of Verkhovyna) were writ ten thirty years apart (1938 and 1968). Both plays are based on the Ukrainian celebration of Christmas, but, whereas the first play is only six pages long, the second play is three times longer. It seems that within these thirty years, Vasyl’ Grendzha-Donskyj personally researched the Christmas celebrations throughout the Verkhovyna in order to give us the most complete and meaningful description. It is known that he teamed his efforts with his contemporary ethno grapher and musician, Mykola Arkas, who recorded some of the folk songs used for the radio productions. Christmas Eve on the Mountain Plateau of Verkhovyna is a perfect play from the viewpoint of thematic composi tion, because it takes us from Nature and brings us back to Nature. As the play develops, we enter the mountain dweller’s home to discover that he lives in great harmony with the universe and that Nature is good to him because he respects it very much. All the Ukrainian Christmas ritu als are based on the ancient worship of Mother Earth, a worship which Christianity could not eradicate. The play begins with Vasyl’ Grendzha-Donskyj’s favorite characters: the Grandfather and his youngest Grandson, Peter. The climax of the play is marked by the entrance of a third character. The Grandfather calls this character “The Grea test Guest of All.” It is a sheaf of wheat carried into the house by the family breadwinner, Peter’s father, the one Peter does not really know, since he is always “on the jobs.” Placed in the corner of the dining room, The Grea test Guest of All,” says the Grandfather to the Grandson, “will stand during the whole Christmas season, silently wit nessing centuries of old rituals.” As the sheaf of wheat stands on the stage, it establishes a link between three generations of living people and numerous people of past generations. Although this play written in 1968, the playwright was already very aware of the oncoming celebration of the Mil lennium of Christianity in Ukraine in 1988. Again, speaking to his Grandson, the Grandfather explains how the Chris tian celebration of today was, in fact, established a millen nium ago when Kyivan Rus’ (today’s Ukraine) accepted Christianity. "However”, says the elder, “the pagan customs remained, and every year we recall our past and reaffirm our indentity in front of our silent Guest”. When the Grand father says, “The guest is the Didukh, the greatgrandfather of us all”, the link between generations is reinforced by the knowledge of a common past history. The Grandfather then explains to his Grandson the meaning of the Kutia when he says, “ In pre Christian times, people offered bowls of whent and other cereals to the gods to thank them for the yearly crop. Today, in remembrance of our past, we prepare the Kutia with wheat and honey and that will be our first course for the Christmas Eve supper”. The knowledge of old tradition is slowly infused into the mind of the young child, making his participation in the supper more meaning Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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