Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture has added three new items to the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The additions relate to traditions from Bukovyna and the Lemko community.
The list now includes “Culture and traditions related to Easter ritual breads in Bukovyna,” “The tradition of preparing and consuming kyselytsia in the Lemko community,” and “Kryvulka — a Lemko women’s chest ornament: ornamental traditions and manufacturing technology.”
The ministry noted that Easter ritual bread is a collective term for traditional baked goods, including paskas, babkas, and Easter cookies known as “kukutsy.” In Bukovyna, a wide variety of such breads has been preserved, with some types unique to the region, including the large “dora” paska, the “horned” paska decorated with dough reliefs, tall sweet white babka glazed with “syta,” and lean rye “kukutsy” flatbreads distributed to children on Clean Thursday.
Kyselytsia is described as a soup or drink made from fermented oat flour or groats, sometimes prepared with potatoes, mushrooms, or bryndza cheese. It is a traditional dish of the Lemko and Boyko communities.
Kryvulka, also known as kryvulia, is a Lemko women’s ornament in the shape of a circle, woven from beads. It rests on the chest, shoulders, and back like a wide collar.
Following the inclusion of the new elements, local communities are expected to take into account recommendations and proposals for their safeguarding developed by the Expert Council on Intangible Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.
The ministry recalled that the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukraine was established in 2012. A total of 120 elements have already been included.