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Why spring in Ukraine won’t come without singing — the fascinating history of vesnianky

Why spring in Ukraine won’t come without singing — the fascinating history of vesnianky

Listen to the magical Ukrainian songs that bring spring and learn their incredible history.

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Darya Zorka
Apr 26, 2025
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From My Heart
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Why spring in Ukraine won’t come without singing — the fascinating history of vesnianky
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From My Heart is a newsletter about Eastern Europe, Ukraine, Belarus, and living in challenging times. Your support allows me to share the culture, history, recipes, and stories from Eastern Europe with the world.

“Haivky near the church,” Ivan Honchar (1911-1993)

In ancient times, people in Eastern Europe celebrated the New Year in spring. The awakening of nature and the start of the planting season were the signs of a new period. The year started with the beginning of a new cycle of life, which sounds very natural when you think about it. Back then, people believed in the magical powers of nature and had a very deep spiritual connection to it. Spring was the time when light triumphed over dark, warmth over cold, and life over death. Many spring rituals honored these events and the natural forces that caused them, and singing spring folk songs was one of them. These songs were sung in Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, and Lithuania, with each country and region having its own distinct features, melodies, and lyrics. In this article, I will focus on Ukrainian ritual spring songs, vesnianky, which are also known as haivky, hahilky, iahilky, and maivky in different parts of Ukraine.

Vesnianka “Spring, spring left for the mountains” by the Ukrainian folk band Viltse:

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