Culture of Ukraine
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The country of Ukraine consists of a varying compilation of ethnic groups. Ukrainians make up nearly 75% of the population, with Russians comprising 22% of the overall population. The rest of the population is a collection of varying peoples: Polish, Belarusian, Romanian, and Hungarian. Religion is also practiced throughout the country - Orthodox Christianity and Catholicism are the two most widely practised religions. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is the largest church in the country. The second largest church is the Ukrainian Catholic Church, which is united with the Roman Catholic Church.
Ukraine has seven universities throughout the country.
Food
Cultural food is an important part to the Ukrainian culture. Special foods are used at Easter as well as Christmas, that are not made at any other point during the year. The most known foods are: Borshch (a vegetable soup, most often made with beets), Holobtsi (Cabbage Rolls), Verenyky (Often called Perogies), and Pyrohy (a fried, dessert version of Verenyky).
Chirstmas Traditions
At Christmastime there is a custom on the night of Christmas Eve to have a 12 course meal, symbolic of the 12 apostles. This custom is practiced by both the Ukrainian Catholic and Orthodox Churches, and is also practiced outside of Ukraine's borders by the people of the Diaspora. This meal is both meatless and dairyless. It usually consists of a few fish dishes (baked fish, pickled herrring), Verenyky, Holobtsi, Kolach (round braided bread), Kutya (cooked wheat with poppies, and honey or sugar - only made in the Christmas season), some mushroom dishes, Garlic, as well as a few others.
There are also symbolic accompaniments to the meal. One such example is that the meal starts in the evening as soon as the first star is seen in the sky. This is of course linked to the star that the wise men followed to reach Jesus. There is also a candle in the window to show that anyone wandering the street, that doesn't have a place to go is welcome to join the family for the evening and celebrate. Since this meal is supposed to be just a family affair, for the night the guest is considered an honourary family member. The use of wheat is also important. There is usually a sheave of wheat placed in the corner near the table. This is to remind the family of the ancestors that have passed on, and to symbolize their presence at the meal. Also wheat is placed under the tablecloth and under the table. Also, an extra plate is set at the table, this plate is for Jesus, as it is believed he is present at the meal.
Carols are also an important part of the Christmas tradition. Some carols reach back into the pre-christianity period of Ukraine. The most widely recognizeable Ukrainian Carol is the "Carol of the Bells" which is actually not a christmas carol but a New Years carol titled "Shchedryk" in Ukrainian. Christmas carols are a tradition that the entire family participates in. In addition, one is only allowed to sing these carols during the Christmas season, and never out of season.Template:Ukraine-geo-stub