Viking 'Footsteps of the Cossacks' (Ukraine)

[Peregrina651]

My 2013 - 2014 Viking catalog arrived today. I'm going to keep this one, even though I'm not planning another trip right now.

 

 

Right! It's my wish list!

[altiva]

It is a long, pre-Christian tradition in Ukraine to make dolls,

called motanky (from the verb "motaty", which means "to wind"). They

are called thus, because of the way they are made - by winding pieces

of cloth into a human form. Some say that they represent an old pagan

goddess of love Lada, others say that it's a pagan goddess of

motherhood and family Mokosh. But historians say that these dolls are

even older than Ukrainian paganism. It's supposed to me a mother

figure, a foundress of the whole tribe, a female ancestor. In

Ukraine, women made such dolls for their daughters. When the

daughters married away, they took the dolls with them to their new

family.

Motanky are a talisman, which protects your house and family. If you

have a motanka in your house, you will be lucky, healthy, prosperous.

Motanky have no faces. They are either blank or they have an embroidered cross on

their heads. This way, when evil comes to your house, it has no way

to enter, not through eyes, or ears or mouth.

It's a great thing to buy, for yourself or your friends as a present.

When you buy that doll, you name it, but never tell anyone what it's

called. So, you will be doubly protected.

There are designers who make motanky, dressed in beautiful clothes,

with rich embroidery. Such dolls are expensive, but there are simpler

versions out there for you to buy.

 

 

 

 

More photos:

http://odessainterpreters.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=12

Edited March 3, 2013 by altiva

[altiva]

Forgot!

There is a story about these dolls.

Once, there was a husband and wife. The wife became very ill, and

dying. She asked her husband to open her little private box which she

kept in the house. In the box, there were two motanky-dolls and 25

thousands in cash.

"What is this?" asked the husband.

"When I got married, mum told me: if ever you are mad at your

husband, say nothing but go and make a doll".

The husband was overcame with emotions. His wife was angry at him

only twice during their long married life! And he gave her such hard

time often! He sobbed. Then he pulled himself together and asked:

"But what are these 25 thousands?"

"Ah, this is the money I received, selling dolls, which I made during

our marriage".

[altiva]

Today is the birthday of Volodymyr Ivasiuk - Ukrainian composer, song

writer, poet. He was born March 4 1949. Graduated from a medical university.

In 1971, he went to Moscow with two of his friends with the song he

wrote. The song was called "Red ruta" ("Red rue"; rue is an evergreen

shrub). Normally, rue blossom is yellow, but Ukrainian legend says

that if you find a red blossom rue, you will be happy in love all

your life. The song won the first prize, and became the most popular

Ukrainian song. In 2012 people created a live chain to celebrate

united Ukraine, and they sang "Red ruta" song.

Next year, 1972, another song of Ivasiuk won the competition. He then

joined Lviv conservatory and studied to become a composer. One month

after his 30-ies birthday, Ivasiuk went out of his home and had not

been seen again. Later, his body was found hang in a little forest,

badly disguised as a suicide. Ivasiuk was hanged by Russian KGB for

simply writing songs in Ukrainian language, which became overly

popular. The Russian occupational regime didn't like that.

That was his only crime.

1971, a song competition in Moscow:

A 2011 version:

http://youtu.be/qp-BWZdC3hQ

[altiva]

Odessa Opera House, all times and seasons.

 

 

 

More photos here:

http://odessainterpreters.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=30

[silkismom]

Thank you Altiva for all your cultural information, I'm saving everything to review closer to our cruise. Also thank you Peregrina for helping keep this thread from slipping to "lala land". I think that there are only a few of us on our cruise--but the ship is full. Wonder where everyone else is??

[altiva]

Thank you Altiva for all your cultural information, I'm saving everything to review closer to our cruise. Also thank you Peregrina for helping keep this thread from slipping to "lala land". I think that there are only a few of us on our cruise--but the ship is full. Wonder where everyone else is??

 

Hi silkismom, you are welcome. I read somewhere that statistic is -

only 15 per cent of cruise passengers are using Cruise critic. But,

of course, you know that there are lies, damned lies and statistics.

I guess they are just coming on a cruise, without bothering with

forums.

[altiva]

Kyiv is a capital of Ukraine.

Kyiv was founded in 5-6 century A.D.

Kyiv is the largest city in Ukraine, and the seventh most largest in

Europe. Kyiv is lager than Paris.

After ancient Ukrainians were christened (988), writers of chronics

started comparing Kyiv to Rome. It's situated on seven

hills, like Rome. It has a river flowing through it, like Rome. But,

the name came mostly from the huge amount of churches and cathedrals,

built there. There is the legend that St Andrew came to Ukrainian

lands. He travelled up the river Dnieper. When he saw the seven

hills, he came out from the boat, and told his disciples: "See this

place? A grand and famous city will be built here". St Andrew

claimed the hills and prayed to God, so later on his prophecy became

true. Kyiv was, and still is, a very important place to come on

religious pilgrimage.

Many cities in Ukraine has a "favourite" tree. Kyiv's tree is chestnut.

They are many chestnut trees in Kyiv. They blossom in spring

with white and pink blossoms. The unofficial anthem of Kyiv is called "Kyiv's

waltz". It says: "Again, blossoms the chestnut trees. The Dnieper

waves move. Dear youth, you are my happiness." When there is a radio

announcement, or any broadcast from Kyiv, they start playing that

song.

Yet another song goes: "How not to love you, my Kyiv". So, look at

these photos, and tell us how not to.

 

 

This is Andriyiv descent, a very steep street, where people sell their art and souvenirs.

 

[altiva]

 

[Peregrina651]

Hi silkismom, you are welcome. I read somewhere that statistic is -

only 15 per cent of cruise passengers are using Cruise critic.

 

and probably even less for river cruises where most tours are included in the price and therefore no need to find guides and people with whom to split the costs.

[silkismom]

Wow, I didn't realize Kyiv was so large, I'm glad we have the 2 days pre-cruise to explore more.

[altiva]

This will be the most exiting days of your life! And still, you won't

see it all. If you have any free time, try to go to Museum of

Historical Treasures of Ukraine. It's situated in Kyiv lavra. They

have the most amazing Scythian gold (the gold which people manage to

salvage from Russians, many more of it was stolen, sent to Russia and

will never be back) and old Jewish silver. The Scythian golden

pectoral is breathtaking, and it's in all the text books all over the

world.

Even if you are not a museum person, it's easy to look at

priceless ancient jewellery, and admire the craftsmanship.

[altiva]

Today, google posted a new logo on their search engine, which looked

like this:

 

It is to commemorate the birthday of Volodymyr Dahno - one of the

most prominent cartoon makers in Ukraine.

His most celebrated cartoons is a series called "How cossacks..."

He tells us how cossacks played football, made kulish (porridge),

freed their fiancees, bought salt, became Olympians, helped the

musketeers, celebrated a wedding, met aliens, played hockey.

All of the cartoons have no speech. You understand what happens by

gestures and music. All the cartoons make fun of cultural

stereotypes.

Most interesting, that Dahno made his cartoons during the Russian

occupation of Ukraine. So, all the records are written in Russian (if

you did not do so, you could go to jail or you could get killed). But

all the signs, writings, labels in the cartoons are written in

Ukrainian language. It's hard to appreciate now, but back then it was

a sign of a huge bravery.

I wanted to post these cartoons here for a long time.

I think now is the day.

I decided to post "How cossack played football", mostly because of

Euro 2012.

Remember, you don't need to know Ukrainian language to understand

them.

Football - if you are an American, it's soccer.

A short summary:

Three cossacks, which are the main protagonists of the all stories,

returned from London. They saw a football game there. They saw a

queen giving out a golden cup as a prize. They were impressed and

decided to play football, too. At first, cossacks trained and it did

not end well, mostly because they refused to give up their guns.

Then, the cossack travel through Europe and play with German knights

(Teutonic knights), with French musketeers and finally, in London,

against London gentlemen.

When cossack play against the Teutonic knights, the knights use

Teutonic military tactics, called wedge (Panzerkeil) and swine

(Schweinkof).

The cartoon is here. It's quite short:

 

Edited March 7, 2013 by altiva

[ocean999]

I really can't wait to go on this Viking Cruise and then try other ones! Keeping my 2013-2014 book too! I recently saw an interesting movie about the Ukraine called, "Everything is Illuminated". Neat to see some of the countryside....

[Peregrina651]

I just found a roll call that was started for the September 12, 2013 sailing.

[altiva]

Today is March 8, International Women's Day.

It's a holiday in Ukraine.

This day, men buy women flowers and presents and say how wonderful

the women are.

Wishing all the women all over the world a lot of health and

happiness.

Ukrainian love:

[silkismom]

That sounds like something we should have in the US!!

[altiva]

That sounds like something we should have in the US!!

 

Hi silkmom, it's an international day, so you can celebrate it in your house/family as well.:)

[altiva]

Today, March 9, is a birthday of Taras Shevchenko, a prominent Ukrainian writer, poet, painter. It's 199 years since he was born.

Taras Shevchenko is like Shakespeare for English, or Molière for French.

Taras was born into a peasant family, in 1814. Which means that he was born a serf, a slave to his lord and land owner. He had a very hard childhood. His family was poor. His mother died, his father remarried and then died, too. He worked since he was 10. He learned how to read and write from a local cantor. When Taras was 14, he became a page to his lord. He liked painting, and, at night, copied the paintings which were hang in the lord's dining room, for which he was severely beaten. Then his owner had an idea to educate Taras as a painter. He took Taras to Lithuania and St Petersburg, where Taras attended the universities. A skilled serf cost more money, you see. In St Petersburg, people noticed a bright Ukrainian painter and decided to set him free. The owner of Shevchenko asked for 2500 roubles!

Back then, a grown up man cost 250 roubles! At last, they managed to collect the money. Shevchenko was free! But not for long. He started writing poems and ballads in Ukrainian language.

If you were Ukrainian in 19 century and wrote Ukrainian verses, it was like committing a suicide. Sooner or later, Russians came and got you for good. A publisher friend read Shevchenko's poems and published them. In one of the poems, Shevchenko compared the Russian tzar's wife to a baked champignon. The poem was published. The Russian tzar read it and was furious.

Shevhenko was forced to serve as a soldier in a Russian army for 25 years, as a punishment. He was also forbidden to write or paint. He served in a Russian fortress Orenburg for ten years. Then, the tzar died and the new tzar pardoned him. So, he returned to Ukraine. Shevhenko died when he was 47. Thousands of people came to say "good bye". He was buried near Kaniv, because he dreamed about living near this Ukrainian city all his life, in "quietude and happiness".

When you travel by Dnieper river, you will see a huge monument to Taras Shevchenko near Kaniv.

 

Edited March 9, 2013 by altiva

[altiva]

Sailing on river Dnieper:

[altiva]

When you travel, you will visit an island, called Khortytsya. It's

the largest river island in Europe (length - 12 km, width - 2.5 km).

It's considered one of the seven wonders of Ukraine. Cossack

republic, called "Sich" was situated on this island.

[altiva]

The bridge over the river Dnieper:

 

OK, people, they are swimming, not drowining. :-)))

You may consider packing a swim suit, just, please, don't try to swim off your boat!!!

It's too large for that, and it's dangerous. Try beaches, both sea and river.

 

[altiva]

A church over the river Dnieper:

 

[altiva]

 

 

These are called "the rocks of Hercules". You know the ancient Greek

hero, Hercules, with his 12 labours? He came to river Dnieper to perform his 9th labour.

The photo was taken in a foggy winter day, that's why it's a bit

gloomy.

 

[altiva]

Autumn over the river Dnieper.

 

This is a Dnieper river embankment, with fountains.

 

 

More photos here:

Edited March 10, 2013 by altiva