View source for Koliadka

{{Short description|Eastern European Christmas songs}}
[[File:Гермашев Со-звездой 1916.jpg|right|thumb|300 px|M. Germashev. «With a Star». 1916]]
'''Koliadka'''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CC%5CA%5CCarols.htm | title=Entry Display Web Page }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.razomforukraine.org/koliadky-reimagined/ | title=Koliadky in the 21st Century – Razom }}</ref><ref>https://diasporiana.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/books/23834/file.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref> ({{ langx|uk|колядка}}, {{langx|cs|koleda}}, {{langx|bg|коледарска песен}}, {{langx|ro| [[colindă]]}}, [[Polish language|Polish:]] kolęda) are traditional [[song]]s usually sung in [[East Slavic peoples|Eastern Slavic]], [[Central Europe|Central European]] and [[Eastern European]] countries<!-- don't they all fall under a single term "Slavic countries"? --> during the [[Christmas]] holiday season. It is believed that everything sung about will come true.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bestofukraine.com/holidays.htm |title=::Best of Ukraine ::Holidays in Ukraine |accessdate=2007-05-08}}</ref>
== The history of koliadka ==
{{See also|Christmas in Ukraine}}
Koliadka have been used since pre-Christian times in [[Kievan Rus']]. Those songs were used with ritual purposes. First koliadkas described ancient people's ideas about creation, natural phenomena and structure of the world. With the advent of Christianity content of koliadkas began to acquire the relevant religious meaning and features.
Thus now koliadkas are mostly Christmas carols which describe the birth of Jesus Christ and biblical stories happened in connection with the event. However heathen roots are still there.
== In modern culture ==
[[Serbians]] and [[Montenegrins]] sing koliadkas dedicated to Saint Nicholas in their churches. [[Slovaks]], [[Czechs]] and sometimes [[Belarusians]] sing koliadkas not only on Saint Nicholas Day (which they celebrate on December 6),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/slovakia.shtml|title=Christmas in Slovakia on whychristmas?com|last=JPC-DESIGN|first=whychristmas?com /|website=www.whychristmas.com|language=en|access-date=2017-01-26}}</ref> but on Saint Stephen Day (December 26) too.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.megatour.cz/news/prazdniky-czechii/26-dec-den-sv-stefana/|title=26 Декабря - Святого Стефана - праздники Чехии от Megatour.cz|website=www.megatour.cz|language=ru|access-date=2017-01-26}}</ref>
Ukrainians sing koliadkas and {{ill|Shchedrivka|lt=schedrivkas|uk|Щедрівка}} from Saint Nicholas Day (December 6) until the holiday of baptism of Jesus (January 6).<ref>{{Citation|last=MsUpucka|title=Євромайдан. Діти співають колядки на Миколая.|date=2013-12-19|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sHFxR4SHMI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/2sHFxR4SHMI |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|accessdate=2017-01-26}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://zolochiv.net/schedrivky-na-vodohrescha/|title=Щедрівки та віншування на Водохреща (відео) – Золочів.нет|website=zolochiv.net|language=uk|access-date=2017-01-26}}</ref>
There are other types of winter holidays ritual songs in Ukraine named schedrivkas and posivalkas. Traditionally, their purposes are clearly divided,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://schazdo.com.ua/top-10-ukrayinskyh-zasivalok-na-svyato-vasylya-14-sichnya/|title=Топ-10 українських засівалок на свято Василя (14 січня)|date=2017-01-13|newspaper=Щастя-Здоровля|language=uk-UA|access-date=2017-01-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204125959/http://schazdo.com.ua/top-10-ukrayinskyh-zasivalok-na-svyato-vasylya-14-sichnya/|archive-date=4 February 2022}}</ref> but in modern Ukrainian culture these concepts have intertwined, mixed and acquired traits of each other.{{cn|date=October 2022|reason=Appears to contradict previous sentence and the cited source.}}
Koliadkas are often sung in countries where big diasporas are present,{{cn|date=October 2022}} including [[Ukrainian Canadians|Ukrainians which live in Canada]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.musichost.me/video/ukrainian-folk-music-canada-toronto-christmas-song-band-homerlas-?v=c2wE_9WZb1A|title=Ukrainian Folk Music Canada Toronto Christmas Song Band Homerlas - Music Host|website=www.musichost.me|language=en|access-date=2017-01-26|archive-date=2017-11-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107025955/http://www.musichost.me/video/ukrainian-folk-music-canada-toronto-christmas-song-band-homerlas-?v=c2wE_9WZb1A|url-status=dead}}</ref>
== Koliadkas which are dedicated to saints ==
There are several koliadkas which are dedicated to Saint Nicholas in Ukraine. Among them: "Ой, хто, хто Миколая любить" ("''Oh, who Loves'' ''Saint'' ''Nicholas''"),<ref>{{Citation|last=Zakharii|title=Ой Хто Хто Миколая любить (Who loves St. Nicholas) - Ukrainian Christmas carol|date=2012-04-10|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4cNnZgMW18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221034327/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4cNnZgMW18 |archive-date=2013-12-21 |url-status=dead|accessdate=2017-01-26}}</ref> "Ходить по землі Святий Миколай" ("''Saint Nicholas Walks Around The World''"),<ref>{{Citation|last=Zakharii|title=Ходить по землі Святий Миколай (Sviatyj Mykolaj) - Ukrainian song|date=2014-01-02|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzwfLJeuGLc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/zzwfLJeuGLc |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|accessdate=2017-01-26}}{{cbignore}}</ref> "Миколай, Миколай ти до нас завітай!" (''Nicholas, Nicholas, Come To Visit Us!'').<ref>{{Citation|last=Zakharii|title=Миколай, Миколай ти до нас завітай! -- Ukrainian song "St. Nicholas"|date=2013-12-15|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKWDPBcUrrY |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/cKWDPBcUrrY |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|accessdate=2017-01-26}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
== "The Little Swallow" ==
Ukrainian "Щедрик" ([[Shchedryk (song)|"''Shchedryk"'']]), known in English as "The Little Swallow", is a famous folk song that has pre-Christian roots. The song was arranged by the Ukrainian [[composer]] and teacher [[Mykola Leontovych]] in 1916. "Shchedryk" was later adapted as an English [[Christmas carol]], "[[Carol of the Bells]]", by popular American composer, educator, and choral conductor of [[Ukrainians|Ukrainian]] ethnic origin [[Peter J. Wilhousky]] following a performance of the original song by [[Alexander Koshetz|Alexander Koshetz's]] [[Ukrainian National Chorus]] at [[Carnegie Hall]] on October 5, 1921. Peter J. Wilhousky copyrighted and published his new [[lyrics]] (which were not based on the Ukrainian lyrics) in 1936.
Conceptually, Ukrainian lyrics of this song meets the definition of schedrivka ([[Malanka]] song) while English content of "[[Carol of the Bells]]" indicates it as koliadka (Christmas song).
On December 9, 2016, Georgian-born British singer [[Katie Melua]] and [[The Gori Women's Choir]] (which is conducted by [[Teona Tsiramua]]) sang original Ukrainian "Shchedryk" on [[BBC]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Christmas Music Videos|title=Katie Melua & The Gori Women's Choir - The Little Swallow (Ukrainian language of Carol of the Bells)|date=2016-12-17|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwHHxbuxgg0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/zwHHxbuxgg0 |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|accessdate=2017-01-26}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
== See also ==
* [[Shchedryk (song)]]
* [[Koliada]]
* {{ill|List of Ukrainian Koliadkas and Shchedrivkas|lt=|uk|Список українських колядок і щедрівок|display=1}}
* [[Koledari|Koledovanie]]
* [[List of Christmas carols]]
* [[Ukrainian folk music]]
* {{ill|Posivannia|lt=|uk|Посівання|display=1}}
==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Koliadka| ]]
[[Category:Culture of Ukraine]]
[[Category:Culture of the Czech Republic]]
[[Category:Culture of Slovakia]]
[[Category:Ukrainian-Canadian culture]]
[[Category:Slavic culture]]
[[Category:Russian folk songs]]
[[Category:Belarusian folk songs]]
[[Category:Ukrainian folk songs]]
[[Category:Slavic Christmas traditions]]