Ukraine’s spring traditions offer war respite

By Rostyslav Averchuk

Lviv, Apr 13 (EFE).- While Russian attacks resumed after a brief Easter truce, wounded veterans and civilians in Lviv found a moment of respite by reviving one of Ukraine’s oldest folk traditions – haivky, circle dances, songs and games welcoming spring.

Thousands gathered Monday at the city’s large open-air museum, celebrating alongside dozens of patients from Unbroken, one of several rehabilitation centres that have emerged in western Ukraine to treat thousands of wounded soldiers.

«Everyone and I who hold weapons do so that we can live and be happy, so that people can smile despite the Russian drones and missiles flying above,» said Volodymyr Rudkovskyi, a mentor at Unbroken who lost both legs during the 2023 summer counteroffensive.

Rudkovskyi spoke as music from the folk ensemble Dryg filled the meadow surrounded by traditional wooden buildings.

Gratitude and tradition

«It feels special to do this together with veterans so that they feel our gratitude,» Daryna Khaliavka, a young woman wearing a traditional embroidered shirt, told EFE, as hundreds swirled in dances around men with prosthetic limbs or in wheelchairs.

Khaliavka, a member of a folk dance community, said the events stopped at the start of the Russian invasion, as many felt they would be inappropriate amid wartime grief.

The gatherings have since resumed, offering moments of joy and resilience.

«We have to continue the tradition, preserve our culture. We need it to keep up our spirit and that of our soldiers,» she said.

Originally from Poltava in central Ukraine, Khaliavka noted that interest in traditions, best preserved in western regions, has grown nationwide as Ukrainians rediscover cultural practices.

During Soviet rule, large gatherings with religious or national elements were banned or tightly controlled.

After Ukraine’s independence in 1991, spring celebrations gradually revived, with many viewing the return to cultural roots as part of defending national identity against Russia.

«We would like our traditions and history not to be forgotten, but to flourish,» Rudkovskyi added, noting that Ukrainians must prepare for a long struggle and find strength in small moments.

«I would like to ask you to appreciate every single day, just like soldiers do when they come back home for a brief vacation,» he said.

Drones over the meadow

Smiles and laughter marked the festivities, which began Sunday and continued Monday after a break for the nightly curfew.

A small drone hovered above the meadow filming the celebrations, a reminder that a key element of Ukraine’s defense evolved from devices once used for filming public events.

While young people danced and sang traditional spring songs, uniformed soldiers demonstrated land drones as part of a crowdfunding effort to help units acquire new equipment.

Children and adults also tested logistical terrain drones designed to deliver ammunition, medicines and food to frontline positions where routes are threatened by enemy drones.

«It does feel unusual being here after years on the frontline,» Oleg, a logistician with the 80th Brigade, told EFE.

He said the Easter truce had brought little change for his fellow soldiers about 900 km away.

Although combat intensity dropped during the 32-hour truce, fighting quickly resumed, while Russia launched about 100 long-range drones overnight.

“We feel the support as donations keep coming in and people do not forget about us,” the soldier said. EFE

ra-sk