Ternopil: The City Of Flowers

Downtown of Ternopil city (Western Ukraine), May: tulips by the Cathedral Greek-Catholic Church

Downtown of Ternopil, late August: flowers plants on the Sahaidachnogo Street

Read also:
Floral Paradise Of Ternopil

Top 10 Reasons To Visit Ukrainian Carpathians

1. It is because Ukrainian Carpathians seems like only place where you can see hay bales done manually

which looks like museum pieces compare to the modern hay bales on the West, done by machine.

2. It is because, where else you can see such an amazing metal stamping art everywhere, doesn’t matter, what is it, a Church
or somebody’s house roof,
or even root cellar.

3. It is because in Ukrainian Carpathians only you can find such a big concentration of the wood work and wood carving art: wooden Church,
wooden house,
wooden ceiling of a house,
wooden stairs of a house,
wooden restaurant,
interior of a wooden restaurant.

4. It is because of amazing beadwork done by local people. Look at this colorful beading of the women’s shirts
or at these beaded belts!
Only two areas in the world do the similar beaded craft: Western Ukraine and Southern America.

5. It is because Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine are the Kingdom of Mushrooms! Picking, storing and cooking wild mushrooms in the Carpathian Mountains it is one of the businesses that local people do for living, so you can get a mushroom dish (mushroom soup, mushroom sauce or pickled mushrooms) everywhere in Ukrainian Carpathian: in restaurants, cafes, B&B places. For example, I have never tried such a delicious porcini in my life, like this porcini mushrooms sauce with potato pancakes I got it in the “Hutsulshchyna” restaurant (Yaremche, Ivano-Frankivsk region).
As Carpathian Mountains are the Kingdom of Mushrooms, the porcini mushroom is a King of Mushrooms over there! Locals call porcini as a “white mushroom”: take a look at this beauty!

6. It is because of rapids and waterfalls! What a breathtaking views! This is Kamianka waterfall
and Shypit waterfall,
both are located in Ukrainian Carpathians, as well as these rapids.


7. It is because of MOUNTAINS! Gorgeous sightseeing, isn’t?


8. It is because of the music of Ukrainian Carpathians. Ukrainian mountain music is very unique; where else you can meet such a virtuoso musician as, for example, Roman Kumlyk from the Verkhovyna (Ivano-Frankivsk region)?

9. It is because of Hutsul dances! Traditional dances are very important part of the Carpathian Mountains culture and lifestyle. Click on this video from a Hutsul wedding: even young people modern days keep dancing like their ancestors use to dance few centuries ago! Isn’t unique?

10. It is because of Hutsul weddings! Wedding in Ukrainian Carpathians is very rich costumed (take a look at the bride and groom traditional wedding attires);

usually with live acoustic music, without amplifiers; require lots of unforgettable local customs and traditions; and finally, the most beautiful brides in the world are from Ukraine, aren’t they? :)

Wikipedia Info.

Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine cover territory of Zakarpattya region and partially Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv and Chernivtsi region. Total area of the Ukrainian Carpathians is 24 000 square kilometers.

Hutsuls are ethno-cultural groups who for centuries inhabit the Carpathian Mountains, mainly in Ukraine.

When Is The Best Time To Visit West Ukraine?

So, when is the best time to travel to the West Ukraine? Of course, it’s up to you. Every person has own preferences. My husband and I just would like to share our preferences with you; so these tips are based on experience of our travels to the Western Ukraine. We made a list of the best months for touring to Ukraine and the worst as well. So, the best are December, January, April, May, June, September, October; the worst are February, March, July, August, November.
Ok, let’s start from a winter. I am sure that many of you associate the word “winter” with “Christmas”. If you want to see all the unique West Ukrainian traditions of celebrations Christmas, to feel a magic of Ukrainian Christmas Eve, to enjoy Ukrainian Christmas Carols,
you better go in January (Ukrainian Christmas is January 7). Well, you can start your trip in December, because both December and January are really two nice winter’s months in Western Ukraine, especially in small towns and villages. There are usually snowing, like it suppose to be in winter, but I remember one or two Christmas Holidays when we did not have snow at all (I am originally from West Ukraine).
Ukrainian weather is different than, for example, North American weather. When my North American husband came to Western Ukraine in winter time, he said, “I am cold!” It was only minus 10 outside. I could not believe it said by husband who feels okay in minus 20 in North America. The reason why he felt so cold is a very high humidity in Western Ukraine, almost 100 percents, so it is very damp out.
Next two months, February and March, are the dampest in Western Ukraine. The weather is changes every day, one day it is sunny, next day it is snowing, besides, it is snow with a rain, mud is everywhere; so instead of enjoying of local sightseeing you are thinking about closest café and cup of tea or even bowl of hot soup. There is the highest risk to catch cold in February and March in Ukraine. So we would not recommend February and March for traveling to West Ukraine. But, again, if you are not scared of damp weather and mud, of course, you can go.
Or maybe you will wait until April, May or June? Oh, they are our favorite months for traveling to West Ukraine! Why? Because it is already not that damp and cold, like in February or March, but still not that hot like in July or August. April it is a month when trees and flowers start to blossom and high West Ukrainian humidity becomes a benefit: you can SMELL SPRING.
You can smell aroma of blossomed cherry trees (apple trees, lilac, chestnuts or tulips) even walking on the street. All the aromas are enhance at nighttime: what a romantic nights in Western Ukraine!
April, May and June (mostly fist part of June) is great for excursions and adventures, because the weather is just perfect.
So, what about next two months, July and August, which are the busiest months for world tourism? Well, they are very good months to visit Western Ukraine, but… They are not my family’s preferences, because of this West Ukrainian humidity again. If April, May and June's middle temperature (I mean mostly first part of June) is up to plus 20 in West Ukraine, the temperature of July and August is up after plus 20. So after plus 20 the Ukrainian humidity becomes bad again: it makes weather even hotter than it appears. Besides, there are no air-conditioners in many hotels, houses, apartments and public transportation in West Ukraine. You are sweating, your hands are always sticky, you want cold shower all the time, what is not make you a happy tourist at all. Well, maybe somebody doesn’t pay an attention for such small things, but not me! For my husband either, he hates too hot weather. There is only place in Western Ukraine where we can feel ourselves very comfortable even in July or August: the Carpathians Mountains.
We forget about damp hot weather of July or August, enjoying a clean mountains air, watching an incredibly beautiful sightseeing and listening to wild hutsul music
But, anyway, if life is giving us a choice, we better wait to September and October to go to the West Ukraine. September and October are two amazing months for traveling to Ukraine, for our family’s opinion. Ukrainians that are romantics calls this season a Golden Fall, it is because of lots of yellow leafs on the trees.
What a magnificent views for tourists! Fall is also a wedding season in Western Ukraine.
Realistic Ukrainians call these months as potato season, because almost every Ukrainian landowner is growing potatoes and other veggies to have an own food supplies for winter. So you can go to any village or dacha (dacha is a property in a suburb area) and to see how Ukrainians are digging, picking and sorting potatoes. You can even ask to help, if you want. Believe me, it will be an experience of lifetime for you, because people in rural area of Western Ukraine do not have machines for digging, so they dig with shovels.
Yes, hurry up to visit West Ukraine in September and October, because November on the way, with damp weather again, with a mud under your feet and with naked trees instead of golden beauty. But don’t be so disappointed, because December and January are coming again :)

Read also:
Before you go to Ukraine: Travel Tips

Before You Go To Ukraine: Travel Tips

Olya and Jim, happy Ukrainian-American family

Before you go to Ukraine, better to ask an impression of someone who already visited this amazing country. Ron from Canada, Bill from England and Jim from USA had visited Ukraine many times as a husbands of their Ukrainian wives. So they can tell you LOTS of personal impressions about this biggest European country and to give you some important advices in your journey to Ukraine.
Jim did a great job writing some travel tips to his family before their visit to Ukraine and I grateful him very much for the permission to share some his advices, thoughts and impressions here. Thank you again, Jimmy! I am sure, that your experience will be useful for many people, who already have a ticket to Ukraine and who still planning to visit this country. So, here is Jim's letter

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all well. I wanted to send a letter to you all and give you some tips about Ukraine. I am hoping this will provide a little enthusiasm for you, while lessening the cultural shock. For me it wasn't much of a cultural shock, I enjoyed it! Not a lot of Americans go to Ukraine, but we are very well received. They are generally very flattered that an American would visit, and these people would share their last piece of bread with you.

Customs, immigrations, insurance, airfares

It might be necessary for you to buy Health Insurance when you arrive. DO NOT buy the insurance through the Hotel! Buy it at the airport if it is required. For me it was $20. But they did not make me buy any when I arrived in Kyiv. Also when you arrive, you will have a small form to fill out. It is for customs/immigration. Just write your arrival and departure info on it. They will keep the arrival half when you come. Keep the departure half in your passport for when you leave. It is important. All they really need is the departure flight number, but they will insist on having the form. Please remember.
Also about your passports, some Hotels have deposit boxes. It is your call. It is also a good idea to have your passport number written down separately from your passport, just in case you need it, or if you lose it.
And, when you fly into Lviv, you will be issued paper tickets. If you take LOT airlines, you also might need to "reconfirm" your flight for the trip home. And it is always a good idea to "confirm" your flight about 3 days prior too. When you do, ask them if "reconfirmation" is needed. And tell them you have paper tickets. It might also require different procedures.

Money

About money. I wouldn't worry about changing your money in Ukraine. There are lots of ATMs, and once you put your card in, it will ask if you want an English menu. It will not give you a balance though. And it will ask if you want a receipt. Also, VERY important, cover your hand when you put in your PIN!!!!! And make sure nobody is watching. If you do want to exchange some money, the rate is lower with large bills. The exchange rate is also 10%, which is ridiculous. With the ATMs usually it is only a couple of dollars, charged by your bank.
Also some credit cards (Visa and Master Card) are acceptable in hotels, good restaurants and big supermarkets. But not American Express (yet). American Express you can use when you are renting a car from AVIS in airports of biggest Ukrainian cities Lviv, Kyiv, Odesa, Simferopil, Kharkiv.

Transportation

Many of the roads in Ukraine are pot-holed and very old. I think it is kind of charming to travel on streets hundreds of years old, but on a bus, it can be a challenge. Especially to the men or others that stand! Hold on :) And the drivers, whether you are in a bus or taxi (taksi) will be an adventure. I think they all watch Nascar! The bus fares just went up, they are now 25 cents. And usually even a long taxi ride will cost about $3 in small cities, but not in Kyiv, a capital of Ukraine. Taxi ride from airport Borispol to Kyiv downtown cost $30. Most of taxi drivers in Ukraine don't speak English, but if they hear English language of their passenger the price for ride “automatically” going up to 50% or more :)

Dining

Culturally, the Ukrainians generally eat with the fork in the left hand, but no one really cares. Once I was eating breakfast by myself, and I tried to fit in. I accidentally ordered sunny-side-up eggs and tried to eat them with my left hand. It took me 20 minutes! :) Also, their bread is usually sliced very thin. Don't be afraid to order more.
They eat LOTS of veggies. And they prepare them a thousand different ways. They also have a thousand sauces. They use many different spices, and they use eggs a lot too. Soup is usually served, and it is usually VERY good. Even if it looks strange, for your opinion :) I even tried some very pink soup once, at first I was embarrassed, but I wanted more when I finished. But, being a "cholovik" (man) I went to the bathroom to be sure my lips and tongue were not pink! :)
This soup Ukrainians call “borshch”, it is national dish, made from beet, potatoes, carrot, onion and cabbage.

Washrooms

Important fact about the toilets :) Most are unisex, except in busy public places. Then, it will probably cost you one hryvnya, which is 20 cents. The general toilets (when you can find them) are old-fashioned. The drainage hole is to the front, not the back. So, often everything will not flush the first time. Olya's is modern though. Some of the other toilets are only a hole in the ground. Sorry girls. But, luckily, these are very few. It might be a good idea for you girls to bring a little something in your purses for these occasions. Also, many of the toilets have rather rough paper, almost like a small roll of paper towels. So, don't put a bunch of paper in the toilets!
One more thing about the toilets, most are labeled "WC" which I assume means "Water closet". The other symbols to designate the toilets I cannot demonstrate using roman letters, but I will try to explain. The women's is like a curly "X" with a vertical line through it. For the men it is a "ch".

Tourist attractions

There are many castles to see in Ukraine. Though, sadly, most are nearing ruins. It could be a fantastic vacation place, but they simply don't have the money to keep them up. None of the places are "touristy." I promise you. Even the most popular castle sites you can walk and drive right up to. And any church you can walk right in to, any time of day or night. Regardless of religion. I even walked into a Catholic baptism once. It was a Tuesday morning :) They let me take pictures too.
Also, it is customary to make the sign of the cross three times when you enter and when you leave. Most people walk backwards when they leave. And the third sign of the cross is usually accompanied by a small bow. Also, as I have told you before, they make their signs of the cross "backwards." You can always buy candles inside too. They are 20 cents each. They are long, skinny candles you can set in sand or in little metal holes. Just use a candle that is already lit, heat the bottom of your candle, and set it in :)

Stores

Some supermarkets also have lockers. You can walk up, put your purses, etc in them and take the key. Just carry with you the money or whatever you need in your pockets. There are few security cameras anywhere, but they have henchmen with radios instead.

Music

Having said that, it was a little strange for me during the wedding last summer, everyone danced with everyone. Married or not. That was a little different. I would describe the music as almost Mexican type, but with a twist. They use violins, flutes with it. But also the accordion or lap harp. It is usually fast, and forget about understanding the words. But, it is happy music.

Humor

Generally, the sense of humor is a little dry, so they get excited quite easily. Our translations should be interesting for both parties. Feel free to speak your mind, it is interesting to them, and they appreciate it.

Sorry this is so long, but I feel its important, and I hope you all got something out of this. I know you will all enjoy your stay. I have not seen other parts of Europe, but there is a special charm in Ukraine. They are new free Nation, and that comes with a special, fresh feeling itself. Even the sparrows have a grey-green breast. For many, many years, religion, color, language and music have been discouraged. Unlike other European Nations. So, Ukraine has gone crazy with these things. It is wonderful, you will see!

With love and humility,
Jimmy

To know more about Ukraine and Ukrainian people, read also
Incredible Ukrainian Hospitality,
Wedding in Ukraine,
How 15-years-old Boy from Western Ukraine Rescued His Family

Incredible Ukrainian Hospitality

Ukrainians loves guests very much (especially in the West Ukraine). It even doesn’t matter, if you decided to visit somebody in Ukraine absolutely randomly. In every case you will have a sincere reception. You will have a large selection of food in this house. A Ukrainian is even willing to share with you the last piece of bread in his home because you are his GUEST. Also if you are to marry a Ukrainian, you will not have the traditional bachelor’s bread with peanut butter, you will have a really good restaurant at home, because Ukrainian women are some of the best cooks in the world! They are able to cook something delicious even from "nothing". But if a West Ukrainian woman arranges a special occasion (Christmas, Easter, New Year, wedding, birthday, or simply just a meeting with friends or relatives), she could actually stay up all night before the event preparing for the festivity. Sometimes, if even Ukrainians do not have enough money to arrange a party, they will borrow it, but they will prepare the best festive table for the dear guests, especially for a big reception like a wedding or anniversary.
Oh, wedding it is quintessence of Ukrainian hospitality! Who ever was at least one time at a Ukrainian wedding, will understand what I am talking about. Ukrainians have sayings “A table bends from a meal” and “No place to put new dishes on the table”. This means that the reception is just perfect. My North American friend was at a wedding in Lviv, the biggest city of Western Ukraine and she told later, “I have never seen such a wedding in my life. They carried and carried in new dishes, and there really wasn’t a free place on the table. Besides, they did not take off any dishes from the table until the end of the wedding. All the people had fun (because of the wedding!), they were dancing, singing and joking, and I just couldn’t relax, I was thinking, why did not they take this meal away, it can spoil from staying so long a time on the table”.
My dear friend didn’t know some important thing about Ukrainian wedding traditions. First thing, if a wedding table is really full of dishes, it’s mean that the parents of bride and groom are very generous people what make them very respectful in the eyes of society. Second thing, if the wedding staff would take away some dishes from the wedding table before the end of wedding, people would have a bad opinion of the parents of young couple. It would mean the parents are very miserly people. So, nobody takes away any dishes from the Ukrainian wedding table until the wedding is over.
Also I explained to my friend, that she worried in vain that the wedding food will spoil from staying a long time on the table. Ukrainian cooks have such good recipes and technologies for cooking, especially for preparing meat, fish and sweetness stuff, that there is no reason to worry that something will spoil even for the second day after wedding. For example, we had lots of leftovers from my wedding to make another reception for the next day after the wedding. Some of the dishes were even better for next day, for example, holubtsi (cabbage rolls). According to Ukrainian recipe of making holubtsi, they are much better for the second day of cooking. The same thing applies to Ukrainian borshch (beet soup), it is better for second and even third day since it was cooked.
Besides, Ukrainians have another tradition. After the reception, the guests are given some cookies and pies to take home for everybody who wasn’t able to be at the wedding. Closer relatives, like brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles also take home some of the leftovers from main courses (meat, fish etc).
Salads are almost the only foods that are not good for next day after the Ukrainian wedding. So if a wedding is taking place in the village, parents of bride and groom usually dig a big hole behind their backyard for all the salads and other spoiled items. Ukrainians even have a saying, “How many salads did you dig after the wedding?” If lots, it means, “wedding was great!”
Perhaps, from the point of view of other nations, it is not reasonable to spend so much money for parties and festivities, but it is such a Ukrainian tradition, and people have kept this tradition for many years. Ukrainian families feel themselves very awful, if people think of them as “misers”. This tendency is especially strong in Western Ukraine.
A West Ukrainian woman-cook usually can feel ashamed in two cases. First, if she did not cook enough food for the guests and they went home hungry. Second, if guests did not like her dishes, she would feel worse than not providing enough food.
So, if you are going to visit somebody in Ukraine, be ready for big meal and for incredible Ukrainian hospitality. After that you will want to go to Ukraine again and again.

Read also
Devotion Of Ukrainian Woman
Wedding In Ukraine

Old Cars Downtown Of Lviv

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Looks like the city of Lviv (Western Ukraine) is a paradize for the vintage cars lovers. This is one of reasons why my husband and I love Lviv so much: because we are big classic car fans.

Read also:
Classic Cars From The "Retro-Cortege" Ternopil Club

Lviv Brides

Photo by: Nazar Koval

A husband and wife, who are my friends, were invited to a wedding, but wife was too busy to attend it (she had a very important business-trip), so her husband went to the wedding by himself. When his wife came back from her business-trip, she asked her husband, “So how was the wedding? What was the bride’s dress?”. “White”, he answered. I must say, he was not joking at all, he said it absolutely honestly. It was a typical man’s vision of the women’s “gadgets”. Of course, a woman’s curiosity meant “what was the dress?” the cut of the dress, the skirt's shape (classic or fishtail), the features of dress’s top and many other details that men usually don't pay attention to.
But! There are some men who know very well the differences between bridal dresses; even if all of the dresses are white :) These men should know the differences for sure, for showing these differences in the best light and settings, because these men actually make living knowing ALL about a wedding. I am speaking about wedding photographers.
I saw hundreds, maybe even thousands of wedding pictures (I love weddings very much because my hobby is a matchmaking) and I understand very well, that it is really a big art to find something special in each “white dressed” bride and to show this something special in the wedding pictures.
As I was looking at all these pictures, my eyes stopped at the Lviv brides. Lviv is a city with a unique cultural background; people of Lviv are crazy about the history of their city, including the history of Lviv’s fashion. Lviv brides are very picky in choosing their wedding dresses and outfits for the their grooms as well. Actually, there are three trends in Lviv’s wedding fashion now: classic (traditional white dress for the bride and black suit for the groom), ethnic (traditional Ukrainian costumes or modern outfits with ethnic elements) and retro (wedding attires in the style of the 1920-1930 era or even from the 19th century). Most of Lviv brides prefer white dresses though, but! Each white dress is sprinkled with something special, like details of a different color or unusual cut.
So, now it is the task of good photographers to enhance this beauty and to show in the wedding pictures, all of the uniqueness and gorgeousness of each white dress and the loveliness of each of the brides.
First one, a picture by Nazar Koval, you can see above. Seems to me, the photographer has found the best background for showing all of the grace and sensuality of the bride.
Another background, picked by Alexandr Donchak, is matched so well with a bride’s attire! Her dress and hairdo are made in 18-19 centuries style and she look soooo gorgeous on this museum-like background.

Photo by: Alexandr Donchak

And finally, my favorite pictures of Lviv's bride are by Roman Myshkovets.

Photos by: Roman Myshkovets

Wow, what a bride! First, she has a very elegant outfit, and second, as I can see on the pictures, she got an incredibly energetic personality (I never saw before a picture of the bride who is entertaining people!). Everything (posing of the newlyweds, catching bride’s emotions) is showing that Roman Myshkovets did a really good job!
Ukrainians have a saying, “Unpretty brides do not exist”. Which is true, all the brides are beautiful, but the best of them exist too. Like on the pictures of Lviv photographers…

Limos In Western Ukraine

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Back in 1999-2000, a limo was rather “exotic” car in Western Ukraine. Of course, local people saw a limousine on TV many times before, but not in real life yet. After 2000 first limos finally started to appear on the streets of West Ukrainian cities of Lviv, Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk. Now is 2009 and it is not a big problem at all in any of these cities to rent a limo for a wedding, for example. All you need it is money, because limo rental is expensive pleasure in Ukraine: average cost of one hour of limo rent is about $100. But I know very well, that Ukrainian attitude to the weddings will not let to quit to any of the companies, which are running a limo rental business. I mean that Ukrainian parents, arranging a wedding for daughter or son (in Ukraine parents usually pay for the weddings of children), even ready to take a loan for giving the best marriage ceremony for their kids, including a gorgeous car's rent. Actually, now to rent a limousine for the wedding became like a fashion in Western Ukraine. There are number of companies in Lviv, Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk, who offer a limos for rent. You can choose now a model (Lincoln or Mercedes) and color of limousine you want to rent (black, white, silver, red).
Also West Ukrainian locals started to rent limos not for weddings only, but for other special celebrations as well. I remember, back in 2007, co-workers of my good friend Anna from Ternopil rented a limo for her birthday: to take her from work to the birthday party in restaurant. Anna did not expect such a surprise, she was so touched that she cried. “I am in limo for the first time in my life”, she said. She was 50 years old in 2007.

On the pictures above:
wedding limo downtown of Ivano-Frankivsk;
wedding limos waiting for bride and groom by the Opera House in Lviv.

Read also:
Old Cars Downtown Of Lviv

Devotion of a Ukrainian Woman

If your wife is Ukrainian, you will not have the traditional bachelor’s bread with peanut butter; you will have a really good restaurant at home, because Ukrainian women are some of the best cooks in the world! They are able to cook something delicious even from "nothing". But if a West Ukrainian woman arranges a special reception (Christmas, Easter, New Year, wedding, birthday, or simply just a meeting with friends or relatives), she could actually stay up all night before the event preparing for the festivity.
It is a quote of one my stories I wrote about the incredible hospitality of Ukrainians. Now I would like to tell more, actually, about Ukrainian women and some their features. Also I want to say that I will tell mostly about West Ukrainian women. As I grew up in West Ukraine, I know very well the life there, also many experiences and stories from my family, friends and other people of whom I met during my work in journalism.

“You are 16 years old, and you are don’t able to bake a pie?!”
When I was 16 years old, all my classmate girls already were thinking seriously about marriage. Yes, I am not joking. It is tradition in Ukraine, to get married at a very young age. This tradition is especially strong in the West Ukrainian villages. As I am a farm girl, I know it very well. I remember that even 20-year-old girls were called “old maids” in my village. I am silent about myself at what age I got married :). Actually, a lot of such 30-40 years old are now searching for husbands abroad because almost all the Ukrainian men are already married before the age of 30. Well, everybody has own choice. Perhaps, if I would think more about marriage when I was 16 years old, maybe, I already would be a grandmother, like many my classmates are now. But at 16 years old I was thinking about studying in University, about future work in newspaper and I did not think how to bake a pie properly. I remember my classmate Lyuba telling me about her first cooking experience and how she burnt the pie. A young gentleman classmate overheard Lyuba and said "What? You are 16 years old, and you are not able to bake a pie?” Even at such a young age, it is expected by society to be proficient in cooking.
So, this story can explain more why Ukrainian women become such good cooks. It is because in their 30’s, they already have had a big experience of cooking.

“A big nice red apple for my beloved, and some little green ones for me”
OK, to know how to cook, it is just half of the story. The second half it is that all the good West Ukrainian mothers are to teach their daughters before their marriage, "When you are cooking for the family, remember: the best pieces of meal must be to your husband and children".
It is not just truth, but historical truth. To give you an example, I will translate the words of one of the West Ukrainian folk song "Otkel Sonechko Shodilo" ("Where the Sun Came From"). This is a song from the Lemky, region in the western part of Ukraine, actually, now it is in the territory of Poland, where the Lemky ethnic group used to live. So, this song is about a girl who has an apple tree. She sings "My apple-tree, please grow up very high and a 100 branches wide, and give birth to an apple or two, one for my beloved, one for me. A nice big red apple for my beloved, and some little green ones for me".

“It doesn’t matter, how she will live with husband. The main thing, nobody will count her years”
Well, but this is not the only Ukrainian folk song about this subject of devotion. Another very popular folk song in Ukraine is, "Porizala'm palchyk" ("I Cut My Finger"). So, here are some words of this song, "What a nice guy here? What is his name? I would like to marry him. I would not allow him to work; I would keep him just for the beauty".
Dear guys, this is not just a song… it is the truth! A truth of modern Ukrainian life, in spite of fact, that this folk song was created several centuries ago! Many West Ukrainian women are holding their husbands just for beauty! Or just for "having a husband". To be married, a woman in Ukraine has a higher social status. Unmarried woman (single or divorced, but especially "old maidens") don't have such respect in Ukrainian society like married woman. I remember words of my auntie, when my cousin Halya got married at 20 years old (in eyes of the village's people she was "old maiden"). So, my auntie said about Halya, "It does not matter, how she will live with her husband, good or bad. The main thing, people will respect her and nobody will count her years".

So simple reason to feel devotion
Wow, what a wild customs in this country, maybe, somebody will say! The aunt doesn’t think about happiness for her niece, just about that people will not count the years of an unmarried girl! No, I don't think that my auntie did not want happiness for Halya. Simply our aunt was under very big influence of local traditions and customs. Even under historical influence. It is sad truth, but Ukraine lost a lot of men in the wars of last centuries. And every man (even not very good) has a big respect and big value in eyes of Ukrainian woman. Well, just look at the statistic. The population of Ukraine is 47 millions people. 53.7% of them are women, 46.3% are men. So, 7.4% of Ukrainian women destined to be alone all their life.
By the way, I was one of these 7.4% still unmarried in 2006. Now I am a happy woman, not only because I am finally married, but also because I am very much in love with my husband. Fortunately, he is from a country, where the proportion of population is opposite that of Ukrainian. Thank God, we live in epoch of Internet, so, to find a soul mate now is not big problem. A person just needs to know where to look for a reliable source of information. For example, my husband and I met thru Elena’s Models. The most reliable site I even seen (I tried few other before, but without result).
And next big miracle of my life is that my husband is from a Ukrainian background (as many men are from his country)! Unbelievably! So we have a real Ukrainian family, with real Ukrainian customs and traditions in relations and everyday life. And when I am cooking, I really save best pieces of meal for my husband. It is because of my Ukrainian blood. And it is because several generations of my family taught their daughters to do it. And because I just love my husband. So simple reason to care about a person and to be devoted to!

Read also Wedding In Ukraine, Incredible Ukrainian Hospitality