New Year’s Eve is just around the corner and Ukrainians are getting ready, some of them are doing it in the last week — and there are reasons for that. Let’s check how much the centrepiece of the New Year’s Eve celebrations cost in Ukraine.

The most important symbol of New Year’s Eve celebrations in Ukraine is the Christmas tree

Why is it so that the most important symbol of the New Year’s Eve in Ukraine is the Christmas Tree?

There is a funny story about it, and it’s connected with the Communist revolutions of 1917. Ready to hear it?

In October 1917 Bolsheviks took power in the Russian Empire, and Ukraine was a part of it at the time. In a couple of months in early 1918 the Bolshevik’s government announced that the Russian Orthodox Christian Church, which was one of the staples of the previous regime, was now separate from the state and basically outlawed. Naturally, the leaders of the Russian Church weren’t too happy about that decree.

In just a few days after that Bolsheviks signed another decree, this time about moving to the Gregorian calendar, which most of the western countries adopted by that time. The words wasn’t as unified place 100 years ago as it is now; even the calendar dates were different in different countries!

Ukrainian datelines

On 1 January 1918 Russian Empire, which included both today’s Russia and Ukraine, used Julian calendar, which was 13 days behind the other datelines in most European countries. Since Bolsheviks were partially funded by Germans (with whom the Russian Empire was in war at the time — the World War I), joining European datelines was an expected move.

But of course, the Russian Christian Church, which had a lot of influence in the Empire, now outlawed, wasn’t going to support the savage Bolshevik’s regime, but inclined to do everything against it. So, the Russian Church kept the dates of the Christian holidays by the old Julian calendar.

This is how the Christmas Tree became the most important symbol of the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Ukraine: People simply started to celebrate the New Year’s Eve in the way they were used to celebrate Christmas. And since the official government’s dateline moved 13 days ahead, the new date of Orthodox Christmas became 7 January.

People were erecting the Christmas tree at the end of January and kept it until after 13 January (past the new date of the Orthodox Christmas and the semi-official date of “The Old New Year”).

What a fascinating story, right?

Christmas Tree became the most important symbol of the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Ukraine: People simply started to celebrate the New Year’s Eve in the way they were used to celebrate Christmas.

How much does it cost to get a New Year tree in Ukraine?

In fact, even the fir tree used as the centrepiece of the celebrations is called in Ukraine “The New Year tree”.

According to Segodnya.ua, the cost of a natural fir tree is much lower than to buy a similar size synthetic tree.

Natural fir trees:

• 300 hryvnia (USD 13) for 1.5 meter (5 feet) tall tree.
• 150 hryvnia (USD 6) for 60 cm (2 feet) tree.
• 600 hryvnia+ ($25+) for a tall tree.

Synthetic trees:

• 200 hryvnia ($9) for a 30 cm (1 foot) tree.
• 800-1400 hryvnia ($34-60) for 1.5 meter (5 feet) tree.
• 2000 hryvnia+ ($85+) for taller trees.

To buy decorations for the tree, depending on its size, would cost minimum 1,000 hryvnia ($43) in Ukrainian prices.

Don’t forget that the New Year’s Eve celebrations are the most important holiday in Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus! This is the day when people give presents to each other in these countries.

Read also:

• How Ukrainians celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve
• Christmas presents for Eastern European women: What is the best way to send a gift?
• How much do Ukrainians plan to spend on gifts during Christmas 2019?
• Public holidays for Christmas and New Year in Ukraine