Kolyadka

Kolyadka (Ukrainian: колядка, Russian: колядка, Czech: koleda, Bulgarian: коледарска песен) is a traditional song usually sung in Eastern Slavic, Central Europe and Eastern Europe countries (Ukraine, Slovakia, Czech, Poland, Bulgaria, Belarus, Russia etc.) on Christmas holidays, usually between the January 7 and 14. At the same time Ukrainians use kolyadkas and schedrivkas between December 19 and January 19. Catholic Christians and Protestants which live in these countries sing kolyadkas in Christmas Eve, January 24, and near this date. It is believed that everything sung about will come true.

Kolyadkas are often sung in that countries where big diasporas are presents. Ukrainians which live in Canada (1 251 170 persons) celebrate winter holidays singing kolyadkas as well.

Kolyadka was used from pre-Christian times In Ukraine. Those songs were used with ritual purposes. First kolyadkas described ancient people's ideas about creation, natural phenomenons and structure of the world. With the advent of Christianity content of kolyadkas began to acquire the relevant religious meaning and features.

Thus now kolyadkas 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.

Ukrainians sing kolyadkas and schedrivkas from the holiday of Saint Mykolay or Saint Nicholas Day (December 19) till the holiday of baptism of Jesus (January 19). There are other types of winter holidays ritual songs except kolyadkas in Ukraine, named schedrivkas and zasivalkas. In fact their purposes are clearly divided. But in modern Ukrainian culture these concepts are intertwined, mixed and acquired traits of each other.

...
Wikipedia