Lviv bell-ringing tradition added to Ukraine's Intangible Cultural Heritage list – photos
Ukraine's Ministry of Culture and Information Policy has added the Lviv bell-ringing tradition to the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukraine. The change was made effective by an order of the acting minister.
Source: Ministry of Culture and Information Policy
Quote from the ministry: "The bells in Lviv are not only the sounds of the city, but also its soul. They represent history and traditions passed down from generation to generation. The melodious sounds announce the most important events in the city's life."
Details: The sounds of bells are used for many purposes in the city, including announcing religious services, weddings, funerals and other church ceremonies. This extensive practice has helped the local bell-ringers to develop a rich repertoire of melodies:
- Blagovist, performed daily to announce the beginning of services;
- Peredzvin, a peal of bells performed during the blessing of Easter cakes, during the celebration of Palm Sunday, and at various processions, weddings, and baptisms;
- a funeral melody;
- an alarm tone to alert people of a natural disaster or enemy attack.
Quote: "This element is practised in Lviv as part of the collective identity of the community, by both practitioners and citizens. There is not a single holiday in the city when bells do not ring, and a particular feature is that the tradition of bell-ringing unites the different religious communities of the city, creating a special spirit of community."
The ministry says one of the defining features of bell-ringing is that its diversity was usually not recorded in writing. Experienced bell-ringers passed on their knowledge of the craft's techniques, care of the bells, and its spiritual, historical and cultural values directly to the younger generation.
Quote from the ministry: "The bells have evolved from a simple means of communication to an expression of living heritage, and bell-ringing and the traditions of honouring the bell are becoming a manifestation of the collective identity of the city of Lviv."
At the same time, the ministry noted that the tradition of bell-ringing in Lviv is not unique to Ukraine. Similar elements can be found in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia and Ivano-Frankivsk. However, each region has its own culture and unique characteristics.
The list of intangible cultural heritage has also been expanded to include:
- the traditions of cooking and eating zasypana kapusta [covered cabbage – an ancient Ukrainian dish without which no wedding could ever be complete] in Lviv Oblast;
- the culture of creating Boiko Easter eggs, made with a pin;
- the ritual of erecting a vikha in the Pereiaslav district [a vikha is a decorated tree trunk set up in the square during Green Week, the week leading up to Pentecost];
- Horodok Stitch, an embroidery technique typical of the town of Horodok in Lviv Oblast.
Background: Other cultural elements that the Ministry of Culture has added to the list this year include the Crimean Tatars' coffee tradition; ağır ava ve qaytarma, a Crimean Tatar dance; the traditional cooking and eating of zozulia [a millet porridge made with milk and slow-cooked in the oven – ed.]; and the traditional preparation of zatirka, a soup, in the village of Kryva Luka in Donetsk Oblast.
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