Didukh — a Ukrainian Christmas Tradition
DidukhWant to add Ukrainian traditions to your Christmas but don't know where to start? One of them is setting up a didukh. A didukh is a sheaf of wheat, rye, or oat stalks, woven with dried wildflowers and decorated with ribbons. Our ancestors regarded the didukh as the spirit of the field, the spirit of the rye, and the spirit of Dazhbog — the god of life.
The didukh was gathered in summer, at the start of the harvest. According to folk belief, the woman who bound the last sheaf would give birth to a child that same year — binding the sheaf symbolized tying the umbilical cord. At Christmas, the head of the household would place the didukh in a place of honor, together with a bowl of kutia beside it.
Didukh, a Ukrainian Christmas traditionIn spring, this symbol of abundance would be threshed, and the grain sown once more, releasing the spirit of the field back into the earth. This ritual was believed to imbue the harvest with life-giving, healing power.
In the early days of Christianity's spread, the didukh came to embody the spirits of one's ancestors, absorbing all negative energy, and was burned after the winter holidays to dispel that negativity. In some regions, the didukh was kept in the home all year round and burned only just before the next winter holidays.
Related Articles
