The Hutsul Provody: the comfort of centuries-old traditions

In the Ukrainian Carpathians the Provody – a communal commemoration of the dead – takes on a new dimension during the war, to become a way of working through group mourning

The afternoon sun falls on a small wooden hut in a green orchard. People are hanging around. Some enter the yard, others leave the house. They talk and move quietly; mourning is going on. Inside lies an open, decorated coffin containing the body of an old woman. In the corner, a cantor reads psalms in a monotone. The others pray in silence. The house is visited by anyone who knew Hanna Tomashchuk. Whole families, along with children, pay their respects. The presence of the dead body does not embarrass anyone.

Kryvoryvnia residents celebrate the holidays in traditional Hutsul costumes during the Easter blessing of food.