Christmas Chime (Nativity Plays & Carolers Festival)Обласний фестиваль вертепів і колядників «Різдвяний передзвін»

This annual winter festival in the village of Zvanivka (Donetsk Oblast) celebrates Ukrainian Carpathian Christmas traditions brought here by displaced Lemko and Boyko families. Community members parade in traditional nativity costumes from house to house, carrying a Vertep (nativity scene) and singing carols. The event begins with a solemn procession through the village singing the widely known carol “Nova radistʹ stala” 1. Dozens of folk ensembles (26 in 2019) from across Donetsk region and beyond perform Christmas pageants and carols, and locals share dishes such as kutia and varenyky in a festive fair 2 3. It has become a symbol of Zvanivka’s cultural identity, reinforcing community bonds through shared sacred and folk customs 4 5.

Zvanivka is a community of Lemko and Boyko descendants forcibly relocated to Donbas in the mid-20th century 1 2. Since 2017 residents have revived their Carpathian Christmas traditions, making this festival a living link to their ethnic heritage. It unites participants from western Ukraine and Donbas neighborhoods, highlighting how displaced villagers preserved caroling customs and nativity plays in their new home 1 3.