On Sunday, 21 January, clergymen from the St Nicholas Church in Staryi Sambir, Lviv region, came to the St Nicholas Church in Bethlehem, as if to the Bethlehem stable, to share the mystery of Christmas by participating in the festival “Rozkolyada”.
This is stated on the website of the Sambir-Drohobych Diocese of the UGCC.
This year’s Christmas event was held under the slogan “Let the whole world hear the church bells – Ukraine is unbreakable. She carols!”.
About 100 people took part in the 2024 festival:
– Patriotic nativity scene “In Search of the Christmas Star” by the Bohdan Solchanyk Secondary School
– Children’s choir of the S. Dasho secondary school No. 2 in Staryi Sambir village
– Children’s choir “Prolisok” of the Starosambir Art School
– Church choir “Blagovist” of the Church of John the Baptist village Golovetsko
– Church Choir of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Eustachius village Strelky
– Church Choir of the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary village Volia
– Church Choir of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Sambir
– Church Choir “Bells of the Old Town”, Staryi Sambir. Staryi Sambir.
The performance began with the blessing of the initiator and founder of the traditional Christmas festival in the deanery, Fr Mykhailo Nikolyn. The first to present their work were the participants of the nativity scene “In Search of the Christmas Star”. This particular nativity scene was presented by Staryi Sambir in Mshanka and participated in the Christmas Birds campaign, contributing UAH 30,000 to raise funds for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Musical and literary compositions were performed by the children’s choirs of the S. Dasho Secondary School (music director – V. Yanchak) and the Prolisok Choir of the Starosambir School of Arts (director – I. Terebukh), who sincerely praised the birth of Christ with their sonorous children’s voices.
The choirs of the participating parishes were especially fascinating, each choosing the best carols from their repertoire. The event’s host, Oksana Vovchko, created a Christmas mood for everyone by singing Christmas carols and telling instructive parables to each participant. “Jesus on the hay, give freedom to Ukraine” – a carol by the Volya village choir (directed by O. Toporovych) added to the patriotic mood of the audience. Melodious singing was also performed by the invited guests, the choir of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Sambir, led by director Lesia Myhalyk.