Bohdan Novak’s stars are in many countries of the world.
The Department of Tourism and Resorts of Lviv OVA visited the well-known master of folk art, star artist Bohdan Novak.
Mr. Bohdan lives in Dublyany, and was born in the village of Mackovichi, near Przemyśl. As a result of the Vistula operation, he left his native land with his parents. He was only three weeks old then, but he assures that he remembers his roots well.
The man devoted more than half a century of his life to the creation of Matskovitsa voluminous spherical Christmas stars, which became an element of the intangible cultural heritage of Ukraine.
“The village of Matskovichi had the following custom: to make a star, to sing a Christmas carol, then a kind of festival took place, then they came to the church on Ivan Predtech and at the end of the Christmas carol, they broke the star so that its spirit would spread throughout the village. For unmarried people who caught a horn or other detail, it meant marriage in the near future. And they also broke the star in order to teach others how to make it and pass on traditions from generation to generation. And now they make a star for 50 years and go caroling with it once or twice,” said Mr. Bohdan.
Bohdan Novak’s stars are in many countries of the world. This year, his works were ordered to Norway, Portugal, as well as Germany for the festival of Ukrainian contemporary art “Nebenan. Nearby” in Dresden. Bohdan created a star that became the basis for Olga Filonchuk’s art project “Belonging| Belonging”. You can view the presentation at the link.
The stars of Bohdan Novak and the military at the front are cheering.
“Why didn’t the Moscow star take root in us? Because she is motionless, dead. Our star is spherical, oval and mobile. She is alive,” the experienced star emphasized.
The man wants to be recognized at the official level as a master of folk art in the field of astrology and spinning.
Mr. Bohdan is often invited to master classes to demonstrate the process of creating a Christmas symbol. According to the master, to make a star requires desire, patience and mathematical knowledge.
Together with his student Pavel Shytikov, this year before Christmas, for the first time, he made not a wooden, but a metal star, which will become a street decoration of the house.
It should be noted that the first signpost of the village of Mackovichi in Dublyany was made by the settlers from Nadsyan under the leadership of the carpenter Ilko Pys in 1948. When they were crafting, they said:
“Teshut, teshut sticks to the Christmas star
Nails, plates and a sieve,
let’s carol boys and girls for the Christmas holidays!”
We would like to add that on December 29, at 5:30 p.m., a presentation of a three-dimensional spherical Christmas star will be held in the premises of the Scientific Library of Lviv Polytechnic University (Profesorska St., 1). Mackovichi, as an element of the intangible cultural heritage of Ukraine.
The meeting will be attended by stargazers from the Lviv region, participants of the annual procession of stargazers as part of the “Flashes of the Christmas Star” festival in Lviv. Star masters will share the secrets of how to make a Christmas star for family caroling.
Entry to the event is free.