The tradition of making ceremonial cookies has been added to the cultural heritage list
The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine has included the tradition of making and giving ceremonial cookies called “koniki and barishni” in the National List of Elements of Ukraine’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. The tradition has been preserved in the Oleksandriia District of the Kirovohrad Region and is part of Christmas rituals.
“Koniky and baryshny (girls)” are baked on Christmas Eve and given to godchildren and children who bring “supper” on Christmas Eve. The cookies are shaped like little horses and girls, and each figure has symbolic meaning: the little horses are given to boys as a wish for strength, and the girls to girls as a wish for beauty and a happy life.
Special metal molds are used for baking, which in many families are passed down from generation to generation. Depending on local traditions, the cookies may be dyed red and decorated with paintings or paper ribbons. At the same time, there is no single recipe for these ceremonial cookies.
“The tradition is practiced in the Oleksandriia District of the Kirovohrad Region, specifically in the village of Holovkivka, where it has been passed down from generation to generation within families. The main custodians of this tradition are older women—grandmothers, mothers, and godmothers—who preserve the recipes, make the molds, understand the symbolism of the ritual cookies, and teach these traditions to their children and grandchildren,” the statement reads.
Following the inclusion of this element in the National List, local communities were recommended to implement measures to preserve and promote this tradition in accordance with the recommendations of the relevant expert council under the Ministry of Culture.
This was reported on July 8 by the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine.
The Ministry of Culture did not include 14 sites in the Odesa region in the State Register of Monuments.
