New book · pre-order
Christmas in the Old Country
How 130 villages and small towns in Galicia, Podolia, Volhynia and Bukovina kept Christmas — from records of the 1860s–1930s
Every custom in this book comes with the village it was written down in, the year, the name of the person who recorded it and the page of the source. Not “in Ukraine they used to…”, but what the head of the house did on Holy Evening in Kosmach, as Volodymyr Shukhevych wrote it down before 1904.
- Hardcover, A5, 104 pages
- 17 illustrations from books and journals of 1882–1928
- Index of all 130 villages and small towns
- Three editions: English, Ukrainian and Polish
- Compiled by Vadym Ratynskyi · the Memory of the Future NGO, Ternopil, 2026
Books come off the press at the end of November; we post them from about 25 November.
Inside the book
What is inside
Nine chapters follow the holidays in the order they came, from the fast before the feast to Jordan, and close with the neighbours — the Polish Wigilia and the customs that the two communities shared. Quotations are from editions whose authors died more than 70 years ago; where an author's dates are unknown, the custom is retold in our own words.
- Who Wrote Christmas Down
- Before the Feast
- Holy Evening
- The Farm on Holy Evening
- Carollers
- Christmas and the Holy Days
- The Generous Evening and St Basil's Day
- Jordan
- Neighbours
- Find Your Village — the index
Price
| Where to | Pre-order, until 20 November | From 21 November |
|---|---|---|
| USA, Canada, UK, Australiashipping included | Pre-order, until 20 November: $29 | From 21 November: $35 |
| Other EU countriesshipping included | Pre-order, until 20 November: €27 | From 21 November: €32 |
| Polandshipping included | Pre-order, until 20 November: 119 zł | From 21 November: 139 zł |
| Ukraineplus Nova Poshta delivery at its rate | Pre-order, until 20 November: 390 UAH | From 21 November: 490 UAH |
Another country — write to us and we will work out the postage.
To reach an address abroad before Christmas, order by 25 November. If the post is slow, we send you a printable gift card with the cover the same day, so there is something under the tree.
No payment on the site. After your order we send payment details within a day: Wise (USD or EUR) from abroad, a card transfer in Ukraine.
Book free with a records check
Order an online records check for your family's village ($190) and the book comes with it, free. A Christmas present for parents that answers the question they have been asking for years.
Parishes and societies: from 10 copies, 20% off — for a Christmas bazaar or as gifts. For parishes
Is your village among the 130?
Type the village as you know it — today's name, the Polish or German spelling, or the way it is written on old papers.
Pre-order
Leave your details and we will write within a day with the payment details and the shipping date.
Questions
When will the book arrive?
Printing ends in late November and we post from about 25 November. Within Ukraine, Nova Poshta takes a day or two. Abroad, Ukrposhta takes two to four weeks, which is why we ask foreign orders to come in by 25 November.
How do I pay?
Nothing is paid on the site. We write to you with the details: Wise in dollars or euros from abroad, a card transfer within Ukraine. The book is reserved from the moment you order.
Is it the same book in all three languages?
Yes: the same chapters, the same 130 villages and the same illustrations. The English and Polish editions are translated from the Ukrainian, and the place names are given in each language and as they were spelled in the old records.
My village is not in the index. Is the book still for me?
It describes how Christmas was kept across the whole region, and neighbouring villages did much the same. If you want to know what survives for your own village, that is the records check — and with it the book is free.