| Speaking about modern Ukrainian customs and | | | | used to the city way of life and seldom go home. |
| traditions it is necessary to stress that the | | | | In their struggle for survival people become less |
| Ukrainians are proud of their colorful folk culture. | | | | dependent on each other within families. But still |
| They love good food and drink and have a zest | | | | parents think it is important to teach their children |
| for life. | | | | daily skills and basic values of life. The result of a |
| Most Ukrainian middle-class and lower class urban | | | | resent nationwide survey showed that the most |
| families live in flat in multi-storied buildings; only | | | | important values parents want to teach their |
| rather rich people can afford to build cottages | | | | children are honestly, common sense, |
| either inside or outside the city. | | | | purposefulness, responsibility, good manners and |
| Ukrainians have a deep love of the land. Many | | | | obedience to parents. Adults believe children |
| families have small country houses, called "dacha". | | | | should be brought up to expect that they will |
| They are able to grow just about anything in their | | | | have to struggle to succeed. |
| neat gardens, orchards, and homesteads. Some | | | | Like most other people, Ukrainians like holidays |
| people grow food only for their own personal | | | | and merrymaking. They usually try to cook many |
| consumption. They spend time canning vegetables | | | | tasty dishes and invite a lot of friends and |
| and making compote from various fruits during | | | | relatives to their places. Another thing Ukrainians |
| the summer in order to make it through the long | | | | love to do is talk (while strolling, in cafes and |
| cold winters. They always have something in their | | | | restaurants, or at home over a cup of tea or |
| houses to serve guests. | | | | coffee or other drinks). Conversation tends to be |
| A modern average Ukrainian family has two | | | | light, relaxing, humorous, and sometimes |
| parents and usually one or two children. At the | | | | philosophical. Many Ukrainians enjoy picnics in the |
| same time there is a growing number of | | | | wood or somewhere the water at almost any |
| one-parent families usually headed by a woman | | | | time of year. Picnics often involve shashlik or |
| rearing a child. Like in many other countries, there | | | | barbequed meat, homemade salads, and |
| are quite a lot of young unmarried people living | | | | sometimes alcohol. Ukrainians love to sit around |
| together and sharing a household. Bringing up a | | | | fires at night and snack, drink, and sing songs to a |
| child in Ukraine is very costly now; that is why | | | | guitar. |
| many couples decided to have only one child, or | | | | Popular outdoor sports in Ukraine are soccer, |
| even no children. Children tend to live with there | | | | volleyball, badminton, table tennis, and hiking |
| parents long after they finish school. Sometimes | | | | (walking in the forest). Fitness clubs have |
| children have to rely on their parents in financial | | | | appeared all over the place. Yoga and martial arts |
| matters as the unemployment rate among the | | | | are quite popular as well. Mountain climbing and |
| young is very high. A newly married couple often | | | | rock climbing clubs can be found. Scuba diving, |
| lives with either of their parents because they | | | | yachting, and even golf have recently become |
| have no money to buy or to rent a house or a | | | | available. Increasingly popular in Ukraine are all |
| flat of their own. Often one or both grandparents | | | | sorts of extreme sports (bungee jumping, river |
| live with their children and help take care of small | | | | rafting, downhill mountain biking, spelunking, etc.), |
| children. Grandparents play a great role in raising | | | | and, more generally, all forms of active recreation |
| children in Ukraine. | | | | (hiking, biking, boating, horseback riding, skiing, |
| In the village families are usually larger, and the | | | | etc.). |
| whole family works on the farm (or a patch of | | | | Not everyone will do the things we've described |
| land they have) together. Most parents who live in | | | | above. Some Ukrainians' culture will strike you as |
| the country want their children to get a higher | | | | incomprehensible and intolerable, while others' |
| education, so they send them to study to big | | | | behavior and attitudes will seem rational and |
| cities. After 5 years of studies, the children get | | | | compatible with your own. |