Amateur actors from Odesa region impressed at the "Living Culture – Living World" festival
Amateur actors from the village of Zahnitkiv in Odesa Oblast, along with masters from the Black Sea region, participated in the festival «Living Culture – Living World» held on September 6 and 7 in Kyiv.
This festival served as a prelude to the International Days of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2025, officially proclaimed during the 42nd session of the UNESCO General Conference in November 2023.
The highlight of the Odesa delegation was the performers from Zahnitkiv. The folk-authentic group «Vytoky» showcased ancient children's games inherited from their ancestors, with the oldest participant being 85 years old and the youngest only nine.
Additionally, the village's intangible cultural heritage includes ancient dances and songs from old Zahnitkiv.
The klezmer music performed by the boys from the brass band, who are part of the «Vytoky» group, captivated both participants and guests, prompting everyone to dance along.
The costumes of the Zahnitkiv musicians were so well-received that one festival participant gifted the entire brass band hats made from bulrushes, purchased from artisans in Vinnytsia. Each hat costs about one thousand hryvnias.
Over the course of the two-day festival, more than thirty elements of intangible cultural heritage from various regions of Ukraine were presented, including Zahnitkiv's traditional cabbage rolls, which this time were made with beet leaves and coltsfoot. Guests also had the opportunity to taste traditional Zahnitkiv cabbage soup, vertuta, and bread.
A UNESCO representative described the artists from Zahnitkiv as the most colorful group represented at the festival.
The festival was organized by the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine, and the Center for Development «Democracy through Culture».
