Freshmen of ONMedU of the 22nd and 23rd  groups  of the international faculty visited the Faculty of History and Philosophy of ONU 

The winter cycle of holidays is usually a time of fairytale dreams, hopes, beliefs in the best. From December to January we are all in anticipation of something extraordinary, kind, incredible. This is a time when you dive into the pre-holiday bustle, when you create and wait for surprises, magic and fairy tales . With the organizational assistance and support of the Head of the Department of Social Sciences, Ph.D. Assoc. Prof. O. Sikorska, Associate Professor T.L Podkupko On December 18, 2019, freshmen of the 22nd and 23rd foreign groups of the International Faculty visited the Faculty of History and Philology of Odessa National University named after I.I. Mechnikov.

Before the visit, the foreign students were acquainted with the basic Ukrainian traditions of visiting homes. There was a baked loaf (no eggs and milk, as the Christmas fast is now underway), groceries prepared for the “children” lots of whom Ukrainian families have always had .

On the way to the Faculty of History and Philosophy, Associate Professor T.L. Podkupko made an excursion through the central part of the city, where she briefly introduced the students to the features of history and architecture of the most remarkable buildings in Olhiivska Street, Pasteur Street, and Elizavetinska Street.

PhD in Historical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Archeology and Ethnology Natalia Petrova and her students, future historians and ethnologists, organized the exhibition-reconstruction of individual Ukrainian traditions. The action took place in an ethnographic room, where everything was decorated in the Ukrainian traditional consumer style. It is a kind of museum where exhibits from the XIX century are carefully collected: carpets, chests, dishes, icons, towels, embroideries, various household objects. The foreign students were on an interactive performance, literally immersed in the atmosphere of the Ukrainian traditional way of life. Historians have staged an action during which they showed the basic rites of life of Ukrainians: births and christenings, adulthood, initiation and transition to adulthood, weddings and endings of life, basic burial traditions.

Assistant Professors T.L. Podkupko and N.O. Petrova gave explanations to foreigners during the performance, drawing parallels with the traditions of other peoples and cultures. Together with the students, they considered the common and different rituals of the Ukrainians and their native countries.

The topic of premarital communication between girls and boys, the tradition of entertaining young people in an era when there was no Internet, television and even radio, were the most popular among students. The girl’s divination for the future marriage, love – caused a furor. Girls from Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey also tried to look into their family future.

The event ended with a traditional Ukrainian treat for guests. Here, the foreigners also learned a lot of new and interesting for themselves about the traditional Ukrainian cuisine, made parallels with modern systems of healthy nutrition, various diets, innovations related to the culture of food and drink consumption.

Visits with medical students, especially foreigners, of such events contribute to the cultivation of respect for Ukrainian traditions, break negative stereotypes, show the diversity and richness of our culture.