In the Christian world, the Day of Saints Peter and Paul has special significance, and its celebration has very interesting traditions in Transcarpathia. And in the village of Vyshka, it is just enchanting!
Sobitkas. Their making begins long before the holiday. First you have to prepare many beech and birch trunks, dry them out. Then, boys dig four pits. According to 12-year-old Fedia Kachmar, they are about one meter deep, and beech trunks are put there. Then, the construction of sobitka begins. It is a huge, in this case more than 6 meter high, wooden structure that resembles a tower. They must be completed by the St. Peter and Paul Day.
On the day of the holiday, most villagers come to the meadows, where sobitkas were built. This year, there were three of them in Vyshka. And there, they wait for dusk. Then, the competition between the teams begins, because your sobitka should be not only the largest but also to burn the longest, so they are waiting for someone else to start the fire first.
When sobitkas start to burn, high flames rise above the forest, illuminate and warm happy faces of all people on the meadow. Young boys take prepared torches and carry the fire to the village, where they have to put out the torches in cabbage, and adults stay near sobitka and sing songs.
The celebration is incredible! Not only because of its spectacularity, but also because of the sincerity of participants and because people in the village cherish the wonderful tradition.
The full fire extravaganza is available here!
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