A Holiday That Transports You to a Ukrainian Farmstead

There are evenings that create their own world. On December 25, 2025, the organizers – the restaurant SHO? – Ukrainian Traditional Food and MAK_UA will open the doors to a space where the Tel Aviv winter gives way to Ukrainian festive warmth. The ethno-evening “Christmas Holidays at Solokha’s” is not just a program, but a cultural immersion into Ukrainian winter holidays: music, kitchen aromas, theatrical scenes, and an atmosphere where you feel like a guest at an old Ukrainian farmstead.

“Solokha” is a Gogolian farm woman, the hostess of a hospitable house, where it is always noisy, warm, and festively cheerful.
Her name has long become a symbol of Ukrainian winter traditions, laughter, and home comfort. She is a cult character in Ukrainian literature and folk culture, well recognized thanks to N. V. Gogol. — she is the heroine of Nikolai Gogol’s story “The Night Before Christmas,” part of the cycle “Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka.”

The poster sets the tone even before the holiday begins.

Snow-covered houses, a village church, carolers with a star, a “goat,” little angels — all this conveys the folkloric character of the holiday. The ornament on the edges resembles Ukrainian embroidery, which always accompanied winter celebrations.
In Tel Aviv, this aesthetic looks especially bright: as if the noisy city briefly let in the silence of a rural Ukrainian night, filled with laughter and songs.

Atmosphere: A Holiday That Is Felt Immediately

The ethno-evening is designed so that the guest does not look at the tradition from the outside — they find themselves inside it.
The hall will have warm light, music, and decorative elements reminiscent of village winter evenings.
All the details — from the carolers’ star to the folkloric images — create the effect of being present in a winter Ukrainian farmstead.

This is not a reconstruction or a performance in the strict sense.
It is a living ethno-atmosphere, where every detail works towards immersion.

Winter Menu: Cuisine as Part of a Larger Story

Ukrainian winter smells of kutia, dumplings, uzvar, and a hot festive drink.
SHO? is preparing a special menu that not only introduces traditional dishes — it tells a story.

On the table will be:

• kutia — a sweet grain dish that starts the winter holidays in Ukraine,

• dumplings, handmade as a family ritual,

• uzvar — a drink made from dried fruits, simmered for several hours to reveal a special winter aroma,

• mulled wine, which warms just like conversations at the table,

• festive dishes, rare even for Ukrainian restaurants.

This cuisine is not decoration; it is part of the tradition. Through taste, the guest understands the culture faster than through words.

Music: Melodies That Have Survived Centuries

On stage will perform Yana Oleksenko, ULA_music, and Diadele.
“Carols” and “shchedrivky” in their performance sound modern but retain folkloric depth.
These songs are not religious hymns but folk songs of joy, light, and the anticipation of a winter miracle.

Even if you hear them for the first time, you feel that they are about the simple things:
about home, about people, about warmth.

Theater: When Folklore Comes to Life

The @makvilna_ua collective will present small scenes based on Ukrainian folk winter plots.
The goat, stargazers, yard visits, jokes, little magical stories — all this will appear on stage in a light form.

The theater this evening is a language that helps to see the tradition through the eyes of those who grew up within it.

Fun and Surprises: A Holiday That Unites

Ukrainian New Year and Christmas games are another part of the evening.
This is a fun, warm, slightly naive festivity that creates an atmosphere of childlike delight.
There will be interactive activities, gifts, and little surprises — just as it was in Ukrainian families in winter.

Who This Evening Is For

It is created for everyone — for those who love ethnicity, for those who seek atmosphere, for those who want to try something new but warm and understandable.
Ukrainian winter tradition is an emotion, not a nationality.
It is read by the heart, even if you have never seen it before.

Event Organizers

MAK_UA/Ukrainian Art Amateur Forge in Israel

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089057714353

MAK_UA is a cultural association of artists, directors, musicians, and enthusiasts that has been shaping the Ukrainian cultural scene in Israel for several years.
They hold theatrical evenings, ethno-performances, musical meetings, and educational programs.
Their style is respect for folklore, modern presentation, and emotional honesty.

The organizers say:

“Ukrainian traditions are not antiques. They are a living world that can be experienced here and now.”

That is why their programs are always felt — they do not show culture, they allow it to be lived.

SHO? — The Restaurant That Became the Home of Ukrainian Taste

https://www.facebook.com/shotelaviv

The restaurant SHO? – Ukrainian Traditional Food is one of the key places for Ukrainian cuisine in Israel.

Carlebach 3, Tel Aviv.

For Ukrainians, it has become a place where you can feel the taste of home.
For Israelis, it is an opportunity to get acquainted with a cuisine that has been formed over centuries.
Here, they cook honestly, traditionally, without trying to simplify or adapt the dishes beyond recognition.
SHO? has turned into a space where people, memories, music, and food meet.

The cuisine of SHO? is part of the ethno-holiday: not gastronomy for the sake of gastronomy, but a taste that carries emotional memory.

Why This Is Important

Ukrainian winter traditions are not just a folkloric set of symbols. They are a living cultural code that combines music, cuisine, humor, family scenarios, and a special way of rural life that is disappearing in the modern world. Such evenings do not just “introduce culture” — they preserve what is usually passed on not through books, but through atmosphere: warmth, hospitality, the feeling of home, and the joy of shared winter holidays.

Why This Is Interesting to All Israelis

Ukrainian New Year and Christmas traditions are understandable and close to anyone who grew up with family winter holidays. This is music that sounds sincere; food filled with meaning; ritual games that create lightness and a sense of togetherness. Israel is a country where dozens of cultures live, and that is why getting acquainted with Ukrainian ethno-customs becomes not a “foreign” story, but part of a common cultural space. Such an evening offers a unique experience: to see how festivity can look in another country, to feel warm humor, to try special cuisine, and simply to spend time in an atmosphere of human closeness that does not depend on nationality.

This is the value of the event: it unites people around a tradition that remains alive as long as it is lived together. That is why we tell about this evening to a wide audience, because such cultural bridges make Israeli life richer — and it is such events that support NAnews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency.

Practical Information

📅 December 25, 2025
⏰ 19:00
📍 Carlebach 3, Tel Aviv
📞 https://www.facebook.com/shotelaviv