Film photo

Ukraine, January 2023

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In 2021, I learned about Malanka, which has miraculously survived through time, church and Soviet bans in the village where my grandfather was born. In 2022, I came to do research and was impressed by the authenticity. On Malanka, participants dress up in what they can find in grandparent's warehouses. Because of this, the kozhukhs (fur coats) and masks look as if they are more than 100 years old.  After each celebration, the kozhukhs (fur coats) slowly deteriorate. There are fewer of them. They tear and deteriorate during the ritual struggle. Maybe Malanka will end when there are no more kozhukhs in the warehouse. And maybe it will be reborn and look different. In 2023, during Malanka, there was massive shelling, and three Russian rockets flew over the participants.