The vesnyanka is one of the oldest layers of Ukrainian folklore. In early spring (from Candlemas and especially from the Annunciation), girls would gather, walk out to hills, meadows, and glades, and sing vesnyankas — to “wake” the earth, call in the warmth, bring the sprouts forth and the birds back.
The performance was accompanied by round dances and games such as “Kryvyi Tanets,” “Kostrub,” “Vorotar.” Characteristic are the long drawn-out hukanky (calls) that carry from distant hills. Vesnyankas survive in Polissia, Volyn, and Galicia. The famous motif is “Oi, vesna, vesna, ta vesnianochka.” Contemporary performers: DakhaBrakha, Kralytsia, Bozhychi, Nina Matvienko, and Yevhen Yefremov's Zoloti Kliuchi ensemble.
