Ukrainians revive traditional wheat craft during wartime Christmas

Описание: (19 Dec 2025)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Lviv, Ukraine - 7 December 2025

1. Wide of Christmas tree with lights on the square in front of the opera house
2. Mid of decoration on the top of Christmas tree in the shape of an anti-tank obstacle (otherwise known as Czech hedgehog)
3. Close of lights on tree with the Lviv Opera House’s central statue in the background
4. Various of a didukh (a traditional Ukrainian Christmas sheaf decoration) wrapped in cellophane, prepared for sale outside the Bernardine Monastery
5. Wide of a flower market near the Bernardine Monastery

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Lviv, Ukraine - 4 December 2025

6. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Maryana Scira, Craftswoman:
“It’s already the fifth year that I’ve been making didukhs, and every year I see that this tradition is spreading even more and being actively supported. Last year and this year, you could even say it has become a kind of trend, because everyone wants to have didukhs—and as many as possible.”

7. Close of Maryana Scira’s hand gliding over wheat stalks which are used in didukhs
8. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Maryana Scira, Craftswoman:
“Since the start of the war, I’ve noticed that people have become much more interested in and supportive of Ukrainian traditions — reviving them, looking for those that had been forgotten, and overall showing a much greater interest in didukhs.”

9. Close of wheat and dried flowers used for weaving didukhs
10. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Maryana Scira, Craftswoman:
“In the word didukh you can hear ‘did’ (grandfather) and ‘dukh’ (spirit), meaning it represents the spirit of the grandfather — the spirit of the family’s oldest ancestor. That’s why the didukh embodies all generations, because it symbolizes the ancestral spirit, the foundation of the lineage, the oldest forebear who carries the family’s energy and legacy.”

11. Close of grains of wheat

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Lviv, Ukraine - 4 December 2025

12. A wide shot Scira arranging the didukh-making materials for the workshop participants
13. Close of the blue thread used to wrap the base of the didukh
14. Close of the participants’ hands as they tie the wheat stems into bundles
15. Various of three workshop participants tying wheat stems into bundles
16. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Olena Kopach, workshop participant:
“I hadn’t made didukhs before; I usually bought them at the market from women selling them. But I’m very interested in this tradition, so I wanted to try making them myself."

17. Close of grains on table
18. Various of three workshop participants tying wheat stems into bundles
19. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Olena Kopach, workshop participant:
“I came with my little sister and my niece. I’ve always wanted to try this craft because it’s heartwarming, unites the family, and gives you a connection to the land and your ancestry.”

20. Various of three workshop participants tying wheat stems into bundles
21. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Solomiya Medvedyk, workshop participant:
“So far, I’ve made eight small bundles. Now I’ll be combining them to form a complete didukh.”

22. Close of didukh making on table
23. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Nadiya Kopach, workshop participant:
“What’s important to me is everything connected to our Ukrainian culture, because what our ancestors created is sacred, mysterious, and significant. It’s something we must uncover, understand, and pass on to our children.”

24. Close-up of tips of ears of wheat
25. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Nadiya Kopach, workshop participant:
26. Various of Scira adjusting didukh bundles wrapped with red thread
27. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Maryana Scira, Craftswoman:




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