My Russian ancestors' family home was in in the Ukraine but I think they still considered themselves be White Russians, so I am not sure if my Russian ancestors would have celebrated this way of not.
www.uazone.net/holidays/christmas.html
Christmas in Ukraine is celebrated January 7 according to the Gregorian calendar as in most of other Orthodox Christian countries...
...Next day in some villages in Western Ukraine people organize some folk performances which obviously were inspired by ancient pagan habits. They dress up themselves as monsters with pelts and horns and run through the village trying to scare people. After that they run to the special place on the outskirts of the village and there happens the main act: they fight with all people of the village and finally are defeated. The scarecrows are burned in the big fire. And all people are dancing around this fire. This symbolizes the fight of Good and Evil and that Good defeated Evil for the whole next year.
As I locate more interesting holiday traditions I may add to this blog.
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