A glass Christmas ball with the image of one of the main characters of Malanka – the threatening bear.
The bear sketch is inspired by the Malanka traditions in the Galician village of Beleluya. Typically, the Beleluya Bear’s mask is a gas mask. Locals tell a legend that a local man brought it to the village during World War II, and since then, Bears have been wearing this "accessory" on Malanka, sometimes lining the top with fur. In this attire, it's almost impossible to guess who plays the role of the Bear.
Let it sound, resonate,
To be heard in the other world,
That you are a bear from the forest,
Because you’ve been caught while you were eating blackberries,
You ate the blackberries, and the she-bear jumped...
The Christmas ball was created in collaboration with tattoo artist Sasha Lutsyshyn.
May this ball become a symbolic gift and remind us of the uniqueness of Ukrainian culture.
