- Leather goods. Art artistic leather has long been common in the territory of Ivano-Frankivsk. As a result of centuries-old traditions and great experience it was invented many ways and techniques of leather finishing products. Particularly interesting findings in the technique of hot and cold stamping. In ritual decorations products craftsmen often use metal ornaments. Therefore artist who works with the skin, usually at the same time is a good master of the metal.
- Artistic weaving. The interior of the house was always decorated with woven carpets, sackcloth, tablecloths, towels, fluffy blankets of wool. The main decoration in the weaving is transversely striated, geometric, rarely stylized. Vegetable. Material – wool, linen.
- Embroidery. Embroidery is a classical kind of Ukrainian art. The numerous materials show that with embroidery was engaged in almost every rural house. Therefore and today we have such wealth of tradition in the art of embroidery. National clothing reflects the character, the kolorit of peculiarities of the certain ethnographic region. The costume as a whole as ensemble in each individual case is perceived as an individual work.
The most common custom in this area is wire to the mountain valley, hutsul’s wedding and religious calendar holidays, including Chrismas with the New Year songs and Christmas carols (including “Vasyl”, “Water christening”, “Malanka”, hutsul’s “Rozkolyadka”) and Easter (Easter) with Easter songs.
- The wires to the mountain valley. The great holiday for the local peoples is the wires of the hutsulian shepherds to the remote mountain pastures – mountain valleys for grazing. Most vividly it is celebrated in Mykulychyn. Exit to the mountain valley occurs in May and lasts until September. The living conditions of the shepherds in a mountain valley are heavy: in the highlands there is often cold weather, two of the three days it is raining, often during the summer falls the snow. The work lasts from early morning till night, and yet every Hutsul dreams of becoming a polonynnyk. Three things that characterize the life of hutsul shepherds is bryndza, trembita and vatra. During Polonyna chants the ringleader ignites fire – the vatra and boys dancing the hutsul’s male ritual dance “Arkan” with small hatchets in the hands. The shepherds treated to all comers the budz and vurda. The wires completed with festive concert.
- Hutsul wedding. Hutsul wedding is as a tale. Even now hutsuly maintain their traditions. They still dress in traditional clothing, decorate their horses. Even now hutsuls keep their traditions. They still dress in traditional clothing, decorate their horses. On the wedding day the bride and groom are accompanied by boyars, friendship, svitylky, matchmakers, elder. A wedding ia full of merry and plaintive songs, dances, games, funs, jokes, witticisms. None of wedding is completed without a round loaf or cakes thereof, embroidered or woven towels, bouquets, which are cling on clothes of the guests and branches or trees. Exactly certain time for the wedding day does not set, the only thing hat the matchmaking and betrothal are occurred mainly in spring, summer, autumn, less in winter, and the wedding are attempted to make until lent. During the any lent to make the wedding was strictly forbidden. The most immediate sign in Hutsulshchyna, when they the matchmakers came was “to give towels” which traditionally meant the preparing for the wedding. Fixing of the marriage was “to stand in the towel”. According to ancient custom, the best breads will be give to young at embroidered towels, with a wish that their lives has been rich and beautiful. To the church the newlyweds go on horseback.
- Christmas Hutsul region. Preparing for the Christmas in Hutsulchyna begins at advance. By long tradition with the reaped sheaf is weaved the sapling – “Didukh”, in which according to legend dwelt the soul of our ancestors, guardians home. Housewives in the morning on January 6 lit “live fire” in the furnace of twelve polin and prepare ritual twelve meatless dishes.
Among the dishes of the Holy Supper the first place has kutya – the boiled wheat with honey, poppy seeds and nuts. Some researchers of the folk customs consider that kutya ,is the aftersound of ancient love of the brethren tables, which are arranged in the days of burial of the martyrs for the Christian faith. Wheat as grain annually comes alive is a symbol of eternity, and honey is a symbol of eternal happiness of the righteous in heaven.
On Christmas Day, on January 7, begin real Christmas carols. Hutsuls visit their relatives and friends, walking around with dens from village to village. Most people these days go on sleds with horses and bells. 7 days after Christmason on January 14, they celebrate the old New Year, on January 18, the people fasting all day, on January 19, they celebrate Water christening or “Jordan”. Having dinner when the first star appears in the sky.
