Question of <I>The Day</I>
Yevhen HOLOVAKHA, Ph.D. in philosophy, head research fellow at the Institute of Sociology, Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences:
It is rather ambiguous. This holiday is a result of cultures’ mutual penetration. In fact, it is a pity that such an impetuous adaptation of traditions is evidence that it is not our culture that dominates today. Thus we demonstrate our secondary importance, since imported goods have always been more attractive for us than our domestic ones. The attempts to revive a tradition are a display of archaism. St. Valentine’s Day, as well as Students’ Day, has long been celebrated in the West, and now cultural diffusion has brought it to us. However, this is a normal process, and the more Western trends we assimilate the easier it would be for us to integrate into Europe. Every holiday has its good and bad sides. Finally, we have too many holidays; we are not only unable to deny ourselves the traditional Soviet holidays, but we also adopt new ones. I doubt that we can make our whole life a holiday this way. Simultaneously, the increasing number of holidays has its economic pluses. Everybody buys presents for each other, which helps to increase domestic trade.
Liubov BEVZENKO, Candidate of Sciences in sociology, supervisory research fellow, Institute of Sociology, Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences:
It’s a positive thing. If there is some demand for this holiday, this means that there was some niche for it. St. Valentine’s Day has something in common with the New Year’s and Christmas, though it is not an Orthodox holiday: it’s warm and romantic. We speak of love every day, while this day is also full of symbols. Symbol is a sacral thing, thus this is a day of sacral love. The fact that it found acceptance with us so fast means that it was in the air. Self-organization does not come from reason, but from a need for something. So, we have had a need for love which is now being satisfied through a holiday in fact alien for us, which has however become a tradition in a few years.
Serhiy MAKEYEV, Doctor of Sciences in sociology:
Obviously, life without love is not real and does not deserve to live. Simultaneously, I am not sure whether we need a special day to stress this. The system of holidays is rather conservative. Many people do not accept this holiday; now it belongs mostly to the young. Maybe in a few years this graft will take root with everybody, and the awkward feeling about the day will disappear.
Volodymyr FESENKO, Candidate of Sciences in philosophy:
It is up to anybody what holidays to celebrate. Nobody issued a special order to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day. It appeared here rather spontaneously and has won people’s hearts. Certainly, one can view it as a sign of globalization or westernization, instead of seeking for something local and eternal (Ukrainian, folk, Orthodox, etc.). Better not. This holiday is nice and light. We had too many political holidays in Soviet times, and not much has changed since then. On February 14 it is better to forget about politics, buy some flowers, and greet your beloved, although I fear that we can’t completely avoid politics even on this day. The political technologists put Valentine’s Day on their schedules long ago, so on this day we will certainly receive some additional greetings from the candidates, blocs, and parties.
Mykola TOMENKO, Director, Institute of Politics:
Positive. In whole, the Ukrainian holidays can be divided into three categories: Ukrainian, post-Soviet, and international. St. Valentine’s Day belongs to the latter category. It is especially loved by the young for being less politicized compared to the post-Soviet ones, which older people are so devoted to. Valentine’s Day is a beautiful and romantic holiday, however it is a pity we do not celebrate its Ukrainian analog, St. Andrew’s Day. In my book, The Theory of Ukrainian Love, I prove this thesis, stressing the unique character of Ukrainian love.
