The tradition of baking and presenting ritual Christmas gingerbread in Slobozhanshchyna has been included in the National List of Elements of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukraine. This was reported by the Interagency Commission for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture.
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The tradition is preserved in the communities of Poltava, Sumy and Kharkiv regions, which share a common historical and cultural heritage. The pastries combine similar recipes, cooking techniques, decorations and symbols.
Gingerbread is made once a year, during the Christmas holidays, mostly in the family circle or with neighbours. They are given local names: “panyanky”, “baryni”, “baryshni”, “konyky”, “riders”, “birds”, etc.
In the Poltava region, in particular in the Kotelevska community, gingerbread is called “panianky”. They are baked from lean dough, coloured with beetroot juice, decorated with white icing and traditional patterns called ‘vyvytushky’. The mould is cut out using hand-forged tin moulds, which can be up to 60 cm in size.
In the Sumy region (Okhtyrka district), the names “panyanka”, “baryna”, and “konyky” have been preserved. The pastries are decorated with “namazochka” – a mixture of starch and flour with white, green or yellow glaze. The drawings have arbitrary shapes – waves, flowers, spirals, contours.
In the Kharkiv region (Bohodukhiv district), gingerbread is also called “konyky”, “koni”, “baryshni”, “panianky”. Most often, they are baked in the shape of cockerels, stars, and horsemen. The traditional ornament is curls all over the surface. The process of decorating is sometimes called “flower” or “lace”.
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