- Tuesday, February 3, 2026
Our university’s nativity scene took part in the first annual festival of university nativity scenes of the Alliance of Ukrainian Universities “Star of Christmas Unity”, which took place at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv from January 30 to February 1. For three days, students from Kyiv, Lviv, Chernivtsi, Sumy and Rivne sang carols together, shared their own traditions and looked for new forms of Christmas action during the war.
The first day of the festival was dedicated to gratitude. The participants, including representatives of our university, visited the UNBROKEN Ukraine National Rehabilitation Center and took part in a joint prayer of remembrance and honoring the fallen on the Field of Mars. The day ended with a conversation “Christmas during the Soviet Occupation” with Myroslav Marynovych and a performance “Little Orthopedic Sandals” based on texts about modern war.
The second day became a space for creativity and exchange of experiences. Students from our university joined workshops on painting Christmas tiles, making ornaments and traditional straw “spiders”, as well as a singing workshop. They took part in discussions “Christmas Together” and “Nativity Scene to the East”, where they talked about Christmas traditions, trips with nativity scenes to the front, and the role of university communities in supporting the military and communities.
On the evening of the second day, during the Nativity Scene Evening at the Sheptytsky Center, our nativity scene performed together with groups from other Alliance universities – from classical productions based on ancient texts to modern interpretations that directly speak about war and volunteerism. The atmosphere of the event was complemented by performances by the bands “Eteria”, “Korali” and “Miklouho Maklai”, as well as a fair and stands with volunteer and creative initiatives.
The last day of the festival focused on joint prayer and carol singing. Students of our university participated in the Liturgy and the final carol in the Church of Sophia the Wisdom of God on the UCU campus, where different voices and traditions merged into one song of gratitude and hope.
An important part of the “Star of Christmas Unity” was the charitable component: throughout the festival, fundraising continued for STING unmanned systems for the 37th separate marine brigade.
The festival was organized by the Alliance of Ukrainian Universities, the UCU School Theater “On Simon’s Pillars” and the Dean’s Office of UCU Student Life. For our university, participation in the “Star of Christmas Unity” was an opportunity not only to show its nativity scene, but also to incorporate its own tradition into the broader space of university cooperation and mutual support.
The trip of the ChNU students took place with the support of the Department of Educational Work and Humanitarian Education of the ChNU, the Trade Union Organization of Teachers and Employees of the University, the Student Parliament and the Trade Union Organization of Students.
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Thank you for the interesting and useful time spent. The organization was at a high level! A team of 3 of us visited cool excursions and listened to interesting lectures, I got a lot of positive emotions and impressionsDana Tkach1st year student of the Faculty of Economics -
It was my first time at UCU. It was also my first trip with the Central Committee of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to another city. I really liked the atmosphere of Lviv, the atmosphere of the place where they performed, namely in the church of St. Sophia-Wisdom of God. Its space is filled with light, silence and deep spirituality, which creates a feeling of inner peace. I would like to separately mention the people: extremely hospitable, open and friendly. The whole trip left very warm emotions and a desire to return to Lviv and similar artistic and spiritual meetings more than once!Anastasia Chetvertak4th year student of the Faculty of Foreign Languages -
The festival "Star of Christmas Unity", held in the city of Lviv, namely at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, inspired and became a very warm memory. I, along with the staff of the Central Committee of the Ukrainian Cultural Center, had the opportunity to participate and see the performances of nativity scenes from different cities of Ukraine. The organization of the entire event was exemplary, for which I am very grateful to everyone, XTO is involved in this.Maria Chizhenko2nd year student of the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics