Birthday
HydrangeasShchedryi Vechir (Generous Eve), also known as Malanka, is celebrated on 31 December — under the Revised Julian calendar it falls on the last evening of the year, on the eve of St Basil the Great. It is the second, "rich" kutia: meat dishes are allowed, and young people go carolling with shchedrivky and stage the Malanka masquerade. Below are generous wishes for family, friends and colleagues, poem-carols and gift ideas for the festive evening.
Winter holidays: Holy Eve wishes, New Year wishes, Vasyl name day wishes.
Short Generous Eve wishes
- Generous Eve, good evening! May the new year be generous with joy, health and peace.
- Happy Malanka! May your home be full of guests and your heart full of happiness.
- A generous table, a generous fate and generous love in the new year!
- Happy Generous Eve! May all bad news stay behind in the old year.
Wishes for family
- Mum and Dad, thank you for making every holiday magical for us. May the coming year bring you health and calm.
- Grandma and Grandpa, may your home always be generous with guests and your grandchildren come carolling every year.
- My love, may our home always be warm and every evening generous with love.
Wishes for friends and colleagues
- Friends, may Malanka be merry and the new year generous with new opportunities and meetings.
- Colleagues, thank you for a year of working together. May the next one be even more successful and generous with bonuses!
- May the carols bring luck to your home and St Basil sow it with prosperity.
Wishes in the style of carols
- "Generous evening, good evening, to good people for their health!" May rye and wheat grow well and joy never leave your home.
- Generous evening, good evening! May there be peace in your home and plenty in your pantry.
For those far away
- You are not at our table tonight, but we are carolling for you too. Come home — we are waiting.
- To our defenders: generous luck, the warmth of loved ones and a peaceful sky in the new year.
Poems for Generous Eve
Generous Eve is at the door,
Malanka comes to call,
May kindness, joy and so much more
Stay with you through it all.
A carol knocks upon the gate,
The stars are shining high,
May life be rich, may luck be great,
As full as winter sky.
What to give on Generous Eve
Generous Eve is the last evening of the year, so one gift can cover both Malanka and New Year. A lush box of roses is easy to bring as a guest, and sweets make a perfect treat for the carollers who come to the door.
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See roses in a box and sweets.
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FAQ
When is Generous Eve?
On 31 December under the Revised Julian calendar, on the eve of St Basil's Day on 1 January.
How does Generous Eve differ from Holy Eve?
Holy Eve has meatless dishes and koliadky carols; Generous Eve has a rich kutia with meat dishes and shchedrivky carols.
What is Malanka?
A folk masquerade with costumes and jokes held on Generous Eve, especially famous in Bukovyna.
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Author: Maria Svitlovir
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
